Maximizing the value of Chapter 90 funding involves more than identifying the next road that needs repair.
For Massachusetts cities and towns, Chapter 90 funding is an essential resource for maintaining and improving local transportation infrastructure. Making the most of it requires strategic planning, coordination with other funding sources, careful project administration, and accurate financial tracking from allocation through final reimbursement.
Capital Strategic Solutions (CSS) can assist municipalities with the entire Chapter 90 process or provide targeted support for the specific areas where additional capacity or expertise is needed. From strategic planning and project applications to reimbursement requests and financial reconciliation, our services can be tailored to complement the work already being performed by municipal staff.
Taking a Strategic Approach to Chapter 90
Chapter 90 funding is most effective when it is considered as part of a municipality's broader capital and infrastructure strategy rather than as a standalone source of funding. CSS can work with municipal leaders, public works staff, finance teams, and other departments to evaluate available Chapter 90 funds alongside:
- Municipal capital improvement plans and capital budget priorities
- Locally funded road and infrastructure programs
- State and federal grants
- Transportation and infrastructure funding programs
- Utility, water, sewer, and drainage projects
- Complete Streets and other transportation initiatives
- Other anticipated funding opportunities
This coordinated approach can help communities determine not simply where Chapter 90 dollars can be spent, but where they can have the greatest impact. For example, a municipality may be able to use Chapter 90 funding as one component of a larger roadway or infrastructure project while leveraging another funding source for related improvements. Coordinating roadway work with planned water, sewer, drainage, sidewalk, or other capital improvements can also help avoid unnecessary duplication and make better use of limited municipal resources.
CSS can help communities develop a multiyear strategy that connects Chapter 90 spending with municipal priorities, anticipated capital projects, available funding, and future infrastructure needs.
Aligning Funding With Community Priorities
Every municipality has more infrastructure needs than available resources. The challenge is determining which projects should move forward, when they should occur, and how they should be funded.
CSS can help municipalities evaluate potential Chapter 90 projects within the context of broader community priorities. This may include reviewing existing capital plans, planned roadway improvements, departmental priorities, available fund balances, anticipated Chapter 90 allocations, and opportunities to leverage other funding. The result is a more deliberate approach to infrastructure investment that helps municipal officials understand how individual projects fit into the larger financial and capital picture.
From Application Through Reconciliation
Assistance With Chapter 90 Project Applications
Once projects are identified, CSS can assist with the administrative work required to move them forward. Our team can support the preparation and submission of Chapter 90 project applications, helping ensure that required information and supporting documentation are assembled accurately and completely.
CSS can work directly with public works, engineering, finance, procurement, and administrative staff to provide the level of assistance that works best for each community. For some municipalities, that may mean managing the application process. For others, it may mean assisting municipal staff with specific applications or providing additional capacity during particularly busy periods.
Preparing and Submitting Reimbursement Requests
Receiving a Chapter 90 allocation is only part of the process. Municipalities must also properly document eligible expenditures and submit reimbursement requests to receive the funds associated with completed work. CSS can assist with preparing reimbursement packages, organizing supporting financial and project documentation, reviewing expenditures, and submitting reimbursement requests.
We can also help municipalities establish a consistent process for reimbursements so that requests are prepared and submitted in a timely manner and completed expenditures do not remain unreimbursed longer than necessary. Whether a community needs ongoing reimbursement assistance or help addressing a backlog of outstanding requests, CSS can provide support based on the municipality's individual needs and existing staff capacity.
Reconciling Chapter 90 Funds From Allocation to Reimbursement
One of the most important components of effective Chapter 90 management is maintaining a clear picture of where every dollar stands. Over multiple fiscal years and projects, it can become difficult to track the relationship between funds allocated, projects authorized, expenditures incurred, reimbursement requests submitted, and reimbursements actually received.
CSS can help municipalities establish and maintain a comprehensive Chapter 90 reconciliation that tracks:
- Chapter 90 funds allocated and available
- Funding assigned or committed to individual projects
- Project expenditures incurred
- Amounts requested for reimbursement
- Reimbursement requests that remain outstanding
- Reimbursements received
- Remaining project balances
- Uncommitted or available Chapter 90 balances
This reconciliation can provide municipal leaders, finance officials, and public works staff with a single, reliable picture of their Chapter 90 funding. It can also help identify older balances, outstanding reimbursement requests, discrepancies between municipal records and payments received, and available funds that can be incorporated into future capital planning.
Support That Fits Your Community
Every city and town manages Chapter 90 differently, and every municipality has different staffing, capacity, and administrative needs. CSS services are designed to be flexible.
A community may engage CSS to manage the Chapter 90 process from strategic planning through final reimbursement and reconciliation, or it may need assistance with only one or two components. CSS can supplement existing municipal staff, address a temporary capacity need, help organize and reconcile existing records, or provide ongoing Chapter 90 administrative support. Our goal is to work within each municipality's existing structure and provide support where it is most valuable.
Making the Most of Chapter 90 Funding
Chapter 90 is more than an annual roadway allocation. Managed strategically, it can become an important component of a municipality's long term capital and infrastructure program.
Capital Strategic Solutions can help cities and towns connect the financial, administrative, and strategic components of Chapter 90 management, including planning and project prioritization, applications, reimbursement requests, and financial reconciliation. Whether your community needs assistance with the entire Chapter 90 process or support with a specific piece of it, CSS can provide the additional expertise and capacity needed to keep projects and funding moving forward.
Want to take a closer look at your community's Chapter 90 funding?
CSS can help review current allocations, project commitments, reimbursement activity, and available balances, and identify opportunities to maximize these important resources.
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