Chatham commissioners tentatively approve 2021-2027 CIP

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PITTSBORO — The Chatham County Board of Commissioners last week tentatively approved the 2021-2027 Capital Improvements Program.

The board met last Tuesday at a workshop to hear a presentation and suggest changes to the plan, first presented to it earlier this month. But no changes were recommended, so the CIP was approved as stated.

The commissioners will formally approve the plan in December. The CIP includes several projects both scheduled and unscheduled across the county, including schools, public safetey and parks.

“Our overall strategy is to find the best way to schedule and fund critical needs,” said Lisa West, the county’s budget director. “We do our best to try to project them. The weather impacts, the economy impacts the costs. So what we go forward with is our best estimate and projection.”

Reflecting those impacts, West said the county is now accounting for 10-12 percent inflation on construction costs instead of 5 percent.

The commissioners held a public hearing on the CIP, which was first presented on November 4, on November 18. The document is online at https://www.chathamnc.org/home/showdocument?id=45707 and available in all three county libraries. The final vote will likely come at the board’s December 16 meeting.

Reporter Zachary Horner can be reached at zhorner@chathamnr.com or on Twitter at @ZachHornerCNR.