Opinion ID: 1240566
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Reevaluation of Projects

Text: Through the record developed below, the circuit court found that the projects selected by the Grant Committee were properly chosen pursuant to the evaluative criteria adopted by the Committee. Because we have found a constitutional basis for requiring the reconstitution of the Committee, as well as a need for statutory inclusion of legislative standards for use in evaluating submitted projects, a newly comprised Committee will have to reconsider those previously approved projects and those submitted, but unapproved, applications against such standards upon their adoption. [44] Given the need to individually reconsider the grant applications, [45] it would be imprudent for this Court to comment on the merits of any of those projects. We do note, however, that each of the projects, barring one, had a governmental partner, thereby underscoring the public purpose of such projects. In addition, we further perceive that the Legislature's reposition of broad discretion in the Committee for selecting the list of economic development projects deserving of public funding will meet with increased public acceptance and, therefore, a decreased incidence of challenge and consequent delays in implementing the projects, if the Committee opts to make a full record of its proceedings and decisions for the purpose of evidencing that its actions are in accord with the public purpose objectives of the subject legislation and the enunciated legislative standards.