Winter, 1997-98
CAPITAL FACILITIES PLANNING
Course Description
The effective management of capital resources forms a critical "bridge" between long-range, comprehensive planning and the delivery of vital public services. The allocation of fiscal resources to acquire or construct and maintain capital facilities serves as a primary instrument for the effectuation of long-range public policy objectives. The term capital facility refers to a project having a relatively long life (usually a minimum of 15 to 20 years), involving a substantial investment of public resources, and yielding a fixed asset for the community or organization. All too often, however, inadequate attention is given to the fiscal dimensions and administrative consequences of long-term capital investments. And as a result, the implementation of capital facilities plans often is stymied by the common charge that the recommendations "are far too costly" or that the facilities are provided "too late to meet the real needs."
Text: Local Government Finance: Capital Facilities Planning and Debt Administration by Alan Walter Steiss (University of Michigan)
Course Syllabus (Click on the syllabus topic for an outline of the materials covered)
I. Government Responsibility for Capital Facilities
II. Revenues and Expenditures for Capital Improvements
III. The Role of Economic Analysis
IV. Population Estimates & Projections
V. Programming Capital Facilities
VI. Project Planning & Operations Scheduling
VII. Cost Analysis and Long-Term Resource Commitments