City of San Angelo Wants Your Opinion on Capital Projects

A splash pad? Upgrades to streets, the animal shelter, Fort Concho? A new police station or sports complex? What should be San Angelo’s capital improvement priorities?

You can share your thoughts beginning Friday, Feb. 10, via a short online form at cosatx.us/CIPinput. The feedback will help the City Council in crafting and passing the 2017-22 Capital Improvement Plan.

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 and park projects are in the CIP, as are the purchase of fire trucks and other heavy equipment. Projects in the CIP that are nearing completion include City Auditorium’s renovation, the dog park and a fire training center.

The City will also host a forum to gather public input on the CIP at 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 23, 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 at youtube.com/CityofSanAngeloTx.

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 at cosatx.us/budget. 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 spring, 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 Manager Morgan Chegwidden at morgan.chegwidden@cosatx.us or 325-653-6291.