The City Council and staff reviewed the draft 2018-2022 Capital Improvement Program (CIP) at a workshop on July 18. The suggestions from that meeting have been implemented in the final CIP. Attached to the agenda is one page document detailing the changes that were made since the July workshop. The document includes page number referencing the draft CIP.  Rather than attaching the entire CIP to the agenda, which is over 200 pages long, a condensed version with just the tables has been attached. The draft CIP is currently on the city's website and will be replaced with the final CIP once approved.

Staff is continuing to redesign the budget process to be more transparent and ensure accountability to the residents and businesses of Shakopee. Part of that transparency is having easily understandable budget documents. We want our budget documents to tell a story, rather than just be a document full of numbers. Numbers are an important part of the process but so are narratives, key indicators, goals and objectives, which help the public better understand the city's financial position. 

In previous years, the CIP was included as part of the budget, this year the CIP is a stand-alone document that has incorporated more narratives, pictures and maps to help all users of this document better understand upcoming projects. 

The CIP is truly a planning document that aids in prioritizing capital project needs that often require substantial financial obligations and can span over a number of year. The creation and update of a multi-year capital plan allows the city to plan for current and long-term needs. Projects include buildings, parks, streets, equipment replacement, IT, sanitary sewer and storm drainage.

Since the CIP is a planning document and not an official budget, all CIP projects slated for 2018 will also be included in the 2018 final budget. In addition, all projects over the $25,000 purchasing threshold will be brought forward to Council prior to initiation for final approval.  So before most projects becomes active, the Council will have the opportunity to see the project pass through this multi-step approval process.