Wednesday, June 20, 2001
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Wednesday, June 20, 2001 |
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Commission lays ground work for long-range planning By DAVE
HAMRICK
Rudimentary beginnings of what eventually will become a five-year capital improvement program for Fayette County are included in this year's proposed county budget. Commissioners voted last week to include a separate one-year capital improvement element in the fiscal 2002 budget, providing the framework for more long-range planning. "This is something some of us have been wanting all along," said commission Chairman Greg Dunn during a series of workshops on the budget. Commissioners tentatively approved all of the departmental budgets for 2002, a total of just over $65 million, with plans to vote on final adoption of the budget following a public hearing Thursday at 7 p.m. at the County Administrative Complex. Now that they have agreed to the concept, Dunn said commissioners later will get together in an intense planning retreat to come up with five-year priorities for capital improvements, so that funding can be routinely handled in the budget with "no surprises." "Pulling this out gives a clear picture of what it takes to staff and run a department," said finance director Mark Pullium. New facilities and equipment require additional staff and supplies, he said, and with a CIP, the county will be able to plan for those eventualities with greater accuracy. "The foundation has been laid," said County Administrator Chris Cofty. Among items that will be included in such a plan will be buildings, vehicles and heavy equipment, recreational facilities like ball fields and parks, technology upgrades, computer equipment, furniture and the professional services needed to plan and development those kinds of improvements. Included in the CIP for 2002 will be numerous items that ordinarily would have been included in various county departments' maintenance and operations budgets, plus money earmarked for a future new county office complex. The total CIP for 2002 is $1.84 million, but officials say it will grow as long-range planning improves.
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