Capital Improvements Plan

About Capital Improvements Plans

A Capital Improvements Plan (CIP) is a blueprint for the planning, financing, construction, and maintenance of a city's infrastructure. CIP projects can range from street repairs and construction to water and wastewater improvements to park improvements to facilities such as police and fire stations and city halls.

Oak Point's Capital Improvement Plan

In April 2014, the City of Oak Point City Council adopted a CIP. When the project was initiated, the City utilized a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) process to seek qualified professional consultants that were interested in helping the City prepare a CIP. Through this process, the City Council selected Freese and Nichols, Inc. to assist the City with preparing the CIP. The basic scope of the CIP project included:

  • Identification of criteria to prioritize the projects
  • Identification of options to fund the projects
  • Identification of projects to be included in the CIP. Projects to be considered may include:
    • Costs of Future Facilities, Major Equipment, and Vehicles
    • Drainage
    • Park Improvements
    • Road
    • Sewer
    • Water
  • Prioritization of projects using the identified criteria

The CIP project also relied on the use of a CIP Committee to provide recommendations to the City Council regarding the type and prioritization of projects included in the CIP. Because the City wanted to receive input from citizens residing throughout the entire city, the CIP Committee was structured to include representatives from each subdivision or neighborhood within Oak Point to serve on the CIP Committee.

Prioritization

Capital improvement needs vary from city to city. While new water lines and water storage tanks may be the priority of one city, new roads to keep up with explosive growth may be needed by another city. The desires of residents also differ from city to city and neighborhood to neighborhood. A resident in one city may feel that a new senior center is important while a resident in another city may feel that street repairs should be their city’s highest priority and a resident in one neighborhood may feel that the street in front of their home should be their city’s highest priority while a resident in another neighborhood may feel that their city’s highest priority should be the development of a local park.  

After the CIP Committee and City Council identified a number of projects that they felt were important to the City, the projects were prioritized. It should be noted that the projects may not be necessarily completed in the exact order as they are listed in the CIP. The CIP is intended to be a fluid document. Work may commence on a lower ranked project if an opportunity for supplemental funding arises. For instance, a developer may offer to share in the cost of a project or a partnership with the County may materialize stretching the City’s dollars on a given project. Also, a sudden change in the condition of a road or the participation in a development driven project that will indirectly result in additional tax revenue to the City could change the prioritization of the projects. Each year, the City Council and City Manager should take the projects and the recommended funding scenarios contained within the CIP into consideration as they jointly prepare the annual budget. 

Update

In May 2018, voters approved a Bond Proposition for roads in the amount of $5 million. The City Council appointed new members to the CIP Committee and meetings start in June 2018 to discuss updated project lists and prioritization. The Committee will meet on a regular basis to discuss the new CIP list before making a final recommendation to the City Council. The bonds will be issued in August and September of 2018 and will be used to fund as many projects as funds allow.