"We always knew it would a challenge," Susie Wiles with the Mayor's office tells WOKV. "We validated our own assumption. It is a challenge."

The funding and steering committees were expected to roll out funding proposals in the coming days, but now city leaders say those talks are on hold until committee members have a better idea of what the city budget will look like.

"Until we understand the full impact of the city budget, it just didn't make sense to bring those community leaders and subject matter experts back together," Wiles said.

The new timetable recommends those meetings start back up in late May, giving committee members a chance to see if funding opens up from the state legislature.

Wiles believes the bulk of the $35 million price tag will have to be covered with local tax dollars, likely setting up some challenging questions as the city council and Mayor John Peyton craft a spending plan in the midst of revenue shortfalls.

"We are dedicated, singularly dedicated, to a balanced budget first and funding as much as Journey as humanly possible," Wiles says. "I personally am hoping it's all of it."

Public hearings are scheduled for late May and early June, as well as workshops, to explain to taxpayers how proposed programs will work.