1.A.1) Ensure each municipality has professional planning staff

If municipalities are to be expected to develop and implement sustainable plans, they must have professional staff dedicated to this task.  Professional planners bring technical expertise that can effectively supplement the local knowledge and commitment of by volunteer boards or committees.  

In 2008, approximately 70% of the 101 cities and towns in the MAPC region had at least one full time planner; about 10% had only part time planners or consultants and the rest did not have any professional planners on staff.  Even in many municipalities that have full-time planning staff, those staff are often so occupied with review of individual development proposals that they have little time to devote to actual long-range planning.  Increased capacity in those municipalities would allow planning staff to devote sufficient attention to careful review of development proposals, while also addressing long-range planning, public education, outreach, regional collaboration, and stakeholder development.  

Increasing this capacity will require additional resources at both the local and state level.  Municipalities must prioritize funding for planning staff, considering it an investment that will help to preserve natural and financial resources.  The state can also support this effort by creating a new funding stream dedicated to support local planning, with the understanding that this new funding should be used to increase local planning capacity, rather than replacing existing local funding.  The goal should be for each municipality to be served by a professional planner (possibly shared with another municipality), with a long-term goal of at least one full time planner for each municipality.

1.a    Municipalities should seek opportunities to raise new funds for local planning efforts and should use these funds to increase their capacity

1.b    The Legislature and Governor should provide dedicated funding for municipal planning staff

1.c    MAPC should create model job descriptions for long-range municipal planners

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Parent Strategy: 
Implement Coordinated Plans
Parent Sub-Strategy: 
A. Increase municipal planning capacity
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