News Updates

Communities turn priorities into capital improvement plans

Capital improvement plans help communities make thoughtful, transparent decisions about investments in infrastructure, facilities, equipment, and other long-term needs. By organizing projects and funding priorities across multiple years, these plans provide local leaders and community members with a clearer picture of how public resources will be used.

Demand for this assistance is especially strong among communities confronting aging infrastructure, including several in south Cook County. Capital improvement plans can help communities identify needs before they become emergencies, prioritize preventive maintenance, explore potential revenue sources, and phase major investments over time. This work is becoming increasingly important as communities prepare water and stormwater systems for severe storms, aging assets, and future water-supply challenges.

Through its technical assistance program, the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) works with local governments to evaluate their existing capital planning processes. CMAP also provides recommendations and training to strengthen those processes and helps communities engage residents in creating strategic, transparent, and successful multi-year capital improvement plans.

Community input shapes investment priorities

Recent capital improvement planning projects in Hickory Hills, Worth, and Matteson demonstrate how local governments can use public input to guide infrastructure decisions. 

Hickory Hills

As part of its recently completed capital improvement plan, Hickory Hills conducted two community surveys. The first received 635 responses — representing more than 10 percent of the city’s households — while the second received 791 responses, or approximately 15 percent of households.

To make the engagement process more accessible, the surveys were offered in Spanish, Polish, and Arabic in addition to English. The city received responses in each of the languages offered.

Through the second survey, residents voted on potential investments and identified several leading priorities:

• Improving water system reliability and replacing aging infrastructure
• Resurfacing roads and improving pavement conditions
• Expanding sidewalk connections, accessibility, and pedestrian safety

The results helped Hickory Hills better understand residents’ needs and incorporate community priorities into its long-term capital planning.

Worth

Worth also recently completed its first capital improvement plan after working with CMAP and a consultant for 18 months. The Worth Village Board adopted the five-year plan on June 16, 2026.

More than 12 percent of Worth households participated in a participatory budgeting process, which included two surveys. Repairing and upgrading storm drains received the most votes and was incorporated into the plan, with $10,000 allocated in fiscal year 2027 to begin advancing the project.

Worth’s plan also directs most of its first-year capital funding toward infrastructure needed to connect the community to a new water source. Together, these investments show how a capital improvement plan can respond to concerns residents experience today while helping them prepare for larger, long-term infrastructure needs.

Matteson

Matteson recently completed its first capital improvement plan, having previously worked with CMAP to develop a streetscape improvement plan to enhance safety for pedestrians and cyclists. The capital improvement plan was created in partnership with CMAP and was adopted by the Village Board on June 8, 2026.

Two surveys were conducted to support development of the plan. The goal of the first survey was to better understand resident concerns and priorities, which informed village staff and the steering committee as they developed potential projects for residents to consider. Eighteen percent of households completed the first survey, a response rate that may be attributed to mailing the survey directly to residents.

The second survey supported the participatory budgeting process, in which 53 percent of respondents voted for median landscaping. Sixteen percent of households completed the second survey.

Burnham

CMAP also is supporting the Village of Burnham as it develops a capital improvement plan. The project is underway and is projected to be completed by December 31, 2026.

Together, these projects show how capital improvement planning can connect long-term financial decisions with the priorities and everyday experiences of community members.

More communities are strengthening their capital planning

CMAP recently awarded capital improvement plan assistance to additional communities: 

• Bellwood 
• Blue Island 
• Chicago Heights 
• Diamond 
• Indian Head Park 
• Kenilworth 
• Minooka 
• Pingree Grove 
• Richton Park 
• South Chicago Heights 
• Summit 
• University Park 
• Wilmington 

Together, these projects will help more communities move from identified infrastructure needs to strategic, well-informed investments that reflect local priorities. 

Learn more about CMAP’s Technical Assistance program and explore completed plans from communities across northeastern Illinois.