Where Your Tax Dollars Are Going: Breaking Down Hilliard’s $193.7M 5-Year Capital Improvement Plan (FY 2027–2031)

The City of Hilliard’s Capital Improvement Program (CIP) outlines $208,107,004 in total requested project costs across municipal departments, with $193,707,004 programmed across the 5-year budget window from FY 2027 through FY 2031.

If you have ever wondered how the City of Hilliard prioritizes road work, parks, utility upgrades, and public safety equipment, the latest Capital Improvement Plan report lays it all out.

Between FY 2027 and FY 2031, the city has programmed $193.7 million in funding across seven key departments to maintain existing infrastructure and prepare for future growth.

Here is a plain-English breakdown of how the funding is distributed and what major projects are on the horizon:

1. Engineering & Infrastructure: $141.9M (73% of the Plan)

The vast majority of the budget is focused on roads, bridges, water systems, and sewers:

• Street Paving & Roadway Maintenance: The annual Citywide Street Maintenance & Rehabilitation Program (SMRP) accounts for $36.5M over five years to keep neighborhood and arterial streets paved and smooth.
• Leap Road South: Allocated $20.3M, with construction ramp-up scheduled for FY 2029 ($8.6M) and FY 2030 ($10.8M).
• Sidewalks & Traffic Management: $8.75M dedicated to sidewalk maintenance ($1.75M annually), plus ongoing investments in pedestrian/bike mobility ($2.8M) and neighborhood traffic calming ($750K).
• Intersection & Corridor Improvements: Includes $6.1M for Alton Darby Creek Rd & Roberts Rd, $4.1M for Hayden Run & Wilcox, and $3.67M for Cosgray Rd/Jeffrelyn Dr/Hoffman Farms Dr.
• Underground Utilities & Drainage: Over $20M committed across sanitary sewer inflow/infiltration reduction ($7M), lift station replacements and rehab ($7M+), waterline improvements on Old Hilliard and Roberts Road, and stormwater basin rehab.

2. Parks & Recreation: $28.2M

Major investments in community recreation and park facilities:

• Hilliard Family Aquatics Center: The largest single park investment, programming $18M total between FY 2028 ($3M), FY 2029 ($7.5M), and FY 2030 ($7.5M).
• Park & Lot Restorations: $2.15M for parking lots and paved pathways across the park network, alongside updates to Latham Park ($620K), Hayden Run Village Park ($650K), and Hamilton Park ($500K).
• Ongoing Community Park Maintenance: Routine repairs and maintenance for Hilliard’s Station Park ($370K), First Responders Park ($50K), and athletic fields.

3. Facilities & Public Service: $7.8M

Maintaining city-owned buildings and service facilities:

• Operational Facilities: Includes improvements to the Public Service Operations Center ($250K), Fleet Storage ($500K), Salt Storage ($300K), and Parks Annex ($1M).
• Old Hilliard & Trees: $700K for Downtown Treescape improvements and $300K for Downtown Hilliard maintenance.

4. City Fleet: $6.4M

Replacing and modernizing city equipment across public service crews:

• Vehicles & Trucks: $1.72M for large service trucks, $1.68M for light trucks/pickups, and $1.17M for heavy service machinery.
• Ground Maintenance: Routine replacement cycles for mowers, utility equipment, and fleet software.

5. Community Development: $3.5M

• Passenger Rail Station: $3.5M programmed for FY 2031, preserving city positioning for regional passenger rail expansion.

6. Public Safety & Police: $1.43M

• Patrol & Protection: $1.03M for police cruisers and emergency fleet vehicles over the next three fiscal years.
• Gear & Safety Tech: Routine replacements for body-worn armor/vests ($75K), service weapons ($132.5K), radios ($83K), and police K9 replacement cycles ($75K).

7. Street Maintenance & Forestry: $2.17M

• Urban Canopy: $1.87M dedicated to the Urban Forestry Program ($360K–$400K per year) to manage public right-of-way trees and plantings.
• Bridge Maintenance: $300K over five years for regular culvert and bridge structural upkeep.

8. Information Technology: $2.05M

• Upgrades to municipal fiber laterals ($350K), building access control, city-wide Wi-Fi/camera expansions, police vehicle IT/cameras ($175K), body cameras ($70K), and tech systems at The Well ($175K).