In response to the governor's decision to take vehicle licensing fee revenues from local governments, council members reluctantly agreed to put several items on the five-year Capital Improvement Plan on hold, upon the recommendation from Public Works Director John Cherbone.

According to Cherbone, the selection of which projects were to be postponed was based on four main factors, including projected funding from outside sources, safety issues, maintenance and whether the project is ongoing.

Of the 49 projects on the list, more than 10 were put on hold, which included the proposal to construct an emergency fire exit on Norton Road, improvements on Aloha Avenue, curb and gutter replacements in the El Quito neighborhood, median repairs and improvements to the North Campus facility.

Vice Mayor Kathleen King said she was not comfortable putting off certain projects, especially the Aloha Avenue improvements, the Neighborhood Traffic Management Program and the Norton Road fire exit access because of safety reasons. She said that Aloha Avenue has one of the highest accident rates in the city. In addressing the need for the NTMP, she referenced the number of speeders in several neighborhoods. And in light of what happened with the recent fires in Southern California, she stressed the need for an alternative route on Norton Road in the case of an emergency.

"We're just being prudent council members in making sure that all of the holes are filled and that sheriffs are on the streets," said Councilman Nick Streit. "Hopefully, we can come back to this six months from now and reprioritize and fund other projects depending on the state's financial situation."

Councilman Norman Kline clarified that the council is simply reprioritizing projects in a capital sense.

"We're not stopping or unfunding any projects," he said.

According to Cherbone, placing items on hold—such as the Saratoga-Sunnyvale Road Gateway improvements—means that the "actual bidding process would be on hold until the economic climate is better." However, staff will move forward with the processes leading up to the bid.

Council members will be discussing the CIP budget at another meeting on Jan. 21.