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2019/10/19 - Walter's Blog: Capital Improvements Plan (CIP)

Democracy on the Front Lines
City Administrator’s Blog
Walter Denton

 

Excellent City services do not happen by accident – it takes planning and organization. The O’Fallon City Council recently approved Priorities and Goals for the upcoming year and the Capital Improvements Plan (CIP) that outlines major construction projects and equipment purchases over the next five years.

The primary role for the City Council is to set a vision for the community. City Council members do this by establishing priorities and providing guidance to staff about what they want to be accomplished. At the September 29 Committee of the Whole Meeting, the City Council discussed their priorities and goals they want to achieve over the next 1-3 years. The top five priorities are Public Safety, Economic Development, Stormwater, Streets, and Wastewater. Some of the goals listed include an east side fire station feasibility study, Rieder Road economic development, and drainage project funding. Here is the link to the full listing of City Council Priorities and Goals.

This is the second year for a comprehensive Capital Improvements Plan (CIP). The CIP is a planning instrument that identifies capital infrastructure projects and equipment in need of purchase, renovation, repair and/or construction. The CIP assigns the funding sources for the projects and the year when the project will be completed. The CIP document is designed to report the capital management and strategies to the City Council, public, City employees and other interested parties. The proposed CIP includes projects at the total cost of $62,451,693.

The CIP is the first step in the annual budgeting process. The CIP was approved at the October 7 City Council meeting and will provide the basis for next year’s annual budget. However, none of the projects will be funded until they are approved for allocation in the annual budget. Some projects listed in the CIP for Fiscal Year 2020-21 may not be included in the budget due to funding shortfalls or modified priorities. In these cases, unfunded projects may be moved to later years or removed altogether. Beginning on page 130, there is an update on the status of projects that were listed for completion in the CIP for this year.

The City Council Priorities and CIP provide a road map for staff to follow to achieve the City Council’s vision for O’Fallon. Good planning and partnership between the City Council, staff, and citizens will provide for a stronger community.