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<br /> <br />Capital Improvement Program and Project Selection <br /> <br />This document includes details on the existing Capital Improvement Program (CIP) and <br />proposed changes to the project selection process; it is provided in advance of the <br />February 9, 2016 City Council work session on the topic. We will first outline the basic <br />process that the City has used in in the past and then discuss some refinements in how <br />CIP projects are selected. Although the basic CIP process has been used for quite some <br />time in San Leandro and provides a firm foundation for this document, the basis of a <br />large portion of the text describing our process is from the Government Finance Officers <br />Association document “Capital Improvement Programming – A Guide for Smaller <br />Governments” by Patricia Tigue. <br /> <br /> <br />Capital Improvement Program <br />Capital infrastructure is necessary for maintaining our community. Streets, sewer <br />systems, traffic signals, parks and public buildings provide the backbone of the local <br />economy, influencing the flow of goods, residential development, and business location <br />decisions. The quality of life for a community depends upon the reliability of its <br />transportation, the quality of its sewer and storm systems, and the accessibility of many <br />other essential public services. <br /> <br />Budgetary pressures can often divert City resources away from capital renewal. Our City <br />will be continually challenged to meet citizen needs for additional or improved services <br />and facilities while maintaining our existing infrastructure. There are limited resources <br />available in our budget and capital spending is often the first to be cut in an effort to <br />balance the budget; however, our quality of life can only be maintained if as a City we <br />are committed to keeping our capital assets in good condition. <br /> <br />A capital program is a multiyear plan – our proposal is to be six years – identifying <br />projects to be funded during the period. The capital program should not be confused with <br />the capital improvement budget. The capital improvement budget represent the money <br />allocated during a budget cycle year of the capital program. The capital budget is our <br />annual appropriation for capital spending and is officially adopted by the Council every <br />two years. The capital budget authorizes specific projects and appropriates specific <br />funding for those projects, and then is adopted in conjunction with the City’s operating <br />budget. Project and funding sources listed in the CIP for years other than the budget year <br />serve only as a guide for future planning and are subject to further review and <br />modification in following budget cycles. <br /> <br />The development of the CIP is a multi-step process. Our process can be summarized <br />with the steps listed below. <br /> <br />1. Establish the Policy Framework for the CIP <br />2. Formulate Evaluation Criteria to Prioritize Capital Spending and Guide Project <br />Selection <br />3. Identify Projects for the capital program