Co-chair urges review of DCCED mission, fees and performance measures

Co-chair Holland told the House Finance Subcommittee the department’s mission statement and performance measures should be revisited to ensure DCCED’s budget supports economic growth and diversification as set out in the state comprehensive economic development strategy.

Holland said the subcommittee has not spent significant time reviewing current revenues from fees and permit costs, whether those fees have been recently reviewed for competitiveness and cost recovery, or whether those revenues are producing excess funds the state relies on for other activities. He asked the committee to examine fee structures and indirect expenditures in future work.

Holland said the current mission language — that DCCED is charged with promoting a healthy economy — could be sharpened to focus on the department actively supporting economic diversification and growth. He also suggested the Office of Management and Budget measures used to evaluate the department have not been critically reviewed for a long time and may not reflect desired outcomes.

Holland said he supports the subcommittee’s BA recommendations now but urged the panel to incorporate these reviews and possible mission updates in future deliberations. The suggestion was noted on the record and may inform follow-up work by committee staff.

The subcommittee did not take a formal vote on mission or fee-review directives during the March 3 meeting; members flagged the items for future attention.