The Capital Improvements Program (CIP) budget allocates existing funds and anticipated revenues for CIP projects which supports design and construction of a wide range of infrastructure improvement projects.

How is the CIP Budget Developed?

The CIP budget is developed through a collaborative process with input from the Mayor's Office, community, and asset-owning departments. The CIP budget consists of projects that provide long-term upgrades, repairs, or replacement needs of existing infrastructure. These infrastructure needs historically have exceeded the availability of funding. Thus, the budget -- which is developed along with the City's operating budget -- considers project priorities and makes use of a variety of available funding sources (PDF).

What's the CIP Budget Development timeline?

The CIP budget development process follows the timeline set by the City Charter, which begins to be developed earlier that operating budget. Below is a timeline of how CIP projects are identified, prioritized and funded:

• October - November: The Community Planners Committee and Community Planning Groups gather community-recommended CIP Projects and submit to Mayor, City Council, and the Capital Improvements Program Review and Advisory Committee. (CIPRAC) in November.
• November - March: Depending on available resources and overall demand, Engineering Capital Projects Department staff scores the proposed projects in accordance with City Council Policy 800-14 (PDF). The Financial Management Department confirms the availability of funds to support the budget to be considered by CIPRAC. CIPRAC then evaluates all the proposed projects, the priority score of each project, and the availability of funding to develop the Mayor?s proposed 2014 CIP Budget. All project pages are reviewed and the Financial Management Department prepares the Proposed CIP Budget publication.
• April: The Mayor releases the CIP Proposed Budget to the public on April 15 in compliance with the City Charter [Article XV, Section 265, Item (b) (14)] (PDF).
• May: The City Council holds a series of public budget hearings. Council members may recommend changes to the Proposed CIP Budget. Also in May, the Mayor's revision to the Proposed Budget is released. This report recommends changes to specific CIP projects' budgets based on updated information.
• June: The CIP Project Budget final draft is reviewed and approved by the City Council, which can be vetoed by the Mayor. Once the budget is approved, the final changes are implemented. If not vetoed by the Mayor, a letter -- referred to as a Change Letter- summarizing the City Council's May adopted CIP budget revisions -- is created.
• July: The annual Appropriation Ordinance is presented to the City Council and adopted in July authorizing expenditure of the budget.

Does the CIP Budget Development Process Change?

Yes, the process to develop an annual CIP budget may change as needed to improve the process or comply with the current administration.