We run a major multi-million dollar capital improvement and utility rehabilitation program – a compilation of infrastructure and major maintenance projects designed to enhance, expand, and preserve the infrastructure so that you receive reliable utility services daily.

In any given fiscal year, EU is managing dozens of projects, which includes planning studies, condition assessments, and engineering design as well as construction of new facilities and rehabilitation or replacement of existing City-owned infrastructure across all three utility services.

We prioritize these projects based on meeting public safety objectives, preventing extensive and costly maintenance requirements, replacing infrastructure that has gone beyond its useful life, and refurbishing or improving utility systems to maintain reliable services. This proactive approach keeps the integrity of our utility systems high and your utility rates low.

How we fund capital improvement projects

One of the biggest challenges with programs like these is funding. We fund these projects using a variety of sources, including:

  • A portion of your monthly utility bill for rehabilitation of existing infrastructure
  • Developer impact fees that increase capacity for new development and new service demands
  • Grants and long-term debt financing to either offset other funding sources or finance large improvement projects over time

By planning and budgeting for these long- term projects over a 10-plus year horizon, we can create a savings account and secure grant funding to pay for many of the projects without having to borrow money with interest.

Our planning starts early

We contemplate projects years or decades before we need to implement them. We do this because many of these projects can be costly and we want to pay for them over a period of years. As part of this effort, we also identify needed infrastructure improvements, based on a condition assessment, to ensure that rehabilitation projects mitigate against un-disrupted service and expansion projects are completed just in time for increased service demands.