NOVEMBER 2005
           
County Executive Coons' Agenda for New Castle County

New Castle County is Delaware's second-largest government.  The atmosphere for economic development in New Castle County impacts economic development not only in the County, but also, in the City of Wilmington and in the entire State.

We're just emerging from a difficult time for economic development in New Castle County.  Shortly after Tom Gordon became County Executive in January 1997, he embarked upon a complete revamping of land-development regulations in the County, beginning with a moratorium.  The message that New Castle County is closed to economic development, as a result of that moratorium, is only now beginning to subside throughout the country and beyond.

The moratorium was lifted with the December 31, 1997 passage of the Unified Development Code (UDC), the product of Illinois consultant Lane Kendig, modified to somewhat better fit New Castle County during its approval process in late 1997.  The UDC was immediately recognized as establishing among the most difficult standards and most stringent approval processes in the country.  In addition, it so radically changed the approval process that everyone, including Department of Land Use staffers, had a steep learning curve to understand the standards and the process.  As a result, economic development has often been stymied.

County Executive Chris Coons recognizes the importance of economic development to an overall healthy County.  He has hired Karl Kalbacker to spur redevelopment of brownfields and has convened monthly meetings with business leaders in the County to receive input.  At the December 7th Business Leaders Meeting, Chris presented his “Agenda for New Castle County,”  which includes a “stronger economy” component.  The “Agenda for New Castle County”:

Vision: More connected communities
NCCo will promote civic engagement and build community through strengthening civic associations, volunteerism and community-based strategies to delivering core services. 

• Increase and improve programming at libraries and community centers
• Build neighborhoods with more vibrant connections between neighbors
• Promote volunteerism and other forms of civic engagement
• Create opportunities for young people and families to flourish in safe, supportive environments

Vision: Safer Communities
NCCo will promote physical safety, health and disaster preparedness through more effective delivery of public safety services that engages communities and volunteers in promoting their own safety.

• Continue to build confidence in police department and strengthen focus on patrol
• Ensure that the public safety department is deploying existing staff appropriately and improving recruitment, training and retention to address future growth
• Strengthen  partnerships with communities to reduce crime and the fear of crime
• Sustain and strengthen the volunteer fire service
• Prepare public safety agencies to work together to effectively respond to manmade or natural emergencies

Vision: A stronger economy for today and tomorrow
NCCo will partner with state and local entities and the private sector to actively promote business expansion with a focus on sustainable, high-wage jobs and economic development that improves communities and coordinates with available infrastructure.

• Streamline processes to encourage new businesses to open or expand in New Castle County
• Establish resources to support small business entrepreneurs         
• Rebuild relationships with local, national and international business communities
• Promote redevelopment through a focus on underutilized or troubled commercial properties and the reuse of brownfields
• Support local agriculture through partnership that promote local produce and agritourism

Vision: A healthier, more attractive environment
NCCo will promote good environmental stewardship through progressive land use planning and programming.  NCCo will responsibly manage its wastewater treatment and disposal system, as well as its overall operations, in order to protect our fragile environment.

• Review and evaluate existing environmental standards and promote practices that safeguard our community
• Improve the county's environmental stewardship through energy management, recycling and maintenance of county lands
• Launch an initiative to extend and connect greenways across New Castle County
• Preserve farmland and open space
• Manage a sewer system that is safe, reliable and sufficient to accommodate future growth, including responsibly planning a new sewer system for southern New Castle County
• Address flooding problems by strengthening maintenance corporations to support upkeep of stormwater management facilities
• Enhance waterflows in county's streams to reduce flooding risk

Vision: A more diverse market of livable housing options
NCCo will take an active role in creating a market environment that promotes high-quality, affordable housing and ensures housing of all types is better built and maintained.

• Expand the supply of housing types so that people who work in the county are able to live in the county
• Encourage home ownership by supporting programs for first time home buyers and by targeting home ownership initiatives to areas with high rental densities
• Encourage development of a broader range of housing for purchase and rental
• Improve the stock of affordable housing by encouraging investment in rehabilitation of homes in affordable neighborhoods
• Improve effectiveness of code enforcement and building inspection programs
• Involve youth in the housing construction industry through special projects

Vision: A more ethical, accessible, transparent government
NCCo will act as a steward of public funds in ways that earn public confidence and as an employer in ways that promote respect and accountability.

• Conduct county business with integrity and innovation
• Provide high-quality services, including responsiveness to constituents' inquiries
• Serve as excellent stewards of taxpayers' dollars, in particular by responsibly addressing capital projects, financial strategy and pending legal issues
• Increase the openness of communication between the public and government
• Negotiate fair contracts with unions and build constructive ongoing employee relations
• Incorporate diversity into the core processes and programs of New Castle County, including training, promotions, purchasing and service delivery
• Create a safe, positive, welcoming and appropriate environment for employees
• Work well with other governments and institutions

Beverley Baxter