5 Year Capital Improvement Program

Capital Improvement Program Policy

The purpose of the Capital Improvement Program (CIP) is to implement and facilitate the city’s comprehensive plan. . A capital improvements program is a blueprint for planning a community’s capital expenditures and is one of the most important responsibilities of local government officials.

Capital Improvement: An expenditure in excess of $50,000 for the planning, design and construction of a physical improvement and/or associated fixed equipment and having a useful life of five years or more. An initial project cost shall include all factors of the project (i.e. land, buildings, machinery, equipment, furniture). This definition is intended to include, but not limited to, the following:.  Any acquisition of land for a public purpose. – All related expenditures for land whether or not they meet the dollar limitation previously mentioned. This includes right-of-way acquisitions.

1. Any construction of a new facility (a public building, or water lines, playfield etc), or an addition to, or extension of, such a facility and all related expenditures for structures regardless of cost (ie., architectural, renovation, addition to, engineering).
2. A nonrecurring rehabilitation (something which is infrequent and would not be considered annual or other recurrent maintenance and repair) or major repair of all or a part of the a building, its grounds, or a facility, including streets, sewer, water, and storm drainage, provided that the cost is $50,000 or more and the improvement will have a useful life of 10 years or more;
3. Any planning, feasibility, engineering, or design study related to an individual capital  improvement project, or to a program that  is implemented through individual capital  improvement projects

2016-17 Proposed Capital Projects (Excel-Includes Links to all Projects)  

2016-17 Proposed Capital Projects (PDF – Scroll through projects)

Citizen Survey – Please take the time to tell the City what projects you think are important and should be considered.  You can reference the information for the projects by clicking on one of the above links.

A Capital Improvement Program coordinates community planning, financial capacity and physical development.  The program is composed of two parts — a capital budget and a capital program.  The capital program is a plan for capital expenditures that extends five years beyond the capital budget. Development of a CIP that will insure sound fiscal and capital planning reuires effective leadership and the involvement and cooperation of all municipal departments.

Due to the limited amount of available funds, the CIP serves to establish a priority for the many necessary projects. Therefore, the CIP will be updated annually in order to incorporate the changing priorities, needs, and funding sources.

A complete, properly developed CIP has the following benefits:

1. City funds will be spent for improvements compatible with the city’s long-term  goals and needs, with funds spent on high priority projects first.
2. Facilitates coordination between capital needs and the operating budget.
3. Enhances the community’s credit rating, control of its tax rate, and avoids sudden changes in its debt service requirements.
4. Identifies the most economical means of financing capital projects to ensure improvements will not cause a financial burden on the city.
5. Increases opportunities for obtaining federal and state aid.
6. Focuses attention on community objectives and fiscal capacity.
7. Keeps the public informed about future needs and projects.
8. Encourages careful project planning and design to avoid costly mistakes and help a community reach desired goals.

Inclusion of a project as a CIP request does not ensure that the project will be funded at any time in the future, but it does assure that the project will be evaluated on its merits relative to other proposed CIP projects. Major maintenance projects such as street resurfacing or a new roof for a building should normally be included in the city’s operating budget and are not included in the CIP.