Rolling Needs Assessment
Introduction
The Rolling Needs Assessment (RNA) is a collection of identified capital projects of interest that demonstrates the breadth of City projects proposed within the next 10 years to support implementation of Imagine Austin and initiatives. The RNA includes a brief summary of departments’ CIP project identification, prioritization, and selection process (located in the appendix). Overall, the RNA includes 21 departments and over 200 highlighted capital projects.
The RNA synthesizes data collected in the City’s Capital Project Reporting and Information System, also known as eCAPRIS. As part of the Capital Improvement Program (CIP) planning cycle, departments have the opportunity to identify capital needs and planned projects throughout the year. However, several departments use the Long-Range CIP Planning process to prioritize and select capital needs.
The FY21-23 RNA takes a snapshot of department selected highlighted projects. Departments selected highlighted capital projects based on department-level criteria. Therefore, it is not inclusive of all capital projects or programs. Some projects highlighted have a dedicated funding source that is anticipated to accommodate all project needs, some may have funding gaps, and some may still need stakeholder input and are unfunded. General Fund departments that rely on public improvement bonds typically have a five- or six-year horizon of funding identified for project needs due to a debt cycle of six years.
Departments who typically receive voter approved public improvement general obligation bonds have found the RNA valuable as a resource when City Council chooses to move forward with bond development for a potential bond. Additionally, the RNA:
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provides the ability to record data in eCAPRIS
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equips staff with information to further develop as funding sources become available
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supports early coordination and strategic project development that may involve the contributions of more than one City department
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informs the Planning Commission on the future of the CIP to aid in their recommendation on the list of recommended capital improvements, which, in the opinion of the commission, are necessary or desirable to implement the element(s) of the adopted comprehensive plan during the forthcoming five-year period
Investment Trends
The City’s Capital Improvement Program (CIP) comprises more than 2,500 active projects with appropriations authorized by the City Council in prior fiscal years and $876.9 million in new appropriations for FY 2020-21. The City spends on average about $864.4 million each year on its Capital Improvement Program.
The graph below shows the past five years of actual spending data with the percentage of spending funded by Public Improvement Bonds (PIBs) versus other funding sources. Austin Energy, Aviation, Austin Water Utility combined have the largest average percentage of capital spending.
Between FY2020 and FY2024, the City of Austin anticipates investing approximately $5.9 Billion in infrastructure across all infrastructure categories. Capital improvement needs always outweigh available funding, and the City is constantly challenged to seek out new and innovative funding sources as well as leverage existing resources.
The City of Austin also identifies projects using the following categories:
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Growth, driven by the need to increase capacity to meet demand
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Renewal, driven by risks presented by ageing and poor condition assets
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Enhancement, driven by opportunities for performance improvement
This graph demonstrates that investments related to growth is driving past and future spending followed by renewal and finally enhancement. Due to the multi-year nature of CIP and the implementation of when the city started indicating projects by these categories, there are projects that have no available data for this indicator.
The City of Austin is focused on improving the quality of life and civic participation in the Austin community. In March 2018, the City Council adopted Strategic Direction 2023 (SD 23) to guide the City’s budget and day-to-day operations for the next three to five years. During development of the plan, Council and staff identified four key areas that needed to be addressed: 1) A lack of clear, shared Citywide strategic priorities; 2) a shared sense that the City is not dealing with significant issues that will determine its future in the most efficient possible manner; 3) challenges in establishing an effective governance structure; and 4) inadequate feedback and learning loops. SD23 addresses each of these areas of opportunity and in so doing establishes a clear decision-making framework for the future of Austin.
The five-year strategic plan was developed within the guidelines of Imagine Austin, which flourished from an extensive community engagement process that laid out a 30-year vision for our community. In order to further the City’s long-term vision and aspiration of being one of the most unique, thriving, and livable cities in the country, in the spring of 2018 the City Council chose to focus City operations and budgets around six strategic outcomes:
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Government that Works for All
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Health & Environment
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Culture & Lifelong Learning
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Economic Opportunity & Affordability
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Mobility
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Safety
The chart below highlights the City’s planned CIP spending by strategic outcome over a five-year period from FY 2020-21 to FY 2024-25. In total, spending on CIP projects over this five-year period is estimated at $5.5 billion, ranging between $1.0 billion to $1.2 billion each year. Average annual CIP planned spending over these five years are projected at $1.1billion.
Setting priorities helps increase our capacity to leverage the resources that we have to meet our most critical infrastructure needs. The selected projects of interest that the departments chose to include in the RNA are in alignment with our current plans.
Highlighted Projects
The Rolling Needs Assessment (RNA) is a collection of identified projects of interest that demonstrates the breadth of projects the City is focusing on during the next 10 years to support implementation of Imagine Austin and initiatives.
The highlighted projects are grouped by the infrastructure category. The infrastructure categories are then organized by growth/renewal/enhancement and strategic outcome. Lastly, the projects are grouped by responsible department. The project’s unique identifier is listed along with its name and council district (if the project is mapped). The description, justification and information relevant to the project adhering to an existing plan or policy follows.
Disclaimer: The RNA data set provided is a snapshot of department selected highlighted projects. Departments selections are based on department determined criteria and are a component of their Capital Program. Some projects highlighted have a dedicated funding source that is anticipated to accommodate all project needs, some may have funding gaps, and some may still need stakeholder input and are unfunded. Funding for projects will be identified as funding sources become available.
For optimal viewing and to filter the RNA Highlighted Projects table, the data can be found on the City's Open Data Portal.