A major aspect of facilities and infrastructure planning in Plano is the city’s Community Investment Program (CIP), which is a five-year guide to planning, building, operating, and maintaining capital projects. The program includes a schedule of proposed municipal expenditures for new facilities and/or the renovation, reconstruction, or expansion of existing facilities and infrastructure. Projects budgeted in the CIP are major capital investments in municipal buildings, streets, parks, drainage ways, and utilities. Projects are scheduled annually for a five-year period and funded from multiple sources, including the general fund, capital reserve fund, bonds, and other agencies. The plan's first fiscal year is adopted annually as part of the city’s annual budget. The remaining years within the CIP represent the framework for future planning and are subject to annual review and modification across the following years. Many CIP projects are multi-year in nature, with their design and construction frequently taking place over several fiscal years.
The Planning & Zoning Commission reviews the CIP yearly to ensure proposed projects align with the city’s Comprehensive Plan. Strong linkage between the Comprehensive Plan and the CIP confirms that city resources are allocated to achieve the long-term vision and goals of the city. While the CIP is ultimately a funding plan, the role of the Commission in this process is to review the relationship between the CIP and the Comprehensive Plan.
Changes are recommended to the Facilities & Infrastructure Policy to incorporate ongoing department-specific strategies and more practical guidance. For example, a large portion of the CIP is dedicated to routine maintenance and replacement of existing infrastructure. The Public Works Department has strategic plans and software to help identify and prioritize these projects. New proposed actions recommend using these best practices as part of a long-term strategy to maintain public infrastructure through the CIP. These actions will create a clear connection to the Facilities and Infrastructure Policy for these types of projects, thereby reducing the workload of trying to connect them to other broad policies of the Comprehensive Plan and making decisions on the CIP more straightforward and transparent for the Commission and community. Focus will then be placed on actions of strategic importance, such as how projects contribute to other economic development and redevelopment priorities of the city. The final outcome allows staff to illustrate how the annual CIP breaks down into routine and planned maintenance compared relative to strategic initiatives.
The Planning & Zoning Commission recommended approval of this amendment with a vote of 8-0.