In the last few weeks I’ve tried to find out everything I can about LD 2003, the bill that would allow the creation of the Southern York County Regional Development Authority. I’ve read the legislation, heard from proponents and opponents of the bill, and read the minutes of the Regional Efficiency Grant Working Group meetings. My initial reaction to the bill was negative, mostly because it seemed to come out of nowhere and I could find little information on it. I searched the Town of South Berwick website and only found allusions to it, but no clear statement about what it is and why it would be in the interest of the town to participate.
After reading all of the minutes of the Regional Efficiency Grant Working Group meetings, I am more positively disposed to the bill, but still have many questions. The minutes provided some insight into the vision behind the bill, the potential benefits, and the process for moving ahead. The positives that I saw:
- Working regionally makes sense. Rather than six towns all recreating the same wheel, we would have the ability to share costs, infrastructure, and risks. Regional coordination could also make for smarter decisions about location, traffic flow, environmental impact, and workforce issues if the Authority ends up pursuing an industrial/business park, workforce housing, or other regional projects.
- Based on the Working Group Minutes it seems that the Authority could have broad goals of job creation and economic stability for the region, with the creation of an industrial/business park as one avenue toward that goal. Maybe I’m being naive here, I know there are many who believe it’s just a short cut to an industrial park. I’ve been reading South Berwick’s Comprehensive plan at the same time I’ve been researching LD2003 and there are many strategies within the Comprehensive plan that fit with what an Authority could do if it had a broad vision.
- The legislation would only allow the creation of the Authority, beyond that, each step along the way would require either Town Council or citizen approval.
- The first phase of the Authority would be a planning phase that would require research, the selection of a project or projects, and the creation of detailed implementation plans that would have to be approved before the Authority could move ahead.
That said, I also have many questions that I hope will be answered at the public information meeting this Saturday at 9 AM at Marshwood High School. Here are my questions:
- I would like to hear from South Berwick’s Town Manager and Town Council specifically how this bill and the subsequent participation by South Berwick in a Regional Development Authority ties in with the vision for the town put forth in the Comprehensive Plan.
- What are the specific steps in moving forward if the bill is approved? I need to see this in flow chart form, the text of the legislation does not make it clear what the process is.
- At each of the steps, what is the decision-making process? Who gets to make the decisions? Exactly what can the Authority decide on its own? What decisions go to the participating town governments and what decisions go to the voters?
- What are the anticipated operating costs of the Authority? There would be costs associated with just the basic operations of the regional authority and then costs associated with the research and planning phase. What would those be and how would they be paid for?
- What is the vision of the proposed Southern York County Regional Development Authority? Do they have, or will they be creating operating principles (e.g. open government, citizen participation, sustainable practices, smart growth, livable wages, etc.)?
My last questions probably won’t be answered at the forum. Why has it been so hard to find out about this proposed bill? If South Berwick’s Town Manager and Town Council think this is a great thing for the town and its citizens why wouldn’t they have sought to get information out, advocate for the bill, answer questions, and work with citizens to move the bill forward? Instead, we are having public meetings at the instigation of the bill’s sponsor, Sen. Peter Bowman after he heard from constituents that they hadn’t gotten enough information about it.
In the absence of information, humans have a tendency to fill in the blanks. I know I do. In this case it seems that the lack of information and perceived secrecy have served to obfuscate the discussion about a Regional Development Authority. When I try not to jump to negative conclusions, I think maybe it’s a question of “style” of our Town Manager and Town Council. If that’s the case, I don’t think it’s a “style” that serves the town well. In some ways what has happened with LD2003 is a reprise of what happened with Contract Zoning. So we get to my very last question: How can we create a healthy ongoing dialogue in South Berwick among the citizens, the Town Council and the Town Manager so that we can work together to address important issues facing the town?
What are your questions?
–Molly Colman, South Berwick
Read all the posts about LD2003, including comments by others.
Molly, I read all the minutes of the Regional Efficiency Grant Working Group (REG) as well. The discussions sound good. Mostly favorable. There may be a bill that can be written to reflect most of that thinking and be a good thing. LD 2003 IS NOT THAT BILL ! The is a large disconnect between the discussions I read from the minutes, and what I read in the bill. People should not rely on the record of the REG to judge the Bill. It must be read on its own terms. I urge everyone to read the bill carefully; and not to take the statements from the REG process as representing the actual bill. They don’t.
Point taken. You are right that it is the legislation, as written, that becomes law. That’s why I’m so interested in what happens at the public meetings and then how public input gets used to either amend the current bill or create a new bill.
Thank you for the insightful commentary and analysis.
All citizens should read the act to create the regional development authority (RDA) and determine if this bill represents their best interests.
