CIC reviews scoring criteria and reaffirms design-first approach for 2027'031 capital plan

County staff presented the Capital Improvement Committee (CIC) with the scoring methodology used to prioritize projects in the 2027'031 Capital Improvements Plan. Vince Masterson, the county's capital budget coordinator, described the scoring categories—safety, policy and plan compliance, operational impacts, non-county funding, building mission, racial equity and climate action—and how subcommittee impact points are combined with a departmental ranking multiplier to produce a composite score.

Masterson told the committee that safety carries the highest impact points and that cybersecurity is included (capped at about five points). He said mandated, contractual or ongoing projects automatically receive the highest initial score and that the CIC treats annual bus and fleet replacement projects as high-scoring in the initial review. "The scoring matrix really is meant to provide quantitative general guidance," Masterson said, adding that members retain qualitative judgment when making final recommendations.

The presentation underlined the CIC's design-first approach: departments are generally expected to bring construction requests only after design is substantially complete. "Chairman, typically, what we see is, we like to see that design at 90% completed," Masterson said when asked how far along a design usually is before a construction appropriation is considered. Committee members pressed that the design-first rule can delay construction timing but helps reduce contingency costs and cost variance when projects advance.

Staff also explained the racial equity score is based on the percentage of minority populations served by a project (as reported by the requesting department) and, if unavailable, by using ZIP-code demographics from the American Community Survey. The building mission category (BMC) was summarized as reflecting a facility's service utilization and long-term disposition. Masterson noted that while scoring is quantitative, departments may be asked to provide narrative testimony at the CIC's second meeting so members can weigh qualitative impacts in final recommendations.

The committee took no formal action on the criteria at this meeting; staff said the scoring subcommittee will finalize and distribute its advisory lists ahead of the next meeting.