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General Assembly Raised Bill No. 5517
February Session, 2020
LCO No. 1902
Referred to Committee on PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT
Introduced by:
(PD)
AN ACT CONCERNING RE GIONAL PLANNING AND COUNCILS OF
GOVERNMENTS.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. Section 4-66k of the 2020 supplement to the general statutes 1
is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 2
1, 2020): 3
(a) There is established an account to be known as the "regional 4
planning incentive account" which shall be a separate, nonlapsing 5
account within the General Fund. The account shall contain any moneys 6
required by law to be deposited in the account. Except as provided in 7
subsection (d) of this section, moneys, in the account shall be expended 8
by the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management in accordance 9
with subsection (b) of this section for the purposes of first providing 10
funding to regional planning organizations in accordance with the 11
provisions of subsections (b) [and (c)] to (d), inclusive, of this section 12
and then to providing grants under the regional performance incentive 13
program established pursuant to section 4-124s, as amended by this act. 14
(b) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2014, funds from the regional 15 Raised Bill No. 5517
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planning incentive account shall be distributed to each regional 16
planning organization, as defined in section 4-124i, revision of 1958, 17
revised to January 1, 2013, in the amount of one hundred twenty-five 18
thousand dollars. Any regional council of governments that is 19
comprised of any two or more regional planning organizations that 20
voluntarily consolidate on or before December 31, 2013, shall receive an 21
additional payment in an amount equal to the amount the regional 22
planning organizations would have received if such regional planning 23
organizations had not voluntarily consolidated. 24
(c) [Beginning in] For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2015, and 25
[annually thereafter] each fiscal year thereafter until July 1, 2021, funds 26
from the regional planning incentive account shall be distributed to each 27
regional council of governments formed pursuant to section 4-124j, in 28
the amount of one hundred twenty-five thousand dollars plus fifty cents 29
per capita, using population information from the most recent federal 30
decennial census. Any regional council of governments that is 31
comprised of any two or more regional planning organizations, as 32
defined in section 4-124i, revision of 1958, revised to January 1, 2013, 33
that voluntarily consolidated on or before December 31, 2013, shall 34
receive a payment in the amount of one hundred twenty-five thousand 35
dollars for each such regional planning organization that voluntarily 36
consolidated on or before said date. 37
(d) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2021, and each fiscal year 38
thereafter, funds from the regional planning incentive account shall be 39
distributed to each regional council of governments formed pursuant to 40
section 4-124j, in the amount of two hundred thousand dollars plus fifty 41
cents per capita, using population information from the most recent 42
federal decennial census. The secretary may distribute, annually, an 43
additional amount to each regional council of governments. 44
[(d)] (e) There is established a regionalization subaccount within the 45
regional planning incentive account. If the Connecticut Lottery 46
Corporation offers online its existing lottery draw games through the 47
corporation's Internet web site, online service or mobile application, the 48 Raised Bill No. 5517
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revenue from such online offering that exceeds an amount equivalent to 49
the costs of the debt-free community college program under section 10a-50
174 shall be deposited in the subaccount, or, if such online offering is not 51
established, the amount provided under subsection (b) of section 364 of 52
public act 19-117 for regionalization initiatives shall be deposited in the 53
subaccount. Moneys in the subaccount shall be expended only for the 54
purposes recommended by the task force established under section 4-55
66s. 56
Sec. 2. Section 4-66r of the general statutes is repealed and the 57
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2020): 58
For the fiscal year ending June 30, [2018] 2021, and each fiscal year 59
thereafter, each regional council of governments shall [, within available 60
appropriations,] receive a grant-in-aid to be known as a regional 61
services grant, the amount of which shall be based on [a formula to be 62
determined by the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management. 63
No such council shall receive a grant for the fiscal year ending June 30, 64
2018, unless the secretary approves a spending plan for such grant 65
moneys submitted by such council to the secretary on or before 66
November 1, 2017. No such council shall receive a grant for the fiscal 67
year ending June 30, 2019, or any fiscal year thereafter, unless the 68
secretary approves a spending plan for such grant moneys submitted by 69
such council to the secretary on or before July 1, 2018, and annually 70
thereafter] the formula established pursuant to section 4-66k, as 71
amended by this act. Each regional council of governments shall use 72
such grant funds for planning purposes and to achieve efficiencies in 73
the delivery of municipal services, without diminishing the quality of 74
such services. On or before October 1, [2018] 2021, and annually 75
thereafter, each regional council of governments shall submit a report, 76
in accordance with section 11-4a, to the joint standing committees of the 77
General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to planning 78
and development and finance, revenue and bonding, and to the 79
secretary. Such report shall (1) summarize the expenditure of such grant 80
funds, (2) describe any regional program, project or initiative currently 81
provided or planned by the council, (3) review the performance of any 82 Raised Bill No. 5517
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existing regional program, project or initiative relative to its initial goals 83
and objectives, (4) analyze the existing services provided by member 84
municipalities or by the state that, in the opinion of the council, could 85
be more effectively or efficiently provided on a regional basis, and (5) 86
provide recommendations for legislative action concerning potential 87
impediments to the regionalization of services. 88
Sec. 3. Subsections (b) to (e), inclusive, of section 4-124s of the general 89
statutes are repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof 90
(Effective July 1, 2020): 91
(b) There is established a regional performance incentive program 92
that shall be administered by the Secretary of the Office of Policy and 93
Management. [On or before December 31, 2011, and annually thereafter, 94
any regional council of governments, any two or more municipalities 95
acting through a regional council of governments, any economic 96
development district, any regional educational service center or any 97
combination thereof may submit a proposal to the secretary for: (1) The 98
joint provision of any service that one or more participating 99
municipalities of such council, educational service center or agency 100
currently provide but which is not provided on a regional basis, (2) a 101
