One of the many tools that a municipality has in its tool chest is the ability to implement a CIP (Capital Improvement Plan). The strategic forethought used to develop such a plan goes a long way in ensuring the future of your municipality. It may seem like a daunting task, but implementing a CIP much easier than you may have thought.
First, let’s take a brief look at a portion of the act that created this process:
1968 Act 247
Section 501-A. Purposes.—To further the purposes of this
act in an era of increasing development and of a corresponding
demand for municipal capital improvements, to insure that the
cost of needed capital improvements be applied to new
developments in a manner that will allocate equitably the cost
of those improvements among property owners and to respond to
the increasing difficulty which municipalities are experiencing
in developing revenue sources to fund new capital infrastructure
from the public sector, the following powers are granted to all
municipalities, other than counties, which municipalities have
adopted either a municipal or county comprehensive plan,
subdivision and land development ordinance and zoning ordinance.
It’s essential to have a multi-year planning document to ensure resources can be identified to fund critical projects. Unfortunately, most municipalities don’t have the time or skills in-house to develop and maintain an updated CIP that meets their long-term needs. The result is that boroughs, cities and townships are left without this critical tool to help them plan for mounting capital improvement needs.
You now have an option that will fill this void and get a CIP in place in a timely manner. KMS (Keystone Municipal Solutions) has the experience and expertise to assist an organization in the development of a detailed five-year plan for your municipality.
KMS will work with you to develop a plan that outlines your definition of a capital project, the capital improvement planning process, a detailed listing of capital projects, along with funding levels for each of these projects. The engagement establishes a strategy to strengthen your fiscal management capacity rather than simply a one-time, stand-alone planning document. This is the difference that contracting a professional like KMS will make in the process.
Does your team have the ability to establish a prioritization criterion to facilitate the capital project selection process? The specialists at KMS will evaluate criteria gained from input obtained from the board/council, municipal managers, and finance directors, no matter the makeup of your organization. The end result will include any legal mandates, health/safety implications, protection/preservation of municipal assets, a long-term planning focus, urgency/time sensitivity, and, of course, cost.
KMS has developed a proprietary process to help you through this process – from planning, prioritization and project selection to training you and your staff on how to apply this valuable tool. In essence, KMS offers a solution that allows you to think ahead and be proactive rather than reactive in the development of your municipality.
So you don't have a CIP in place? No problem, let’s "fire this thing up," and let KMS show you just how easy and affordable it really is.