City of Homer Solicits Nominations for 2016-2021 Capital Improvement Plan

Contact: Katie Koester, kkoester@ci.homer.ak.us, 435-3101                                                                         

Work is now underway to update the City of Homer’s Capital Improvement Plan. Community organizations and agencies are urged to contact the City Manager’s office by June 30 to request that particular projects be included in the new CIP.

The Capital Improvement Plan is a 6-year planning document for major acquisition and construction projects. Capital projects typically have a value of $25,000 or greater and result in a fixed asset with a useful life of at least three years.

While inclusion in the CIP does not guarantee funding, it does show that the project is a community priority and thus increases the chances of obtaining local, state, federal, and/or private funding. Generally speaking, a project will not be considered for a state legislative appropriation unless it is included in a community’s capital improvement plan.

While most of the City of Homer CIP projects are specific to municipal government operations (e.g., roads, water/sewer projects, harbor projects), there is a section of the book for projects spearheaded by non-profit organizations or state/federal agencies.

Typically the CIP contains about 60 projects in good years, only a handful of those get funded. Nevertheless, it is important for any organization that is proposing a project with broad community benefit to contact the City.

The Homer City Council makes the final decision about which projects to include in the CIP and which of those to emphasize during the coming year as legislative priorities (established by resolution). Legislative priorities are those projects for which the City actively seeks state and federal funding through the appropriations process.

Work on the CIP will continue all summer and into the fall, with final adoption of the entire CIP and the legislative priority list in September. Public input is welcome and encouraged throughout the process.

Proposed new project descriptions need to include information about specific features of the project, benefits to the community, progress to date (in planning, design, construction, and fundraising), estimated total cost (including funds already in hand), and contact information. Maps, drawings, and photos are also welcome. You can find the current CIP (2015-2020) a nomination form to help guide this process and a copy of the CIP schedule on the Economic Development page of the City’s website: www.cityofhomer-ak.gov/economicdevelopment