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Charles Town finance committee directs staff to produce public-facing one‑page CIP project sheets before budget workshop
Summary
Members told finance staff to prepare a one‑page, public-facing project sheet (description, funding sources, milestones, operating impact) for a sample project ahead of the Aug. 1 workshop and to continue developing the full CIP packet afterward.
The Charles Town Finance Committee on July 14 pressed city staff to turn the capital improvement plan into a more visual, public-facing product and to bring a single, completed project sheet to the committee's August workshop.
Chair opened the meeting and the committee spent the first hour reviewing a revised CIP spreadsheet in which staff added a priority column. A staff member said the spreadsheet was “pretty much what you've seen before” but had a new priority field to help prepare for the workshop. Committee members said the spreadsheet remains too technical for the public and urged a one‑page project sheet format that would feed into a summary spreadsheet for decisionmakers.
"This needs to be more correct, more visual, more detailed," a committee member said, arguing the current layout requires staff presentation for most readers. The committee discussed that each project page should include a short description of the project purpose, expected milestones (design, engineering, construction), funding sources, year‑by‑year spending expectations and the anticipated operating impact.
Members agreed not to populate year‑1 with projects that depend on unconfirmed grant funding. Staff and several council members said anticipated grant awards can be shown in later years but should be excluded from year‑one spending until the city actually realizes the funds.
The committee directed staff to deliver one polished sample project sheet (one page) for the Aug. 1 workshop to demonstrate the format and to continue assembling the full book of project pages thereafter. Committee members flagged staff capacity as a constraint and suggested assigning the single high‑priority sheet to the person who can finish it quickly so council can see a concrete example at the workshop.
Next steps: staff will prepare a single project sheet for the Aug. 1 workshop and continue to develop the CIP project packet for subsequent committee review.
