In 2012, Wheat Ridge City Council included the identification of core services as a top priority goal in their strategic plan.  The City was already operating at a base level of service due to budget cuts implemented to cope with the nationwide economic downturn.   In addition, the City continued to face a long-term lack of funding for Capital Improvement Projects (CIP).  With no dedicated revenue stream to fund more than 250 million in infrastructure projects and a systemic budget shortfall, 2014 would be the final year the City could fund minimal preventive maintenance projects with a transfer from the General Fund.  City Council’s intent was to ensure that the City was focusing its limited resources on the services that were most important to residents.  The core services project was seen as a way to develop criteria for core services, identify the City’s core services, prioritize core services in the annual budget process, and measure their success.