Finance Director Nearly Done Fine Tuning Capital Project Tracking Document

By John Voket

Over the course of the past few weeks, Finance Director Bob Tait and First Selectman Pat Llodra have been presenting and tweaking the finer points of a brand-new project status document. That template will be available, and is designed to be initially completed, updated, and maintained by each department or “owner” of capital projects, according to the finance director.

“People often ask about how projects are doing,” Mr Tait said of various projects that have been approved and have reached the point on the town’s Capital Improvement Plan where their launch is imminent — the all important “year one.”

“Up to now there was no formal reporting,” Mr Tait said, except in the case where the finance office produced a memo in response to a formal request for a particular project update. “Now, each project’s owner, with the support of my office, is responsible for completing this capital project worksheet, and we’ve told them to plan on updating it at least quarterly, or upon request.”

He said while the documentation appears to add to various department heads workloads, the new project documentation and updating has generally been “well received.”

“It’s really to help track the progress and place in the process for projects that have been approved, projects in progress, and those in year one of the CIP that have not yet been approved,” the finance director said.

While not required by charter, or by any elected board or commission, Mr Tait said that the reason for reporting and maintaining project updates is to have information readily available for officials and the public when they want to know.

“The initial report will give elected bodies details on timing, bids, and plans ahead of formal approval required to initiate financing, especially on larger projects,” Mr Tait said. “And the document will typically be initiated once a project is sanctioned, up to and through its first year on the CIP.”

This new project document is separate and distinct from a CIP worksheet, which may be required five years or more ahead of an anticipated project, with information on general expectations for cost and the project’s cost-benefit analysis and impact statement based on the best possible information available on the day it is submitted.

“Obviously, the costs for projects five or more years out will likely have cost adjustments as they become closer on the CIP, and closer to approval,” he said.

Mrs Llodra said she hopes a final enhancement to the document will help “elevate the consciousness” of department heads and project requestors by adding a category requiring documentation of “green practices,” if available.

“We’re trying to promote thinking at its inception, about how projects might be more environmentally responsible in terms of the use of resources like electricity, building materials, and other things to reduce our carbon footprint as the project goes into building stage,” Mrs Llodra said.

In the future, Mr Tait said he envisions similar documentation being developed to keep closer track of projects being fully or partially underwritten by grants as well.

During the October 18 selectmen’s meeting, Mr Tait explained that the report is broken down into three sections, the first which details a summary of all projects, the second part providing breakdowns of individual projects, and the third section being a capital expenditures report.

“It reports project-to-date revenues, project-to-date expenditures, and tells if the project has been bonded yet,” Mr Tait said, adding the report should also contain the CIP year, anticipated start and completion date, as well as amount appropriated to date, even if appropriations are not yet approved.

He said in certain cases, “We may be getting a bid on one project before we go out to get the appropriation,” he explained.

Mrs Llodra said the information is intended to inform the elected boards about projects under consideration or in process.

“The templates themselves are a work in progress,” Mrs Llodra said, inviting ideas about modifications that any officials may suggest to make the document even more beneficial. One change to the worksheet presented to the selectmen was affected after the finance board deemed a column reflecting bid totals could be misleading or confusing.

During the October 14 finance board meeting, Chairman John Kortze explained that the document would be helpful when his board deliberates the CIP, so it can be presented to the council so questions about incoming projects could be reviewed prior to being asked to consider appropriations.