The Chattanooga City Council voted unanimously Tuesday in favor of the final passage of the proposed $80 million capital budget for 2017 and the five-year capital improvement plan.
The passage for the capital budget, combined with the body's recent passage of the $230 million operations budget, marks the end of the 2017 budget process. The capital improvement plan, which stretches to 2021, is subject to future revisions.
The council voted 9-0 on both items. Although the council said little about either matter during the meeting, the council has held a number of budget workshops with city administration officials over the last month.
After the meeting, Councilman Ken Smith, who chairs the council's Public Works and Transportation Committee, said he would like to see more capital allocations for paving, which received $3.6 million in the 2017 budget, with another $3 million proposed for each of the next four years.
"Road improvements make a daily impact on our citizens' lives" from one end of the city to the other, Smith said. He and Councilman Chip Henderson have championed increased paving dollars for the last three years, he said.
Paving dollars account for about 10 percent of the $36.6 million general fund portion of the 2017 capital budget, which receives funding from tax revenues and grant money.
David Carmody, Chattanooga's deputy chief operating officer, cited pedestrian infrastructures, such a neighborhood sidewalks and the $9.4 million rehabilitation of Walnut Street Bridge, as a key concern for the administration.
"Some of these projects might seem mundane, but they have a direct impact on the lives of many of the citizens of Chattanooga," Carmody said. "All those things show that we are not focused just on today, but we're looking at improving things for years to come."
A new, $6 million Youth and Family Development Center accounts for the one single largest capital investment for 2o17 and will double the size of the current facility.
"Avondale is a huge investment in the neighborhoods of East Chattanooga," Mayor Andy Berke has said.
Contact staff writer Paul Leach at 423-757-6481 or pleach@timesfreepress.com. Follow on Twitter @pleach_tfp.