This proposed language is what is before the Business, Research and Economic Development (BRED) Committee in Augusta. Regardless of the public information sessions, this committee now “owns” the bill.
The proposed information sessions on Saturday at MHS and Wednesday at Noble are an eleventh hour scramble to resusitate this Act that otherwise was DOA at the Jan. 17th legislative hearing.
Has anyone seen the Sat. agenda or more importantly a format for how the meeting proceedings shall be reported to the BRED Committee? This leads to another question about the public’s ability to comment on amended language. There isn’t much time between the 13th and the 26th.
Please take the time to write down comments or questions ahead of time and submit them for the record and also submit them directly to the BRED committee for consideration prior to the upcoming February 26 work session in Augusta. The committee secretary is Rhonda Miller .
Thank you for creating this venue. It is a timely insertion to this community, especially in the context of LD2003. I reviewed the posted minutes of the Regional Efficiency Grant Working Group (REG). I have also reread LD2003; its content’s clarity demands careful reading. I know this is a late addition, hopefully in some way its helpful.
Two strong impressions stand out from reading the REG minutes. First, consultant Craig Nelson’s continual emphasis to the REG Committee to garner public support early and often by bringing US, the citizens and taxpayers, into the process through informational hearings.
Second, Chuck Lawton’s detailed list of recommendations for evaluating the workforce/business relationship in southern York County. A study assessment was raised at the REG meeting of 7-19-07. Lawton’s comments are at the 1-10-08 REG meeting, which is AFTER the creation of LD2003 and one week before the BRED hearing. This analysis, I would think, forms a critical basis for determining the viability of LD2003.
Both of these recommendations, with Nelson being the paid consultant, have been ignored by the REG committee.
The fine intentions of the REG committee are NOT reflected in LD2003. Nelson’s and Lawton’s recommendations are two startling examples.
In addition, the imminent domain issues of Section 1, and the dissolution of equitable representation once the operational planning phase ceases in Section 4, are real examples challenging core democratic values of taxation and representation.
Maybe we have a consistent pattern on how public initiatives are provided and made inclusive to the public by public officials. The concept of LD2003 as intoned by the REG committee has much merit. But it is not what is represented now in LD2003. This is truly unfortunate; not only for the time and public expense incurred on this concept not being realized in LD2003, but for the missed opportunity of doing it right.
We still need to learn the art of listening, doing our homework, and communicating well what we have learned. Until those skills are established by public officials, we will fail to serve the public fully.
Please forward your comments and questions about LD2003 as noted above.
I left the Saturday morning meeting at Marshwood HS on the proposed Southern York County Regional Development Authority wondering who thought it was a good idea to first hold a hearing on the bill, and then when they realized that they didn’t have enough information to take a vote, ask the proponents of the bill to go on a fact finding expedition and report back to the committee on how the public feels about it? Are the members of the state legislature’s Joint Standing Committee on Business, Research and Economic Development really that naïve that they believe they will get a balanced report from the authors of the legislation? Forget about the specific personalities and issues involved, it’s just human nature to portray your work in the best possible light and downplay your critics. Add to that the political dynamics of our town and some of the other surrounding towns and it’s a pretty safe bet that the folks in Augusta will get a report that has been washed, dried, sanitized and run through the spin cycle.
Fortunately some of the bill’s sponsors were on hand, and I think Rep. Bonnie Gould and Senator Peter Bowman got the message that people are deeply concerned about many of the bill’s provisions as well as the process that went into its development. Rep. Sally Lewin was there too, but I didn’t get a chance to talk to her. Hopefully our local legislators will tell the committee that this loaf is not even half-baked.
I’m still not exactly clear about the process going forward. But after speaking with Rep. Gould I understand that citizens can still contact the committee with their concerns. The committee needs to hear directly from those of us who would be directly affected by this legislation. Here is a link to the committee’s Web site where you will find contact information for all the committee members: http://janus.state.me.us/house/jt_com/bec.htm
A few people at the meeting brought up the need for sustainable development that addresses the challenge of climate change. Viewed in this context the whole idea of creating an industrial park seems sadly out of date. Any future versions of this bill should start with a definitive statement that embraces energy efficiency, sustainable development and reducing our carbon footprint. I believe this will naturally lead us to a new development paradigm that emphasizes strengthening our existing town centers, discourages sprawl and makes our region more self sufficient. That truly would be a model the rest of the state could follow.
Finally this thought. This deeply flawed bill was produced under a grant to the South Berwick town government. This is the same town government that tried take away our property rights through contract zoning and has dragged its heels for years on implementing the new comprehensive plan. Next time, if there is a next time, the state should give its grant money to an entity that understands both the issues as well as the need for an open process. The Southern Maine Regional Planning Commission comes to mind.