Agenda - Council - 02/10/2015 - Laserfiche WebLink

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III. THE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLANNING PROCESS The process begins with analysis of the City's five-year capital improvement needs and funding sources. The City may solicit input from citizens and other governmental units at an early stage, if desired. The City Council then directs staff or consultants to prepare a plan that sets forth the estimated schedule, timing and details of specific capital improvements by year, together with the estimated cost, the need for the improvement, and the sources of revenue for the improvement. The City Council then holds a public hearing on the CIP, with notice published not more than 30 days and not less than seven days for the hearing (except as described below). The Council may either approve the CIP immediately after the hearing, or based on input may make revisions and approve the CIP at a later meeting. If the CIP calls for general obligation bonds to finance certain improvements, the City Council must follow an additional set of procedures. The Council must hold a public hearing regarding issuance of the bonds. Notice of such hearing must be published in the official newspaper of the municipality at least 14, but not more than 28 days prior to the date of the public hearing. In addition, the notice may be posted on the City's official web site. (The public hearings on the CIP and the bonds may be combined into a single hearing, in which case the notice requirements for bonds must be followed.) The Council must approve the sale of CIP bonds by a 3/5ths vote of its membership. However, the bonds are subject to a so-called "reverse referendum:" if a petition signed by voters equal to at least five percent of the votes cast in the City in last general election is filed with the City Clerk within 30 days after the public hearing regarding the bonds, the bonds may not be issued unless approved by the voters (by a majority of those voting on the question). Further, the maximum debt service in any year on all outstanding CIP Bonds is .16% of the estimated market value of property in the city, using the market value for the taxes -payable year in which the bonds are issued. After the CIP has been approved and bonds have been authorized, the City works with its financial advisor to prepare a bond sale and repayment schedule. Assuming no petition for a referendum is filed, the bonds are sold, and when proceeds from the sale of the bonds (and any other identified Ehlers & Associates, Inc. Page 5