City Seeks Input for its Capital Improvement Plan

SAN ANGELO, TX — The effort to restore City Auditorium to its majestic splendor began in the most mundane way; it was included in the City’s Capital Improvement Plan. The same is true of other publicly popular projects: the dog park, the fire training center and MLK Boulevard’s rebuild.

The City is seeking citizen input on new projects that should be included – or undone projects that warrant higher priority – in the updated Capital Improvement Plan. Citizens can share their thoughts via a short online form here. The feedback will help the City Council in crafting and passing the 2018-23 Capital Improvement Plan. For responses to be most useful, they should be submitted by Jan. 29.

The plan prioritizes how the City should address large capital needs. Projects must have a useful life of at least three years, cost more than $25,000 and require at least six months to complete. Street, water, drainage and park projects are in the CIP, as are new facilities and facility improvements.

The City will also host a forum to gather public input on the CIP at 6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 18, at the McNease Convention Center, 501 Rio Concho Drive. The forum will air live on SATV, Suddenlink channel 17, and will re-air daily in the weeks afterward. It will also be posted on the City’s website at cosatx.us and its YouTube channel.

The city charter requires that a five-year CIP be published and available to citizens. The plan can be read in hard copy form at City Hall, 72 W. College Ave., or online. The charter mandates that public input be sought to ensure the CIP reflects citizens’ needs and wishes.

Once the City Council approves the plan this winter, it will help shape next year’s budget. CIP projects have a wide range of funding sources. Those include grants, designated revenue, debt instruments, fund balances, and sales and property taxes.

For more information about the CIP or the input process, contact City Budget Coordinator Kimberly Holle at [email protected] or 325-657-4211.