City budget staff and council members discussed the status of the city's Smart City funds, with staff saying prior allocations have been mostly spent and a new $1.6 million appropriation is restricted to Smart City uses.

Council member Collins told the meeting the newest allocation of roughly $1.6 million must be spent on Smart City work and cannot be moved to other purposes. Staff reported that from prior Smart City appropriations there is about $137,000 still available and that earlier years saw multi-million-dollar spending rounds. The packet reviewed at the meeting showed prior Smart City spending of roughly $2 million in 2021 and more than $3 million in 2023, with only a small remaining balance from earlier funds.

Council members asked for a line-by-line breakdown of Smart City spending and encumbrances and whether there are outstanding purchase orders that would consume the available balance. Staff said they would provide a detailed accounting and noted that the newly proposed $1.6 million is dedicated to Smart City projects and cannot be used for general fund needs.

Why this matters: the council is weighing how to prioritize limited capital funds and wanted to know how much of the Smart City allocation is still available and whether the incoming $1.6 million carries spending restrictions that would prevent reallocation.