The Dexter City Council approved the city’s Fiscal Year 2026–2031 Capital Improvements Plan (CIP) at its June 8 meeting, following a recommendation from the Planning Commission, which raised questions about whether several sidewalk projects that have remained on the plan for more than two decades should continue to be included.
The six-year CIP serves as the city’s long-range planning document for major infrastructure and capital projects. It identifies proposed investments in roads, utilities, parks, municipal facilities and other public improvements, helping guide budgeting and future development decisions. While inclusion in the CIP does not guarantee a project will be funded or constructed, projects generally must be included in the plan to remain eligible for future consideration.
Long-Range Plan Totals More Than $20 Million
According to a memorandum from Community Development Manager Michelle Aniol and Associate Planner David Jarvi, the FY 2026–2031 CIP contains 76 capital projects, one more than the previous plan. The six-year program totals approximately $20.38 million, a decrease of about 38.4% from the FY 2025–2030 CIP’s projected expenditures of $32.6 million.
The largest single expenditure in the new plan is the Road Maintenance Program (Mill & Overlay), with a projected cost of $4.14 million.
The Planning Commission held a public hearing on June 1 and recommended approval of the CIP. During that meeting, commissioners directed staff to ask the City Council whether several sidewalk projects should remain in the plan. The projects are located on Edison Street, Fourth Street, Hudson Street, Inverness Street and Meadow View Drive.
Commissioners noted that the Meadow View Drive sidewalk project has been listed in the CIP for approximately 18 years, while the other sidewalk projects have appeared for roughly 21 years.
Council Revisits Decades-Old Sidewalk Projects
The issue resurfaced during the council’s discussion of the plan.
Councilmember Wa Hubbard questioned whether retaining projects that have remained dormant for decades was consistent with the city’s planning goals.
“Am I wrong in my recollection that we have something in our master plan that says that we’re trying to put sidewalks everywhere, and so if that is the case, what difference does it make that those have been in there for 21 years?” Hubbard asked. “I mean, if we remove those, then we need to amend the master plan, right?”
City Manager Justin Breyer responded that the city has long maintained a policy goal of eventually providing sidewalks throughout Dexter.
“I believe it’s always been council’s stated goal to have a sidewalk on every street in the city, preferably on both sides,” Breyer said. “There are a very limited number of streets remaining that have no sidewalks on either side in certain portions, and those have remained in the CIP waiting for the opportunity to arise where those might be installed.”
New Projects Added, Completed Projects Removed
The approved CIP also includes several new projects, including pedestrian walkway lighting improvements on Broad Street, decorative downtown street tree lighting, replacement of the Mill Creek Park North staircase, a structural study of the City Hall council chambers ceiling beam, and renovation of the City Hall barn roof and second floor.
Three completed projects were removed from the plan: the public safety facilities project involving the fire station and sheriff substation, concrete work at Dexter Crossing and Huron Farms, and ADA compliance work along Dexter-Ann Arbor Road. In addition, proposed improvements to the Huron Lift Station were removed because funding sources and project scope had not been fully developed.
For further details, the 2026-2031 CIP can be found on the city’s website.
114 North Main St Suite 10 Chelsea, MI 48118
