Capital Budget Committee

The Capital Budget Committee (CBC) consists of 5 members who are appointed by a committee consisting of the Chair of the Select Board, Chair of Advisory, and the Moderator; additionally the committee may include one associate member who can only vote when designated by the Chair of the CBC. Each member also must be a legal resident of the Town. The CBC acts as an advisory body to the Town Manager, Select Board, Advisory Committee, and Town Meeting, by investigating current and future capital needs and priorities of Town Departments.

The Capital Budget Committee working with the Select Board, Town Manager, the managers of each Town Department, and private citizens, provides the means and support for planning, evaluating, and financing capital expenditures.

Responsibilities

The Maintenance of the infrastructure and the capital assets of the Town are of vital importance to the delivery of quality services to the citizens of Cohasset. To this end, the committee is dedicated to accomplishing the following activities:

• Reviewing, planning, and coordinating capital improvements so as to promote a systematic, organized replacement, acquisition and disposition schedule.
• Promote the effective coordination and administration of capital investment programs
• Evaluate and provide the most economical method of financing capital projects
• Reviewing, evaluating, and recommending Town Meeting articles which alter the value of Town asset base
• Reviewing and evaluating the following:
  
  • Acquisition of land or buildings
  • Any acquisition, disposition, lease, or transfer of land or personal property
  • Any acquisition, disposition, lease, or transfer of motor vehicles
  • New construction, reconstruction, repair, replacement, or improvement of land, utilities, waterways, buildings, public facilities, and other works with a cost greater than $10,000
  • The purchase of major equipment, including motor vehicles office equipment, or other items with a cost greater than $10,000
  • Planning services, design services, or feasibility studies for any capital projects

Evaluation Criteria

In every financing cycle the Capital Budget Committee receives significantly more requests for funding than there are funds available. Therefore the committee has to make decisions as to which projects will be recommended for funding. Below are a few sample questions that the committee asks and uses them as a guideline to rate each request appropriately:

• Would the project, if not approved, pose an imminent threat to the health and safety of the Town or the Citizens?
• Is the expenditure required under Local, State, or Federal Laws or regulations?
• Can the expenditure be funded within the parameters of the current budget/financial situation of the Town?
• Is the project/expenditure critical to the function of the department and its mission?

 

Request for Funding

The updating of the Capital Plan is an annual process, dropping the year budgeted and adding another planning year. This process provides a mechanism for identifying, planning, and financing major capital improvements over a five year period.