Which of the following is NOT a step in the capital improvement planning process?

In the context of the capital improvement planning process, the focus is on identifying, prioritizing, and funding capital projects that contribute to long-term community development and infrastructure improvement. The steps typically involve:

1. Performing inventory: This step involves taking stock of existing facilities and infrastructure to understand what is currently available and what needs improvement or replacement.

2. Assessing funding sources: Here, planners examine various available funding options, including grants, bonds, and other revenue sources, to determine how the proposed projects can be financed.

3. Ranking project requests: This important step involves evaluating and prioritizing the various capital project proposals based on criteria such as cost, impact, urgency, and alignment with community goals. This helps decision-makers determine which projects should be pursued first based on limited resources.

Approving operating costs, however, is not a step that fits within the capital improvement planning process. While it is important to consider the operational budget and ongoing operational costs associated with capital projects, the actual approval pertains to the operational budget process rather than capital improvement planning. In capital improvements, the focus is primarily on capital expenditures and the funding required for those specific projects, not directly on the operational costs of running them once completed.