Financial Support

Capital Improvements Program

The Capital Improvements Program (CIP) is the primary financial means the City has available to implement the land use plan and accomplish many of its objectives. Thorp is currently using a CIP to prioritize needed projects within the City. The CIP examines available tax dollars and revenues at the present and as anticipated in the near future. Things such as improvements to municipal buildings and parks and playgrounds, streets and sidewalk construction and repair, and addition or upgrading of sewer and water lines in the City are scheduled when they are needed and when revenues are available.

Tax Increment Financing

There are a number of other financial tools which the City can use to support the implementation of this plan. Tax Increment Financing (TIF) is one such program which the City is actively using. The TIF program allows the City to use the taxes collected on the increase in the value of taxable property resulting from improvements made to the property as a financing mechanism for additional improvements.

Industrial Revenue Bonding

Another implementation tool is Industrial Revenue Bonding. Industrial Revenue Bonds can facilitate growth because they are a means of financing the construction, expansion, or equipping of industrial plants and certain other facilities. They are issued by a local government as municipal bonds. However, they are not general obligations of the local government; tax money is not required to pay interest on these bonds or to retire them when they mature. The funds necessary for debt retirement are provided by the company or organization that will use the facilities that were financed by the bonds.

Community Development Block Grant

The quantity and quality of a City's housing stock is always of importance to local officials and residents. Several programs are available at the state and federal level for various housing needs. Programs such as the federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program are aimed at improving the local housing stock, as well as community public facilities. Rural Development (formerly Farmers Home Administration) and the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority are two agencies with programs also designed for meeting housing needs in a community.

Impact Fees

Impact fees are another funding mechanism available to all municipalities to help close the growing funding gap between revenues and expenditures for infrastructure needs. Impact fees help shift a portion of the capital cost burden of new development to developers in an effort to make new development responsible for serving itself rather than having to raise taxes on existing development for infrastructure expansions. Local governments can use impact fees to finance roadways and other transportation facilities, sewage treatment facilities, storm and surface water runoff facilities, water facilities, parks and other recreation facilities, solid waste and recycling facilities, fire and police facilities, emergency medical facilities, and libraries. School facilities cannot be funded by impact fees. The City should consider the use of impact fees to more fairly distribute the cost of additional infrastructure improvements to accommodate new development.

Business Improvement District

A Business Improvement District (BID) is a special purpose district that can be created by the City at the request of business owners in an area. Under a BID, the business owners are assessed a fee by the City, which is then used by the City to fund predetermined business-related activities and improvements. This cooperative effort between the businesses and the City recognizes the shared responsibility and benefits of improving the business district. The City of Thorp might consider the possibility of such an arrangement with the downtown business owners.

Local Action Roles

The City Council

Thorp's growth and development has been and will continue to be substantially influenced by governmental decisions. An important step in plan implementation is the formal adoption of the comprehensive plan by the City Council. The City Council is assigned the legislative power to adopt the comprehensive plan and implement development regulations and programs. Upon such adoption, the comprehensive plan becomes the official guide for decision-making by City officials. As chief policy makers, the council is also responsible for establishing and actively sponsoring a continuing planning program.

Planning Commission's Role

The Thorp Planning Commission's role in carrying out the plan is advisory to the City Council. It is their responsibility to review all pertinent information that is available on a particular planning issue and to develop an objective recommendation which is then given to the Council. To acquire assistance in making land use and other planning decisions, the Thorp City Council should use the Planning Commission to the fullest extent possible.

The Planning Commission will review all matters regarding development in the City, including building permits, subdivision or development proposals and site plans to assure that they conform to the zoning ordinance. In addition, the Commission must review and make recommendations to the City Council on any requests for home occupancies, special exceptions, conditional uses and re-zonings. The Commission will examine all matters before it and determine their consistency with the land use plan.

Due to the community's size, the Thorp Planning Commission must function without a full-time professional staff. Nevertheless, planning issues do arise from time to time which require concentrated attention from professional planners. The City of Thorp, as an active member in the West Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission, can rely upon assistance provided by the planning staff of the Regional Planning Commission as part of its technical assistance program. The role of the planner does not stop with the completion of the comprehensive plan, but will continue in an advisory capacity when the community is working with the tools of implementation. These tools of implementation include things such as a zoning ordinance, subdivision regulations, a capital improvements program and other more specialized tools.