Location:
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT;

OLR Research Report


January 7, 2009

  

2009-R-0012

TIMEFRAME FOR PREPARING ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIC PLAN

By: John Rappa, Principal Analyst

You asked us to compare the planned and actual timeframe for completing the five-year state economic development strategic plan. You also asked us to list 2004-2008 Commerce Committee bills concerning strategic planning, regional economic development, and the organization of economic development agencies.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIC PLAN TIMEFRAMES

PA 07-239 requires the economic and community development commissioner to submit an economic development strategic plan to the governor every five years, beginning July 1, 2009. (Attachment 1 is the OLR analysis of the act, which also concerns land use planning.) Because this requirement took effect July 11, 2007, DECD has nearly up to two years to complete the first plan.

The process for preparing the plan reflects the act's requirements. Some require the Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD) to consult with different groups, such as regional planning organizations; others specify the plan's contents, such as an analysis of key industry sectors. DECD incorporated these requirements in the request for proposals (RFP) it issued for plan preparation (http://www.ct.gov/ecd/lib/ecd/nov_07_amended_ct_economic_strategic_plan_rfp.pdf).

The RFP restates the requirements as tasks, arranges them sequentially, and assigns each a deadline. We used the deadlines to gauge DECD's progress toward completing the plan. We did so by comparing the deadlines against the status of each task, as DECD related them to us on a form we developed for that purpose (Attachment 2). As Table 1 shows, most of the tasks have not been completed, but DECD anticipates submitting the plan on time to the governor.

Table 1: Timeframe from Completing Strategic Plan

Stage

10/7

11/7

12/7

1/8

2/8

3/8

4/8

5/8

6/8

7/8

9/8

10/8

11/8

12/8

1/9

2/9

3/9

4/9

5/9

6/9

7/9

RFP

                                          

● Planned Timeframe

X

X

X

X

                                  

● Actual Timeframe

X

X

X

X

                                  

Regional Forums

                                         

● Planned Timeframe (1)

      

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

        

● Actual Timeframe

 

X

X

X

X

                                

Survey Reports

                                         

● Planned Completion

      

X

X

                                

● Actual Completion

      

Ongoing

Focus Group Meetings

                                         

● Planned Timeframe

     

X

X

                                

● Actual Timeframe

     

Ongoing

Consultations

                                         

● Planned Timeframe

     

X

X

                                

● Actual Timeframe

     

Ongoing (2)

Connecticut Economy Report

                                         

● Planned Timeframe

     

X

X

X

X

X

                          

● Actual Timeframe

     

Ongoing

Foundations for Economic Growth Report

                                         

● Planned Timeframe

     

X

X

X

X

X

                          

● Actual Timeframe

     

Ongoing

Strategic Planning

                                         

● Planned Timeframe

     

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

                  

● Actual Timeframe

     

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

Strategic Plan Compilation

                                         

● Planned Timeframe

                     

X

X

X

              

● Actual Timeframe

                     

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

Plan Submission

                                         

● Planned

                                       

X

● Actual

                                         
 

10/7

11/7

12/7

1/8

2/8

3/8

4/8

5/8

6/8

7/8

9/8

10/8

11/8

12/8

1/9

2/9

3/9

4/9

5/9

6/9

7/9

(1) The RFP specifies that regional forums will be held throughout the life of the contract as DECD directs. DECD indicated in Attachments 2 that the forums were scheduled between January 2008 and March 2009.

(2) RFP specifies dates for conducting consultations and completing consultation reports, but also allows additional consultation meetings as DECD directs.

DECD completed the RFP-related tasks on schedule and the regional forums ahead of schedule. (It conducted 11 forums between November 2007 and January 2008.) The regional forums are part of a group of tasks to obtain comments from various stakeholders. Those tasks were scheduled to be completed in February 2008 but are “ongoing.”

The other tasks are also ongoing. These include the submission of:

1. several reports on the state's economy, which were due between February and May 2008;

2. several planning tools; which were due between April and October 2008; and

3. the strategic plan, which was due under the RFP by December 3, 2008.

SELECTED 2004-2008 COMMERCE COMMITTEE BILLS

Table 2 lists the 2004-2008 Commerce Committee bills concerning strategic planning, regional economic development, and economic development agency organization.

Selected 2004-2008 Commerce Committee Bills

Year

Strategic Planning

Regional Economic Development

Economic Development Agency Organization

2004

No bills

No bills

sSB 259, AAC Small Business Office within the Department of Economic and Community Development (http://cgalites/2004/FC/pdf/2004SB-00259-R000630-FC.pdf)

2005

PSB 856, AAC State-wide Economic Development Strategy (http://cgalites/2005/tob/s/2005SB-00856-R00-SB.htm)

SB 910, AAC Economic Development in Eastern Connecticut (http://cgalites/2005/tob/s/2005SB-00910-R02-SB.htm)

sSB 1106, AAC Regional Economic Development (http://cgalites/2005/FC/pdf/2005SB-01106-R000237-FC.pdf)

sSB 100, AA Establishing a Small Business Clearinging House in the Department of Economic and Community Development and Establishing a Pilot Microloan Program for Microenterprises (http://cgalites/2005/TOB/s/pdf/2005SB-00100-R02-SB.pdf)

-Continued-

Year

Strategic Planning

Regional Economic Development

Economic Development Agency Organization

2006

  

sSB 267, AAC Regional Economic Development (http://cgalites/2006/FC/pdf/2006SB-00267-R000191-FC.pdf)

SB 45, AAC Economic Development and Job Creation (http://cgalites/2006/TOB/s/pdf/2006SB-00045-R00-SB.pdf)

SB 485, AAC the study of Economic Development Programs (http://cgalites/2006/FC/pdf/2006SB-00485-R000202-FC.pdf)

SB 530, AA Establishing Grow Connecticut, Inc. and the Office of Economic Development Policy in the Office of the Governor (http://cgalites/2006/TOB/s/pdf/2006SB-00530-R00-SB.pdf)

2007

No bills

No bills

No bills

2008

No bills

No bills

No bills

JR:ts