The State Planning Board this week released its Report and Recommendations on legislative and executive actions that will help the Commonwealth address the goals of reinvesting in cities and towns, fostering growth and competitiveness of both urban and rural economies, and improving the quality of life in all of Pennsylvania’s diverse communities.

“The State Planning Board took its charge from Gov. Rendell very seriously and worked hard over the past year and a half to study and make recommendations on some challenging issues for Pennsylvania,” said chair Judy Schwank. “Over the next year, we hope to gather input from Pennsylvanians in regional sessions and further refine or expand our recommendations.”

The State Planning Board includes fifteen citizens representing diverse interests and regions of the state, four legislative members appointed by the majority and minority parties in each house, as well as the Secretaries of Agriculture, Community and Economic Development, Environmental Protection, Natural Resources, Transportation and Public Welfare.

The Board was directed to make recommendations in three areas:

· Conflicts among development, municipal, and conservation interests and needs on open space and infrastructure issues;

· Specific policies, such as criteria for state investments, incentives for more multi-municipal planning and implementation, attracting private investment, and tax and revenue sharing that will achieve smart growth goals for revitalization of cities and towns and sound economic development in rural communities; and

· Proposed options for improved governance measures that will enable Pennsylvania to compete more effectively for economic growth while improving the quality of life in Pennsylvania’s diverse communities.

The Board’s initial report makes recommendations in the areas of governance, infrastructure and economic development.

The Board makes specific recommendations for legislation to provide better options to counties and local governments for right sizing services such as police and fire; making comprehensive plans effective guides for consistent implementation; removing legal barriers to consolidations and mergers where these make fiscal and political sense; and providing clear authority for tax base and revenue sharing among counties and local municipalities that would benefit from these tools.

The Board also makes recommendations for legislative changes involving transportation, infrastructure, and economic development issues, and endorses the planning process being initiated by state agencies this year to work with partners in nine regions of the state to prioritize economic development projects and integrate them with transportation, infrastructure and land use decisions.

The full report and Recommendations Report is available online.

12/1/2006