City finance and department staff presented a draft five‑year Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) to the Planning and Zoning Commission that ranks priority projects for the city; the list’s top items were major transportation and infrastructure proposals led by an expansion and realignment of Bridge Number 2, followed by a new animal shelter and citywide drainage planning.

Piras Castillo, the city finance director, and Omar Rodriguez, fixed‑assets coordinator, explained the CIP scoring methodology: departments submitted candidate projects to an administration committee, which scored items across public‑safety, infrastructure, community benefit, long‑term financial impact and quality‑of‑life criteria. Staff noted the CIP threshold for inclusion is project costs over $100,000 or assets with useful life of 10 years.

Top projects shown in staff slides included: Bridge Number 2 expansion (illustrative cost shown as more than $50 million), Bridge Number 2 realignment (about $23 million), a new animal shelter (estimated $3.4 million), a citywide drainage master plan (about $500,000), sidewalk improvements ($1 million) and a main arroyo cleanup/reconstruction (about $30 million). Staff emphasized the list is a prioritized wish list to guide grant seeking, bond or certificate‑of‑obligation financing and departmental planning, not a commitment to perform all projects immediately.

Commissioners asked for a total sum of the listed projects, cash‑flow and debt‑service scenarios, and how each project would be funded (grants, certificates of obligation, general fund, enterprise revenues). Commissioner Casas said he wanted a project‑by‑project financing plan showing annual debt service and revenue sources before recommending the list. A motion to approve the list failed to reach a decision after a commissioner abstained; staff said they will take commission input to council and offered to hold a special session with more detailed financing and cost‑summary information before the council presentation.

Finance staff said next steps will include coordinating funding analysis with external financial consultants, evaluating grants and determining whether to pursue certificates of obligation or a bond election for major items. The commission did not provide a final recommendation at the meeting and asked staff to return with a summarized total cost and financing scenarios.