planning study regarding the joint provision of any service on a regional 102
basis, or (3) shared information technology services. A copy of said 103
proposal shall be sent to the legislators representing said participating 104
municipalities.] The secretary may provide funding for: (1) The joint 105
provision of any government service, or (2) a planning study regarding 106
the joint provision of any service on a regional basis. Any local or 107
regional board of education or regional educational service center 108
serving a population greater than one hundred thousand may submit a 109
proposal to the secretary for a regional special education initiative. 110
(c) (1) A regional council of governments, an economic development 111
district, a regional educational service center or a local or regional board 112
of education shall submit each proposal in the form and manner the 113
secretary prescribes and shall [, at a minimum, provide the following 114
information for each proposal: (A) Service or initiative description; (B) 115 Raised Bill No. 5517
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the explanation of the need for such service or initiative; (C) the method 116
of delivering such service or initiative on a regional basis; (D) the 117
organization that would be responsible for regional service or initiative 118
delivery; (E) a description of the population that would be served; (F) 119
the manner in which regional service or initiative delivery will achieve 120
economies of scale; (G) the amount by which participating 121
municipalities will reduce their mill rates as a result of savings realized; 122
(H) a cost benefit analysis for the provision of the service or initiative by 123
each participating municipality and by the entity or board of education 124
submitting the proposal; (I) a plan of implementation for delivery of the 125
service or initiative on a regional basis; (J) a resolution endorsing such 126
proposal approved by the legislative body of each participating 127
municipality; and (K) an explanation of the potential legal obstacles, if 128
any, to the regional provision of the service or initiative] provide a 129
resolution endorsing such proposal approved by the regional council of 130
governments of each planning region in which the jointly provided 131
government service or planning study thereon is to be conducted. On or 132
before December 1, 2020, and annually thereafter, the Connecticut 133
Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations, established 134
pursuant to section 2-79a, may recommend to the secretary any specific 135
proposal for achieving additional cost savings through regional 136
efficiencies. The secretary may provide funding, within available 137
resources, to a regional council of governments, an economic 138
development district, a regional educational service center or any 139
combination thereof for the purpose of administering any such 140
proposal. Said commission shall submit each proposal in the form and 141
manner the secretary prescribes. 142
(2) The secretary shall review each proposal and shall award grants 143
for proposals the secretary determines best meet the requirements of 144
this section. [In awarding such grants, the secretary shall give priority 145
to a proposal submitted by (A) any entity specified in subsection (a) of 146
this section that includes participation of all of the member 147
municipalities of such entity, and which may increase the purchasing 148
power of participating municipalities or provide a cost savings initiative 149 Raised Bill No. 5517
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resulting in a decrease in expenses of such municipalities, allowing such 150
municipalities to lower property taxes, (B) any economic development 151
district, and (C) any local or regional board of education.] 152
(d) On or before December 31, 2013, and annually thereafter until 153
December 31, 2018, in addition to any proposal submitted pursuant to 154
this section, any municipality or regional council of governments may 155
apply to the secretary for a grant to fund: (1) Operating costs associated 156
with connecting to the state-wide high speed, flexible network 157
developed pursuant to section 4d-80, including the costs to connect at 158
the same rate as other government entities served by such network; and 159
(2) capital cost associated with connecting to such network, including 160
expenses associated with building out the internal fiber network 161
connections required to connect to such network, provided the secretary 162
shall make any such grant available in accordance with the two-year 163
schedule by which the Bureau of Enterprise Systems and Technology 164
recommends connecting each municipality and regional council of 165
governments to such network. Any municipality or regional council of 166
governments shall submit each application in the form and manner the 167
secretary prescribes. 168
(e) The secretary shall submit to the Governor and the joint standing 169
[committee] committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of 170
matters relating to planning and development and finance, revenue and 171
bonding a report on the grants provided pursuant to this section. Each 172
such report shall include information on the amount of each grant, and 173
the potential of each grant for leveraging other public and private 174
investments. The secretary shall submit a report for the fiscal year 175
commencing July 1, 2011, not later than February 1, 2012, and shall 176
submit a report for each subsequent fiscal year not later than the first 177
day of March in such fiscal year. [Such reports shall include the property 178
tax reductions achieved by means of the program established pursuant 179
to this section.] 180
Sec. 4. Section 4-124n of the general statutes is repealed and the 181
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2020): 182 Raised Bill No. 5517
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A regional council of governments shall adopt bylaws for the conduct 183
of its business and shall annually elect from among the representatives 184
to the council a chairman, a vice-chairman, a secretary, a treasurer, [who 185
shall be bonded,] and such other officers as may be designated or 186
permitted in the bylaws. The bylaws may provide for alternate 187
representatives of the council to attend and vote at any meeting in place 188
of absent representatives and may provide for the organization of a 189
regional planning commission. [No representative shall be eligible to 190
serve more than two consecutive terms in the same office.] The bylaws 191
[shall] may provide for an executive committee of the council [and an 192
executive committee of the regional planning commission and may 193
provide] and for additional committees including nonvoting advisory 194
committees. Meetings of the council shall be called [by the chairman or 195
as the bylaws shall otherwise provide] pursuant to the bylaws and 196
minutes of all meetings of the council, its committees and other official 197
actions shall be filed in the office of the council and shall be of public 198
record. 199
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Section 1 July 1, 2020 4-66k
Sec. 2 July 1, 2020 4-66r
Sec. 3 July 1, 2020 4-124s(b) to (e)
Sec. 4 July 1, 2020 4-124n
Statement of Purpose:
To (1) make certain modifications to the administration of the regional
planning incentive account and related programs, and (2) revise the
bylaws requirements for officers and conduct of regional councils of
governments.
[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.]