Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Capital Improvements Program topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Kingston Planning Board raises CIP threshold to $25,000, sets June 30 department deadline
Summary
The Planning Board voted to raise the capital improvement program (CIP) expenditure baseline from $10,000 to $25,000, add the school board to the list of entities asked for CIP input and set a June 30 deadline for departmental submissions.
The Kingston Planning Board voted May 6 to increase the baseline expenditure that must be considered for the town's capital improvement program from $10,000 to $25,000 and to request input from the Kingston School Board, with departmental submissions due June 30.
The board said the change is intended to produce timely recommendations earlier in the annual budget process. "Think of it this way. You get that all done by the June, and that gives you all of July and August to do your budget," Planning Board Chair Lynn Merrill told department heads in an earlier meeting, according to the board's discussion.
Nut graf: The CIP is an advisory document produced by the planning board for the select board and the budget committee. Board members said setting a higher baseline and an earlier deadline will help the budget committee receive the CIP advisory report before its fall deliberations.
Board discussion focused on timing and the threshold amount. Members recalled the $10,000 trigger dates from the 1990s and compared Kingston's practice to neighboring towns, saying many municipalities now use higher dollar thresholds or different criteria tied to asset life expectancy. A board member noted, "The only mention in the statute is the minimum of 6 years," referencing statutory language on plan length rather than dollar thresholds.
The board debated whether to raise the floor further, with some members suggesting $30,000, but the motion settled on $25,000 as a step the board could adopt immediately. The motion also instructed staff to add the school board to the list of entities that will be asked for capital inputs and to set June 30 as the submission deadline for town departments.
The board's vote was moved and seconded; Paul B. seconded the motion, and members voted in favor. Members said the select board will receive the revised RFP and the CIP advisory for final adoption and that the committee should review the CIP criteria in future years.
Ending: The board asked staff to circulate the revised deadline and threshold to department heads and to follow up with guidance for submissions. Members also recommended the CIP committee consider longer-term changes to criteria and thresholds after this year's cycle.
