AUBURN – Auburn will be doing fewer road repairs and buying less equipment this year, councilors learned Monday.

Councilors reviewed the city’s $2.7 million capital improvements bond budget in workshop Monday. They’re scheduled to vote on the bond at the Aug. 18 meeting.

Councilors agreed to reduce their debt during the budget hearings in May. Assistant City Manager Mark Adams said this plan reduced that bond from about $4 million to about $2.1 million.

“So we’ve had to really scrutinize the projects that made this list,” Adams said.

The bond would set aside $550,000 for road reclamations in this fiscal year. Those are projects where the city grinds the existing pavement and then adds a new layer of asphalt on top.

“We think this is where we get the biggest bang for our buck,” Adams said.

The city also budgeted $500,000 for road reconstruction projects. That’s a steep cut, down from $1.5 million in previous years.

“That means our schedule will be set back a couple of years,” Adams said. “Some roads that were due to be repaired this year may wait for two years.”

The bond also sets aside $350,000 to pay the city’s share matching funds for state Department of Transportation projects.

Plans for gravel road conversions have been cut entirely.

The bond also includes $500,000 for the projects for the Auburn School Department. Much of that includes roof repairs to school buildings, he said.

The city’s capital improvement program also includes about $413,000 out of the city’s operating fund. That money would go to purchase equipment for the police, fire, public works and the parks and recreation departments and pay for some capital improvements.

“We feel that it’s very important to pay for some capital items out of the operations budget,” Adams said. “Otherwise, you end up bonding everything.”

staylor@sunjournal.com