Every year the Department of Public Works sends out a “Call for New Projects” which provides the City Council, Commission members and employees a formal means of suggesting new projects.

To qualify for the CIP, a project must meet one or more of the following criteria:

• addresses a particular safety issue.

• existing maintenance efforts are no longer satisfactory to keep a facility in good repair.

• existing facility is no longer adequate to meet the demand.

• estimated total project cost of at least $50,000.

Once a project idea is submitted, it is reviewed by the Finance and Management Services Division staff for completeness and to insure it qualifies as a CIP project.  It is then put into one of the thirteen CIP categories:

Projects are then sent to the appropriate Department for their review and comment.  Department staff reviews each project and prioritize them as either high, medium or low.

Next, each Department prepares a preliminary cost estimate for the construction or implementation of the high priority projects.  After the project costs have been developed, the appropriate Department recommends how the new project will be integrated with the projects that are already planned.  A high priority new project may require the  postponement of an existing project.  The Department then recommends a funding plan for each project based upon the priorities.  This list is reviewed and approved by the City Manager.

A City Manager’s Recommended CIP budget is prepared and sent to the appropriate citizens’ commissions/committees for review and support.  The citizen groups and the categories they review are listed below:

At each commission meeting, as well as the Finance Committee and City Council meetings, citizens are invited and encouraged to participate in the CIP process.  Before any votes of support are taken, public comment is heard and considered.

The City Manager’s Recommended budget, along with the comments and suggested changes of the citizen groups, is then presented to the City Council’s Finance Committee.  The Finance Committee reviews the City Manager’s Recommended CIP in detail, considers comments and recommendations from citizens’ commissions, and makes a final budget recommendation to the full City Council.  The City Council holds a public hearing to review and discuss the City Manager’s Recommended CIP.  At the conclusion of the public hearing the City Council votes to adopt a Capital Improvement Program.