Cartersville, Georgia, has an extensive list of capital projects located at the tail end of the city budget document. There does not seem to be a document dedicated to the detail of CIPs, but these various projects are mentioned in the budget document. However, the focus seems to be on street and park maintenance with additional concern given to electrical, fiber optic, gas, storm water, solid waste, and water/sewer improvements. Overall, though, “[c]apital projects have decreased from FY2020 as a result of the completion of several of the water and sewer projects” (City of Cartersville, 2020, p.4), leaving behind only a few large tasks in the aforementioned areas for the city to deal with.
Cartersville is growing very quickly, so wear-and-tear on infrastructure and services in the city is becoming an issue. Roads have twice as much traffic as they did ten years ago, and more factories in the area require better electrical and water services. More residents living within city limits increase the needs for sewer improvements, and recreation is a must for these residents during their free time. Given the growth of the city, the listed capital projects are very reasonable and very much needed.
The City of Cartersville is very thorough with their budgeting, so there do not seem to be any projects that are inappropriate for the city to be focusing on. There are a lot of listed projects that stand without funding since projects in areas of greater importance are given the financial backing for completion. With the city revenue for FY2020 sitting at approximately $165.3 million, the approximate cost for CIPs dealing with water, electrical, fiber optics, and similar city services total $4.3 million, which is affordable for the city, as well.
According to the lists detailing the CIPs at the tail-end of the city budget, a majority of capital improvement funds for services are financed through Operating Revenue. Purchases of vehicles and things of the like come from the Lease Pool or General Fund. Park renovations are listed under GO Bonds, but the majority of items listed are under a pay-as-you-go style of funding since most CIPs are focusing on bettering city services. These improvements can be paid through the services fees as the year progresses, making it relatively easy to finance these projects.
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