ALPENA — Capital improvement plans are utilized by many municipalities to prioritize projects and budget for them.

The City of Alpena has utilized one for many years and now Alpena County and Alpena Township intend to craft their own.

A CIP is a living document that lists in order of needed projects and purchases over multiple years. It is updated annually as needs and finances change.

Alpena County Commissioner Don Gilmet, who was the Alpena Building Official for many years and helped update many CIP plans, said having a long-term vision of what is needed for county facilities and infrastructure is needed in order to address them over time. He said the planning commission, staff, department heads, and commissioners work jointly and provide input for what goes into the CIP. Once complete, Gilmet said, the plan will help the county’s execution of its long-term goals.

“It will make everyone aware of the needed maintenance and facilities and what is needed and what will be needed down the road,” he said. “The county has a lot of facilities and it is hard to stay on top of, sometimes. This makes it easier for the commissioners to establish timelines and funding.”

Gilmet said the county’s CIP could be similar to Alpena’s but there may be subtle differences. He said a minimum dollar amount for projects to be put on the plan needs to be established. He said, as an example, projects costing more than $100,000 could be put in the plan, and those that cost less, could be included in a separate plan, that would also be useful.

Alpena Township Supervisor Nathan Skibbe said the township has never had a capital improvement plan, and he has been pushing for one to be created since he was elected in 2016. He said first, the township needed to update its master plan, which lays out the township’s long-term objectives and goals, and it’s recreation plan. Now that those are done, Skibbe said attention has turned to a CIP.

Skibbe said there could be a CIP covering five years and another that outlines potential needs and expenses for a decade.

He added once complete it will help the board of trustees budget for needs and shift projects as needed, especially when unexpected expenses arise.

“It will help us forecast known expenditures and operate accordingly,” Skibbe said. “Following the update of our master plan and rec. plan, our primary documents, the CIP is the missing link.”

Skibbe said the township’s planning commission will be heavily involved in drafting the plan, which he said he hopes to have in place this fiscal cycle.