What is a Capital Improvement Planning (CIP)?

A capital Improvement Plan is a six-year schedule of public physical improvements which identifies the needs for major public infrastructure improvements, and the sources of funding to make those improvements. It provides a schedule of expenditures for constructing, maintaining, upgrading, and/or replacing a community's physical inventory. The CIP, therefore, is a tool to assess the long-term capital project requirements (the "big jobs") of St. Johns. Since capital improvement projects are spread across multiple community needs (fire protection, police, water and sewer, parks and recreation, municipal administration, etc.) the CIP prioritizes these projects across the entire community and over time, providing an "apples-to-apples" comparison of the community's various needs and wants.

What are the benefits of preparing a CIP?

The CIP is more than just a State requirement; it is an essential planning tool in addition to a statement of budgetary policy. It informs the taxpayers of City of St. Johns how the City plans to prioritize, schedule, and coordinate capital improvement projects over the next six years.

The benefits of creating and annually updating the CIP include:

  • Prudent use of taxpayer dollars
  • Focusing city expenditures on the needs of the community
  • Prioritizing projects across the needs of the community
  • Generating community support by inviting public input
  • Promoting economic development
  • Improving the city's eligibility for State and Federal grants
  • Providing an implementation tool for the goals and objectives of the City's Master Plan
  • Transparency in identification of high-priority projects
  • Coordination/cost-sharing between projects

Getting Involved

For more information about the capital improvement planning process, contact Chad Gamble, P.E., 989-224-8944 Ext. 231