General Assembly Raised Bill No. 1090
January Session, 2011 LCO No. 3848
*03848_______PS_*
Referred to Committee on Public Safety and Security
Introduced by:
(PS)
General Assembly
Raised Bill No. 1090
January Session, 2011
LCO No. 3848
*03848_______PS_*
Referred to Committee on Public Safety and Security
Introduced by:
(PS)
AN ACT CONCERNING AFFORDABLE HOUSING FOR VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTERS.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:
Section 1. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2011) In any municipality that has a volunteer fire company, the Commissioner of Economic and Community Development, in collaboration with such municipality, the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management and the executive director of the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority, shall establish a pilot project to provide affordable housing, as defined in section 8-39a of the general statutes, for active members of a volunteer fire company who are in good standing and have volunteered for at least one year in the municipality. The municipality may donate land for the purpose of its use as affordable housing for such active members. Any governmental or nongovernmental agency may provide financial assistance and redevelopment grants for the purpose of funding the development of such affordable housing.
Sec. 2. Section 8-40 of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2011):
In each municipality of the state there is created a public body corporate and politic to be known as the "housing authority" of the municipality; provided such authority shall not transact any business or exercise its powers hereunder until the governing body of the municipality by resolution declares that there is need for a housing authority in the municipality, provided it shall find (1) that insanitary or unsafe inhabited dwelling accommodations exist in the municipality, [or] (2) that there is a shortage of safe or sanitary dwelling accommodations in the municipality available to families of low income at rentals they can afford, [or] (3) that there is a shortage of safe or sanitary dwelling accommodations in the municipality available to families of moderate income at rentals they can afford, or (4) that there is a shortage of safe or sanitary dwelling accommodations in the municipality available to the active members serving in a volunteer fire company of such municipality at rentals they can afford. In determining whether dwelling accommodations are unsafe or insanitary, said governing body may take into consideration the degree of overcrowding, the percentage of land coverage, the light, air, space and access available to the inhabitants of such dwelling accommodations, the size and arrangement of the rooms, the sanitary facilities and the extent to which conditions exist in such buildings which endanger life or property by fire or other causes. The governing bodies of two or more municipalities may create a regional housing authority, which shall have all the powers, duties and responsibilities conferred upon housing authorities by this chapter and chapter 130. The area of operation of such authority shall include the municipalities for which such authority is created. Such authority shall act through a board of commissioners composed of two representatives from each municipality appointed for terms of four years in the manner provided in section 8-41.
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections:
Section 1 October 1, 2011 New section
Sec. 2 October 1, 2011 8-40
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections:
Section 1
October 1, 2011
New section
Sec. 2
October 1, 2011
8-40
Statement of Purpose:
To establish firefighter villages in order to facilitate the participation of members of volunteer fire departments in providing fire response services in a municipality.
[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not underlined.]