Local governments face similar challenges to modernize aging infrastructure, respond to evolving community needs, and deliver capital projects amid limited fiscal capacity. At the same time, expectations for transparency, equity, and defensibility in public investment
decisions have increased. These conditions create a persistent governance challenge: how to prioritize capital investments in a way that is repeatable, aligned with elected officials’ priorities, and grounded in professional judgment.

This Leadership ICMA capstone documents and evaluates Adams County, Colorado’s approach to standing up and maturing an internal Capital Improvement Program (CIP) Committee. The Committee was created to replace decentralized and informal project selection practices with a structured, cross-departmental process for evaluating capital proposals and recommending a tiered program of investments. Importantly, the
Committee was intentionally designed as an advisory and evaluative body, not a decision-making authority. Final decisions regarding project funding and adoption remain with executive leadership and the Board of County Commissioners (BoCC).

The guide is written for local government executives, department directors, budget and finance leaders, and capital program managers seeking to strengthen capital governance and public trust. It provides a practical model for forming a CIP Committee, designing an aligned scoring framework, applying scoring consistently, translating results into decision-ready recommendations, and evaluating program effectiveness over time.