Local infrastructure is vital to a community’s quality of life, but roads and utilities break down after years of use and eventually need to be replaced. How do local governments plan and pay for these upgrades?

When Mark Mitton was hired as the city administrator of Burley, Idaho, in 1998, he was surprised to find inadequate planning for infrastructure. Within three months, he began taking the vital short- and long-term steps needed to ensure that Burley remained a full-service city.

Two of the most pressing needs were improvements to the wastewater treatment plant and upgrades to local roads. Mitton developed master plans for streets, traffic, and water that provided direction for future capital improvement projects and operational costs.

To fund these master plans, Mitton chose not to raise utility rates but rather to obtain state and federal grants and local revenue bonds. He wrote the requests for federal appropriations and prepared the city for the bond elections.

Many public hearings were held to educate the public on the necessity of the wastewater plant improvements, and for about a year, Mitton updated the city council at every meeting, which meant that the local news would cover progress on the project.

The strategic thinking and planning that went into the process inspired great community buy-in from the Chamber of Commerce and other groups to support the revenue bonds.

In addition to the construction of the new wastewater treatment plant, the city made important street improvements, such as rebuilding Highway 27 in 2008 with 90 percent of the project paid for with state and federal funding.

Mitton’s leadership and strategic planning have helped Burley take giant strides in these critical areas. Now, rather than making do with existing equipment or infrastructure that is long past its planned life, the city actually plans for the future and anticipates the changes that will be required.