Capital Planning

Capital Planning Overview:

Capital improvement plans are important mechanisms that ensure jurisdictions have the capacity to adequately finance, provide, and maintain infrastructure, public facilities, and general services. The County draws from a number of sources to fund infrastructure. The County pays for most capital projects through its own funding sources. The largest County funding sources are:

• 1/4 cent Capital Outlay Gross Receipts Tax (GRT)
• General Obligation (GO) Bonds (property tax funded)

Other funding sources include:

• Assessment Districts
• Annual Capital Outlay Bill passed by the New Mexico (NM) Legislature and signed into law by the Governor. 
• NM Water Trust Board
• NM Environment Department
• NM Department of Transportation
• Federal Community Development Block Grants (CDBG)

The Santa Fe County Planning Division works across departments to develop long-, medium-, and short-range infrastructure plans. 

Infrastructure Capital Improvement Plan (ICIP)

The County annually prepares a 5-Year Infrastructure Capital Improvement Plan (ICIP). The ICIP is submitted to the New Mexico Legislature every year where projects are considered for Capital Outlay funding. Through a series of public meetings, County staff solicit project proposals from residents for inclusion in the ICIP and other capital planning documents.

Capital Need Request Form »

5-Year Capital Improvement Plan (5-Year CIP)

The 5-Year Capital Improvement Plan (5-Year CIP) lists necessary capital projects over a 5-year period. The 5-Year CIP is updated annually as part of the yearly budgeting process. County departments submit a list of capital needs in February for inclusion in the 5-Year CIP and budget. A committee made up of County staff and leadership reviews the project lists and finalizes the 5-Year CIP. The 5-Year CIP is used to guide capital budgeting decisions, drawing from all capital funding sources available to the County.

20-Year Capital Improvement Plan (20-Year CIP)

Santa Fe County staff are developing a 20-Year Capital Improvement Plan (20-Year CIP) to coordinate capital investments over a 20-year period. The 20-Year CIP expands upon the existing 5-Year CIP and documents projects proposed by Santa Fe County staff, residents, and elected officials. The 20-Year CIP also lists capital expenditures required to meet the County’s level of service standards: investments necessary to maintain quality public services into the future. This document will contain methodology for identifying and prioritizing projects and for comparing project needs against the available budget.

For more information, please contact Paul Olafson (505) 992-9866 / [bot protected email address].