§ 42-11-10 - Statewide planning program.
SECTION 42-11-10
§ 42-11-10 Statewide planning program.– (a) Findings. The general assembly finds that the people of this statehave a fundamental interest in the orderly development of the state; the statehas a positive interest and demonstrated need for establishment of acomprehensive strategic state planning process and the preparation,maintenance, and implementation of plans for the physical, economic, and socialdevelopment of the state; the continued growth and development of the statepresents problems that cannot be met by the cities and towns individually andthat require effective planning by the state; and state and local plans andprograms must be properly coordinated with the planning requirements andprograms of the federal government.
(b) Establishment of statewide planning program.(1) A statewide planning program is hereby established to prepare,adopt, and amend strategic plans for the physical, economic, and socialdevelopment of the state and to recommend these to the governor, the generalassembly, and all others concerned.
(2) All strategic planning, as defined in subsection (c) ofthis section, undertaken by the executive branch for those departments andother agencies enumerated in subsection (g) of this section, shall be conductedby or under the supervision of the statewide planning program. The statewideplanning program shall consist of a state planning council, and the office ofstrategic planning and the office of systems planning of the division ofplanning, which shall be a division within the department of administration.
(c) Strategic planning. Strategic planning includesthe following activities:
(1) Establishing or identifying general goals.
(2) Refining or detailing these goals and identifyingrelationships between them.
(3) Formulating, testing, and selecting policies andstandards that will achieve desired objectives.
(4) Preparing long-range or system plans or comprehensiveprograms that carry out the policies and set time schedules, performancemeasures, and targets.
(5) Preparing functional short-range plans or programs thatare consistent with established or desired goals, objectives, and policies, andwith long-range or system plans or comprehensive programs where applicable, andthat establish measurable intermediate steps toward their accomplishment of thegoals, objectives, policies, and/or long-range system plans.
(6) Monitoring the planning of specific projects anddesigning of specific programs of short duration by the operating departments,other agencies of the executive branch, and political subdivisions of the stateto insure that these are consistent with and carry out the intent of applicablestrategic plans.
(7) Reviewing the execution of strategic plans and theresults obtained and making revisions necessary to achieve established goals.
(d) State guide plan. Components of strategic plansprepared and adopted in accordance with this section may be designated aselements of the state guide plan. The state guide plan shall be comprised offunctional elements or plans dealing with land use; physical development andenvironmental concerns; economic development; housing production; energysupply, including the development of renewable energy resources in RhodeIsland, and energy access, use, and conservation; human services; and otherfactors necessary to accomplish the objective of this section. The state guideplan shall be a means for centralizing, integrating, and monitoring long-rangegoals, policies, plans, and implementation activities related thereto. Stateagencies concerned with specific subject areas, local governments, and thepublic shall participate in the state guide planning process, which shall beclosely coordinated with the budgeting process.
(e) Membership of state planning council. The stateplanning council shall consist of:
(1) The director of the department of administration aschairperson;
(2) The director, policy office, in the office of thegovernor, as vice-chairperson;
(3) The governor, or his or her designee;
(4) The budget officer;
(5) The chairperson of the housing resources commission;
(6) The chief of statewide planning, as secretary;
(7) The president of the League of Cities and Towns or his orher designee and one official of local government, who shall be appointed bythe governor from a list of not less than three (3) submitted by the RhodeIsland League Cities and Towns; and
(8) The executive director of the League of Cities and Towns;
(9) One representative of a nonprofit community developmentor housing organization;
(10) Four (4) public members, appointed by the governor;
(11) Two (2) representatives of a private, nonprofitenvironmental advocacy organization, both to be appointed by the governor; and
(12) The director of planning and development for the city ofProvidence.
(f) Powers and duties of state planning council. Thestate planning council shall have the following powers and duties:
(1) To adopt strategic plans as defined in this section andthe long-range state guide plan, and to modify and amend any of these,following the procedures for notification and public hearing set forth in§ 42-35-3, and to recommend and encourage implementation of these goals tothe general assembly, state and federal agencies, and other public and privatebodies; approval of strategic plans by the governor;
(2) To coordinate the planning and development activities ofall state agencies, in accordance with strategic plans prepared and adopted asprovided for by this section;
(3) To review and comment on the proposed annual work programof the statewide planning program;
(4) To adopt rules and standards and issue orders concerningany matters within its jurisdiction as established by this section andamendments to it;
(5) To establish advisory committees and appoint membersthereto representing diverse interests and viewpoints as required in the stateplanning process and in the preparation or implementation of strategic plans.The state planning council shall appoint a permanent committee comprised of:
(i) Public members from different geographic areas of thestate representing diverse interests, and
(ii) Officials of state, local and federal government, whichshall review all proposed elements of the state guide plan, or amendment orrepeal of any element of the plan, and shall advise the state planning councilthereon before the council acts on any such proposal. This committee shall alsoadvise the state planning council on any other matter referred to it by thecouncil; and
(6) To establish and appoint members to an executivecommittee consisting of major participants of a Rhode Island geographicinformation system with oversight responsibility for its activities.
(7) To adopt on or before July 1, 2007, and to amend andmaintain as an element of the state guide plan or as an amendment to anexisting element of the state guide plan, standards and guidelines for thelocation of eligible renewable energy resources and renewable energy facilitiesin Rhode Island with due consideration for the location of such resources andfacilities in commercial and industrial areas, agricultural areas, areasoccupied by public and private institutions, and property of the state and itsagencies and corporations, provided such areas are of sufficient size, and inother areas of the state as appropriate.
(g) Division of planning. (1) The divisionof planning shall be the principal staff agency of the state planning councilfor preparing and/or coordinating strategic plans for the comprehensivemanagement of the state's human, economic, and physical resources. The divisionof planning shall recommend to the state planning council specific guidelines,standards, and programs to be adopted to implement strategic planning and thestate guide plan and shall undertake any other duties established by thissection and amendments thereto.
(2) The division of planning shall maintain records (whichshall consist of files of complete copies) of all plans, recommendations,rules, and modifications or amendments thereto adopted or issued by the stateplanning council under this section. The records shall be open to the public.
(3) The division of planning shall manage and administer theRhode Island geographic information system of land-related resources, and shallcoordinate these efforts with other state departments and agencies, includingthe University of Rhode Island, which shall provide technical support andassistance in the development and maintenance of the system and its associateddata base.
(4) The division of planning shall coordinate and oversee theprovision of technical assistance to political subdivisions of the state inpreparing and implementing plans to accomplish the purposes, goals, objectives,policies, and/or standards of applicable elements of the state guide plan andshall make available to cities and towns data and guidelines that may be usedin preparing comprehensive plans and elements thereof and in evaluatingcomprehensive plans and elements thereby.
(h) Transfer determinations. (1) Thedirector of administration, with the approval of the governor, shall make theconclusive determination of the number of positions, personnel, physical space,property, records, and appropriation balances, allocations and other funds ofthe department of mental health, retardation, and hospitals, department ofhealth, department of human services, department of corrections, department oflabor and training, department of environmental management, department ofbusiness regulation, department of transportation, department of state libraryservices, Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation, department of elderlyaffairs, department of children, youth, and families, historical preservationcommission, water resources board, and the defense civil preparedness/emergencymanagement agency of the executive department to be transferred to thedepartment of administration in connection with the functions transferred thereinto by the provisions of this article.
(2) In order to ensure continuity of the strategic planningprocess of the department specified heretofore, the actual transfer offunctions or any part thereof to the department of administration may bepostponed after July 1, 1985 until such time as, by executive order of thegovernor, the transfer herein provided can be put into force and effect but nolater than December 31, 1985.