Oak Harbor unveils $62.9 million capital plan, ties nearly half to grants

Oak Harbor officials presented a biennial budget that includes nearly $62.9 million in capital projects over the two-year period, the mayor said, and reported that about $26.3 million of that total is expected to come from secured or unsecured grants.

Why this matters: the administration said linking dedicated revenues to specific city services through a new program-performance budgeting approach will help residents better understand how tax and grant dollars pay for services and capital investments.

City staff reported $3 million in grants awarded so far and said the administration had applied for more than $11 million in grants; the mayor added the city expects to apply for another $18.6 million by year-end. Grants cited by the mayor included funding for road projects, police equipment and wellness programs, electric-vehicle charging stations, evidence-storage improvements and transportation projects.

The finance team highlighted legislation the administration and staff supported to increase flexibility for local governments to use real-estate excise tax funds; the mayor said Deputy City Administrator and Finance Director David Goldman helped draft that legislative language and that the governor signed it on April 24. The administration also said it has worked to secure other funding sources, including federal and state grants, to support projects such as marina repairs and a regional public-safety training facility.

The mayor described the budget process as collaborative and said the city is adopting a program-performance budget that ties specific revenues to services and applies performance measures to programs. The address did not include detailed line-item votes or the final adopted ordinance number for the biennial budget; staff follow-up documents were referenced but not provided during the speech.