Executive Order Number Fifty-Nine Implementing The Strategies For State Policies And Spending
WHEREAS, Delaware has a well-deserved reputation as an ideal place to live, work, raise a family, and enjoy recreational activities; and
WHEREAS, Delaware’s natural resources, solid economy, opportunities for personal business success, and overall quality of life are projected to attract almost 190,000 new residents by the year 2020; and
WHEREAS, Delawareans are concerned that the “quality of place” in our State is threatened by sprawl, traffic congestion, loss of farmlands and open space, and diminished air and water quality; and
WHEREAS, the protection of public health and welfare requires a more efficient planning of growth and development throughout Delaware; and
WHEREAS, haphazard sprawl and unplanned growth create an inefficient demand for public infrastructure and facilities that all Delaware taxpayers must finance, no matter where they live; and
WHEREAS, the Livable Delaware Agenda, as outlined in Executive Order 14, includes a set of principles for creating a more Livable Delaware; and
WHEREAS, those principles are to invest taxpayer dollars effectively while slowing sprawl, to preserve farmland and open space, to encourage infill and redevelopment that avoids the development of greenfields, to facilitate attractive and affordable housing, and to preserve Delaware’s quality of life through sustainable development; and
WHEREAS, all state agencies must provide leadership and set positive examples with policies, programs and expenditures that are aligned to the principles of Livable Delaware; and
WHEREAS, the Cabinet Committee on State Planning Issues, in consultation with the Governor's Advisory Council on Planning Coordination, has undertaken an extensive process of analyzing long-term growth trends, soliciting public comment, coordinating with State and local government agencies, and considering the impacts of expected growth throughout the State over the next five years; and
WHEREAS, on June 3, 2004, the Cabinet Committee on State Planning Issues approved an updated set of Strategies for State Policies and Spending to ensure efficient, rational and cost-effective investment in necessary infrastructure;
NOW, THEREFORE I, RUTH ANN MINNER, by the authority vested in me as Governor of the State of Delaware, hereby declare and order on this 23rd day of September 2004:
1. The Office of State Planning Coordination shall publish, both in printed form and on-line, the updated Strategies for State Policies and Spending document and maps, including geospatial data (with full metadata) representing the various investment level areas recommended in the Strategies document; and
2. As explained more fully in the published Strategies document, the Green Infrastructure recommendations approved on December 8, 2003 by the Governor's Advisory Council on Planning Coordination are to be considered as a part of the Strategies; and
3. All state departments and agencies shall, no later than December 31, 2004, submit to the Office of State Planning Coordination an update of the Livable Delaware Implementation Plans developed pursuant to Executive Order 14; and
4. All state departments and agencies shall use the Strategies document and maps as a guide to making all decisions on policy, infrastructure and other investments, and resource management; and
5. The State Budget Office shall use the Strategies document and maps as a guide in developing and reviewing state department and agency spending plans; and
6. The Strategies document and maps shall be made available to all county and municipal government agencies for use in all planning-related endeavors, including, but not limited to, comprehensive plan development and strategic planning; and
7. The Strategies document and maps shall be used in the Preliminary Land Use Service (PLUS) process as a tool for helping developers, land-owners, and local governments create efficient, rational and smart-growth development options in those areas most ready to receive and serve new development; and
8. The Office of State Planning Coordination shall, in conjunction with the Cabinet Committee on State Planning Issues and the Governor's Advisory Council on Planning Coordination, plan and carry out an update of the Strategies document and maps within five years of the effective date of this order.
