Frankenmuth

7 T he City's fiscal year runs July 1 to June 30. Even though we are only a few months into a new year, we are already beginning to think about next year's budget. By State Law, the City is required to adopt a new Capital Improvement Plan. This plan, referred to as the CIP, is prepared annually and has to be recommended by the Planning Commission and then adopted by the City Council. The plan is a six-year schedule of public physical improvements. It details the ming and financing of major municipal projects. We start this process in the fall so that by the me we have our budget workshop in March, we have a good idea of the needed capital projects (more than $20,000) and plans for how to fund them. To ensure the City has enough cash on hand to pay for large projects, the City o en saves for more than one budget year. Currently, we have two examples of that under construc on: West Tuscola and Mayer Water Main Replacement and Genesee Street Repaving. The project on West Tuscola and Mayer Road actually started three years ago with City Council alloca ng dollars to pay for engineering. Last year, the Water Department did not have any major construc on ac vi es and saved those dollars to combine with this year. Doing so allowed the City to replace this 8-inch water main that has had a history of breaks. The contractor for the work is Glaeser Dawes. The contract amount is $535,428.91, which was under the engineer's es mate. Saving and planning ahead allows the City to make needed improvements to maintain our assets without borrowing. Genesee Street is another great example of saving ahead as well as a coopera ve project with the County, the Michigan Department of Transporta on, and the Downtown Development Authority. The improvements will stretch from Dixie Highway to Reese Road. The project was bid as a local agency project through the Michigan Department of Transporta on. The project uses a combina on of state and federal road funding along with general fund dollars from the City of Frankenmuth and the Downtown Development Authority. The bids were opened in June, and the low bidder was Ace-Saginaw Paving The total construc on cost is $3,914,148.71. The City of Frankenmuth's por on of the work is $1,673,435 and includes joint removal and filling, sidewalk work to ensure ADA compliance, and repaving. To complete this project, the City saved for two years and then contributed some funds from the general fund. By planning ahead and bidding the project as part of a larger, mul -agency project, the price was substan ally lower than if we had bid the work just as the City. The dra capital improvement plan is usually discussed at the October Planning Commission and then reviewed by City Council in December. Visit the City's website, frankenmuthcity.com, for mee ng informa on or email bsmith@ frankenmuthcity.gov By Bridget Smith, City of Frankenmuth

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