Dillon Town Council is directing town staff to bring a budget proposal for key projects it has identified for funding from the Dillon Urban Renewal Authority budget for 2026. 

The town expects to end 2025 with $6.6 million in reserves in funds for the Dillon Urban Renewal Authority, and the authority’s budget predicts $4.2 million in revenue in 2026. Town Council members chose certain projects out of three different scenarios — beautification, amenities and property acquisition — presented to them. 

Council ultimately directed staff to budget $1.5 million for the completion of the Town Park Plaza, $700,000 for the construction of eight pickleball courts at the town park, $1.5 million for the installation of electric vehicle chargers, $150,000 for two projects related to replacing lights in the town core and $100,000 for the creation of an educational walkway between the town park and Summit County Historical Society. The council also discussed retaining revenue to explore the potential for property acquisitions to benefit the town. 

Regarding property acquisition, council members asked staff to keep money in the budget’s reserves in mind if the council decides to purchase property for future development at some point in 2026.

Finance director Mary Kay Perrotti, who presented proposals for the Dillon Urban Renewal Authority at a Sept. 23 meeting, said the property acquisition scenario was “very loose” and would allow the council to buy land to redevelop it, turn it into a park or do whatever else they might want with it.

Town manager Nathan Johnson let the council members know that the town’s economic development advisory committee had been intrigued by the idea of using Urban Renewal Authority funds to purchase property. Council member Joshua Samuel and other council members expressed interest in the acquisition idea as well, but council member Barbara Richard was one of several who said the council would need to discuss the idea further before committing to it.

“We have to determine what risk level we’re comfortable with and what the community is comfortable with,” Richard said.

A staff memo written by Perrotti stated the town is considering two projects that had to do with lighting, one for $50,000 and one for $100,000. Public works director Scott O’Brien said the $50,000 project would address issues at the intersection of Lodgepole Street and Lake Dillon Drive, which has seen vehicle-pedestrian conflicts after concerts at the amphitheater because of poor lighting. The other project, he said, is to continue upgrading street lights.

“This would be to work towards finishing off the conversion in the core from the old standard, which isn’t available anymore, to the new LED standard that we have on Lake Dillon Drive,” O’Brien said.

The proposal to include money toward a town core plaza comes after years of discussion on the project. The town budgeted $1 million for the project in 2025, but 2026 draft budgets show the town expects to spend just over $3,000 on the project in 2025.

“We were thinking that these are amenities that would benefit the town, draw people to the town, you know, possibly drive sales tax,” Perrotti said.

Though the council was presented with a few beautification scenarios, including a plan to improve landscaping at the town’s west entrance for $300,000 and the creation of a native species garden for $200,000, council members did not direct staff to include those in a future budget proposal. 

Perrotti’s memo stated the budget will be reviewed again at a public hearing Nov. 4.