Capital Improvements Program Review and Advisory Committee (CIPRAC)
What is CIPRAC?
This advisory committee reviews proposed Capital Improvements Program (CIP) projects from a citywide perspective, providing the Mayor with proposed CIP budget recommendations and CIP project prioritization recommendations
What is the Purpose of CIPRAC?
As outlined in the City Council Policy 800-14 (PDF), CIPRAC objectively prioritizes and evaluates the new infrastructure needs of each City Department against previously identified infrastructure needs or projects. This prioritization process helps decision-makers to compare the costs, benefits, and merits of individual projects, and make best use of the available funding resource. The committee ensures conformance with the Mayor's and Council's policy goals, departmental priority needs, and anticipated funding sources. CIPRAC will revise its mission, authority, and objectives as needed to comply with the current administration.
What does CIPRAC do?
- Facilitates project coordination to increase cost effectiveness and minimize community disruptions. This includes long-term planning for public capital needs
- Reviews and approves multi-year CIP plans
- Provides key leadership, authority, oversight, and coordination for the CIP
- Assigns the following responsibilities to the appropriate departments or offices:
- Identify, leverage, and optimize funding sources
- Streamline and improve coordination and functionality of CIP related processes
- Review and assess efficiency of required processes
- Work with the Office of the Independent Budget Analyst to identify ways to streamline the process
- Ensures the financial /accounting system continues to support the needs of the CIP process
- Coordinates various responsibilities of service departments
- Makes certain that projects are reviewed for conformance with the General Plan and Community Plans
CIPRAC's goal is to ensure that projects are ranked on a City-wide perspective, balancing needs and budget with policy objectives. The advisory committee communicates with departments and other stakeholders about the CIP process and projects.
Who are the CIPRAC members?
The advisory committee is comprised of the City's department directors and senior-level officials involved with the CIP, bringing together both client or asset-owning departments and service providers.
Client/Asset-Owning Departments
- Public Utilities
- Transportation and Storm Water
- Parks and Recreation
- Environmental Services
- Disability Services
- Library
- Fire-Rescue
- Airports / Real Estate Assets
Service Providers
- Public Works Department
- Equal Opportunity Contracting
- Financial Management
- Development Services
- Debt Management
- Comptroller
City Department Directors & Senior-Level Officials
- Assistant Chief Operating Officer
- Director, Public Works Department
- Director, Debt Management Department
- Director, Development Services Department
- Facilities Financing Manager
- Deputy Director, Economic Development
- Director, Environmental Services Department
- Director, Financial Management
- Director, Inter-Governmental Relations Department
- Director, Library Department
- Director, Office of ADA Compliance and Accessibility
- Director, Park and Recreation Department
- City Comptroller
- City Engineer
- Fire Chief
- Police Chief
How are CIP Projects Implemented?
Most CIP projects originate in client departments as infrastructure needs. Once the project is part of the CIP, in most cases, the Public Works Department manages the planning, design, and construction of the project, including
- Project Initiation/Development
- Preliminary Engineering
- Permit, Environmental and Design
- Advertise and Award
- Construction
- Project Close-out
- Project Capitalized
- Project Service Life
- Deferred Capital
What is the CIP Approval Process?
- Council and Mayor provide CIP Policy/Direction
- Departments submit request
- Council districts, communities, and operational needs examined
- CIPRAC reviews
- Mayor determines available resources and submits CIP Budget to Council for consideration
- Council conducts public hearing
- Planning Commission certifies CIP conformance with general and community plans
- Council adopts budget
After CIPRAC establishes the CIP project priority list, those recommendations are considered by the Mayor. The resulting ranking list is reported by the Mayor to the Council as part of the annual CIP budget process.
Upon approval of the CIP budget by the Council, the Mayor pursues the completion of each project phase. The Mayor also uses the priority ranking to seek grant funding opportunities.