The Capital Improvement Program (CIP) is how the City pays for physical improvements in the City. Capital improvements are long-term investments in physical infrastructure such as roads, bridges, parks, buildings, and more. Part of the capital budget is also set aside for community and economic development purposes, such as programs for businesses or low-income homeowners.  

Each year, the Planning Department works with the eight major capital budget agencies to create a six-year Capital Improvement Program. The first year becomes the City’s capital budget, and the remaining five years act as a guide for future investments.  

Over the past year, Planning staff worked with agencies, residents, and other stakeholders to update the evaluation criteria used to review capital budget requests. The updated criteria are: 

• Legal Mandate 
• Equity 
• Health & Safety 
• Asset Condition 
• Return on Investment 
• Environmental Impact 
• Efficiency & Effectiveness 

Our Evaluation Criteria website has more information, including how the criteria are defined, how they were developed, and how they fit into the capital budgeting process. 

On January 6 and 13, the capital budget agencies will present their priorities to the Planning Commission in open, public sessions (on Webex). This is a great way to learn about the great work City agencies are doing and understand their priorities for future improvements. A full schedule is on our Get Involved website.