Manteca could get a jump on $2.1 million in capital improvement projects planned for next year.

And the savings needed to do so were almost all the result of not needing to use all of the money budgeted for service contracts.

It reflects the ability for the city to stay on top of vacancies in a tight labor market.

It also underscores efforts to create in-house opportunities with the expertise to do tasks needed to move as many projects forward as possible without having to retain consultants.

And the reason why the city is in a position to spend the $2.1 million now instead of later is because internal accounting practices implemented in the past few years has enabled the city to have a clear snapshot at where they are at financially.

The City Council when they meet Tuesday at 6 p.m. will be asked if they want to move some capital improvement projects ahead of schedule by using $2.1 million in cost savings identified in the current fiscal year budget.

That leaves the council with a lot of options.

They could fast forward the time schedule for ordering two replacement front line fire engines. At $1 million a pop, that would pretty much take everything that has been identified as cost savings.

And if they wanted to get the most bang for the buck, they could opt to move up several projects individual council members put the remaining $2.5 million in federal COVID relief funds towards that still needed more money to complete.

All of the projects are high profile and they are almost all new amenities that the city does not have.

Two examples of projects not 100 percent funded with the COVID money are a splash park for Woodward Park and building a skate park adjacent to the Spreckels BMX course.

 There was $100,000 set aside toward the $200,000 needed for the skate park.

As for the splash pad, $405,000 was allocated toward the estimated $1 million cost.

Whatever the council decides to do, the projects they move forward will free money set aside in the next budget year for them to be reallocated toward other needs.

Staff noted there are four benefits in getting a jump start on next fiscal year’s capital improvement projects.

*The City can allocate funds that would otherwise go unspent towards necessary capital investments, maximizing the utility of available resources.

* Avoiding budget surplus at year end demonstrates proactive planning and responsible financial stewardship.

*Since funds are already available, implementation of essential capital improvements and needs can be obtained faster with no need to wait for next fiscal year.

* Leveraging savings from current year’s budget promotes financial prudence, efficiency, and strategic planning.