Russ Moore: RhodeMap RI, Full of Fury, But Insignificant
Monday, December 15, 2014
If you didn't know any better, you'd have thought the sky had fallen last Thursday after the state planning commission adopted the RhodeMap RI plan. At least that would be the case if that you only listened to the Chicken Littles who were up in arms and calling commission members outlandish names such as communist and comrade.
The RhodeMap RI plan does not read like The Communist Manifesto, however. Instead, it lays out relatively vague goals of improving the economic outlook of Rhode Island's minority populations, improving education to better serve out economic needs, focusing on the state's economic strengths, and aligning the state's housing and transportation investments to better meet the needs of the economy. Oh, and it also supports affordable housing. The horror!
Worthwhile Goals
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTAll of those goals, in my estimation, are worthwhile. The plan is relatively short on specifics, but that's not something that will hurt the state. It may not help it much, but there won't be any harm due to a lack of detail.
Most of the criticisms of the plan are either flat off or borderline paranoid. For instance, some of the plans critics say that they fear eminent domain could be used to take away their homes in favor of more affordable housing. But the document doesn't assert that that should take place.
Secondly, some critics have said that the plan could upend the property tax cap law that was enacted by the general assembly, at then Senate Majority leader Teresa Pavia-Weed's behest in 2006. It's true, the document does recommend that the state legislature consider lifting the cap in high growth centers. But that makes sense.
Tax Cap Sensibilities
The property tax cap, contrary to popular belief, is not a cap on the tax rates of communities. It's a cap on the levy. The property tax cap levy caps the rate of growth that the municipalities can rake in on a yearly basis. In other words, if a city's total budget is $1 million in the previous year, the next year's budget can't grow by more than 4-percent, which would be $40,000. In a year with a great deal of economic development, that would mean the municipality would be mandated to cut the property tax rate. Conversely, in a year during a recession, the rate may be allowed to increase by even 10 percent in order to maintain the previous year's tax levy.
The rationale behind suspending the property tax cap would be to facilitate large scale economic development in the so-called growth centers.
But let's face it: it didn't matter what the economic development plan suggested, there would be critics who criticized it because at it's essence, the plan is just that--a government plan. To some people's minds, that's communism.
Oh, The Irony
The great irony here is that many of these very same people who are highly critical of the RhodeMap RI plan are the very same people who would be criticizing the state for not having a plan in the first place.
In the same respect, another of the major criticism of the plan is the fact that it recommends aggressively pursuing grants. The grants come with strings attached, however, and the critics say that would force communities to cede local control to the federal government. Yet for the most part, these same critics haven't been happy with the way their local governments have been run either. Local government isn't always preferable. Call me crazy, but if the local governments are poorly, I'd rather see the federal government dictating policy.
It’s Toothless
And perhaps what's most important about the plan is the fact that it's toothless. The plan does not compel the Governor-elect, the Speaker of the House, or any local governing bodies to take any action. Instead, the plan merely serves as a guideline to policy makers throughout the state. It's a tool for decision makers to use to maximize the state's capabilities. There's absolutely nothing binding about the plan.
Having followed the inner workings of RI Government for close to a decade, I can tell you that if a state department discovered a way to turn base metal into gold, the rest of the state government would ignore the plan. One of the state government's key weaknesses is its lack of coherence. With that as a weakness, there's no reason for people to be up in arms over a simple report filled with recommendations.
In the end, RhodeMap Rhode Island is actually a good thing because it's got people talking about the best approach to economic development and long term planning in The Ocean State. That may very well be Governor Lincoln Chafee's biggest economic accomplishment in the waning days of his administration.
Russell Moore, a lifelong Rhode Islander, and avid politics and sports fanatic has worked on both sides of the desk in Rhode Island media, in both newspapers and on political campaigns. Follow him on twitter @russmoore713.
Related Slideshow: RI Business Rankings in US
See how Rhode Island stacked up.
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