Northport Village Council trustees were presented with a draft review of its Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) at its regular meeting Aug. 8. The CIP plan was approved to be sent and further reviewed by the village planning commission (PC) as required by the Michigan Planning Act.
According to the village manager’s report, the village has been working on creating an allinclusive and continually updated list of capital needs to inform the budget process over the next five years. Trustees at the meeting were encouraged to engage with the CIP list and to add comments, suggestions for modifications, as well as proposals for other projects as they see fit.
“Because the statute requires that the first go-around of the capital improvement program is conducted by the planning commission, I was asked to consider a process by which they would undertake to provide feedback to you,” said Village Council Manager Jim Dyer at the meeting. “That would give us an actual prioritization of those projects and hopefully an informed budget process for 2025… It’s a capital improvement program and it is literally a wish list, that’s the best way to look at it.”
The planning commission will have a three criteria scale when considering each of the CIP projects, answering each question with a yes or no and providing a numerical rating between 0-3. They include the following questions: “Does this project address a serious safety problem or potentially impact the liability or contractual obligations of the village? Does the project affect a broad cross section and a significant number of village residents and the general public? Is there a serious chance that delaying the project will result in a significantly increased cost for the village?”
Once the PC review is complete, village staff will then look at it before the council gets to conduct the final review while considering the availability of funding and alternatives like installment contracts and bonding. The village aims to have the review process completed by the end of 2024 so there is ample time before the 2025-26 budget process comes around.
Most projects on the list so far are rated as “high, medium, low, complete, or in process.” Some of the “high” priority projects listed on the CIP document include: replacing aging water mains with an estimated cost of $45,000, purchasing a refurbished or new tractor for $33,000, and the purchase of a small excavator for $35,000. There were many more “medium” projects listed though, like the Mill Pond engineering on dam and dredge for a cost estimate of $75,000, or the Rose Street culvert project for $250,000 (with the consideration of grants), among others.
Village council trustees supported the idea of having the CIP list prioritized to understand which projects need to be addressed first. Trustee Laura Cavendish, who also serves on the planning commission, said she thinks the list could be a good start and solution to bring all the different projects’ factors together.
“I also think, to my understanding, that just because it (a project) didn’t get three points, it doesn’t mean it couldn’t happen either,” Cavendish said during the meeting. “... If there’s something else on there that people find that we need to address or because there’s a grant, then they (projects) are still on the list because they need to be done.”
Trustee Jane Gale, an ex officio planning commission member, added that the review process will also allow for both the PC and the council to understand the various roles and relationships between the two entities. Gale said with a plan now in place that she would relay to the PC the discussion had as a village council and what is expected to come next in the months ahead.
To review the entire CIP list, go to villageofnorthport.net/villagecouncil. The next regular village council meeting is set for September 12.
