CADILLAC — Cadillac City Council looking towards their future.
They will be holding their first city council meeting of the year next Tuesday and soon they will be discussing what projects they want to focus on in 2026.
City Manager Marcus Peccia said a critical tool for figuring out how to move the community forward is through their Capital Improvement Plan or CIP plan. It’s a planning guide that helps them identify projects that need to be addressed within the next six years.
“It’s meant to be a guide to try to keep you on the rails, to focus on things that we all believe needs to get done. Think of it like peeling back layers of an onion. So it’s a six year plan. So one way all the information is organized is by year. The next way all the information is organized is by fund.
Peccia said it’s more than a wish list, even though there are wish list items, a CIP is a planning tool that helps prioritize and plan major projects that exceed $7,500.
He said projects greenlighted have to follow a process to make it onto the CIP Plan to ensure the community has a say as well.
“It gets discussed and debated as a part of the whole process of establishing this plan, which involves a work session with the city council and a public hearing,” said Peccia.
The CIP provides critical information like assessing costs, and identifying funding sources.
“We need to have some fundamental idea in terms of what, what the project is, where we think the funds may come from potentially and what how much we think it may cost. He said it also helps secure funding.
“When we are requesting funds from outside agencies, from the state of Michigan, from the federal government, etc., We can show them documentation that this has been something that’s been thought of. It has been something that’s been in front of the public before,” said Peccia.
Projected dates and costs can change.
“Things get readjusted. And frankly, just because something may show up in year one or year two or anywhere within the plan, it doesn’t mean that it’s going to be implemented that year. It’s not written in stone.
Among the many projects they will be focused on this year, includes replacing the fire department’s emergency radio communications equipment, maintaining or replacing emergency and utility vehicles, and maintaining infrastructure.
“Without a doubt, I would say road projects, you know, as is perhaps silly is that may sound, you know, you need a good foundation of infrastructure, road and utility projects would be something that we we need to continue to do and work on, even if it’s just a little bit every year,” said Peccia.
To check out the entire Capital Improvement Plan, please click here.