|
For example, if the Planning Department were to assume the
<br /> economic development functions and blindly promoted tourism
<br /> development, and then later on , process and approve the. plans
<br /> for the resort development, it then becomes really debatable
<br /> whether that agency would have much, if any, public
<br /> credibility for being objective and reflective of the balanced
<br /> need of the people. It will be similar or analagous to the
<br /> Planning Department assuming the functions of the Federal
<br /> Environmental Protection Agency or the State Office of
<br /> Environmental Quality, Control and later processing and
<br /> approving plans for development where some negative impact to
<br /> the environment will occur.
<br /> The Research and Development Department, as I
<br /> see it, is a single purpose department just like the Public
<br /> Works, Water, or Parks Department are. Where the Water
<br /> Department' s principle focus is water, the principle focus of
<br /> the Research and Development Department is economic development,.
<br /> whether it fall in agriculture, energy, tourism, manganese
<br /> nodules, aquaculture, and so forth. As such, the basic question
<br /> that really must be assessed, is whether, in,Jact, there is a
<br /> need for an agency that actively solicits and develops economic
<br /> development programs and activities. The neighbor island
<br /> counties have, for quite some time, acknowledged such a need
<br /> and, I believe, that this need still exists for the County of
<br /> Hawaii. Maui and Kauai Counties both have comparable agencies
<br /> except that they work directly out of the mayor' s office. None
<br /> of the various County Planning Departments, Maui, Kauai,
<br /> Honolulu or the Big Island have this economic development
<br /> function.
<br /> I do recognize that the State has a Department
<br /> of Planning and Economic Development and its major objective
<br /> is economic development. According to the State S,tatutes ,,
<br /> Chapter 201-2. . .this is a direct quote out of the State Statutes.
<br /> It provides as follows: "It shall be the objective of the State
<br /> Department of Planning and Economic Development to make broad
<br /> policy determinations with respect to economic development in
<br /> the state and to stimulate through research and demonstration
<br /> projects those industrial and economic development efforts which
<br /> offer the most immediate promise of expanding the economy of the
<br /> state. " So, DPEbis, as you will note, has a primary emphasis on
<br /> economic development. I would like to add, however, that the
<br /> type of planning that is done at the state level is quite broad
<br /> and, equally important, the DPED does not have any regulatory
<br /> functions at all. Thus, the potential for conflict to occur at
<br /> that level even if they were to do planning and economic
<br /> development activity, is quite minimal, but, at the county level
<br /> where the planning agencies have regulatory functions and where
<br /> the various economic development activities are short ranged, the
<br /> potential for conflicts to occur are quite real. Therefore, I
<br /> belive that the Planning Department has distinct functions from
<br /> the Research and Development Department. Where the Planning
<br /> Department is more of an umbrella-like agency with regulatory
<br /> functions, the R & D is more single purposed. It's single
<br /> purpose, of course, is economic development and it would be no
<br /> different than the Water or Parks Department. Where the Water
<br /> -5-
<br />
|