A better way to manage municipal capital improvement plans

City councils routinely approve five-year capital improvement plans for assets expected to serve the public for 30, 50 or even 100 years.

A stronger model would treat the capital improvement plan as a living management system.

Here are other ideas for how to keep capital planning front of mind on an ongoing basis.

Review the formal capital improvement plans at least quarterly, more often when conditions warrant, but make the asset management database part of day-to-day operations.

That modest step begins shifting capital planning from a recurring exercise to an ongoing habit of governance.