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General Assembly Raised Bill No. 6833
January Session, 2025
LCO No. 3844
Referred to Committee on PLANNING AND
DEVELOPMENT
Introduced by:
(PD)
AN ACT CONCERNING THE LEGISLATIVE COMMISSIONERS'
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR TECHNICAL REVISIONS TO STATUTES
RELATING TO PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. Subsection (a) of section 4-124s of the general statutes is 1
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2
2025): 3
(a) For purposes of this section: 4
(1) "Regional council of governments" means any such council 5
organized under the provisions of sections 4-124i to 4-124p, inclusive; 6
(2) "Municipality" means a town, city or consolidated town and 7
borough; 8
(3) "Legislative body" means the board of selectmen, town council, 9
city council, board of [alderman] aldermen, board of directors, board of 10
representatives or board of the warden and burgesses of a municipality; 11 Raised Bill No. 6833
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(4) "Secretary" means the Secretary of the Office of Policy and 12
Management or the designee of the secretary; 13
(5) "Regional educational service center" has the same meaning as 14
provided in section 10-282; and 15
(6) "Employee organization" means any lawful association, labor 16
organization, federation or council having as a primary purpose the 17
improvement of wages, hours and other conditions of employment. 18
Sec. 2. Section 7-339hh of the general statutes is repealed and the 19
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2025): 20
Costs authorized for payment from a district master plan fund, 21
established pursuant to section 7-339gg, are limited to: 22
(1) Costs of improvements made within the tax increment district, 23
including, but not limited to, (A) capital costs, including, but not limited 24
to, (i) the acquisition or construction of land, improvements, 25
infrastructure, public ways, parks, buildings, structures, railings, street 26
furniture, signs, landscaping, plantings, benches, trash receptacles, 27
curbs, sidewalks, turnouts, recreational facilities, structured parking, 28
transportation improvements, pedestrian improvements and other 29
related improvements, fixtures and equipment for public use; [,] (ii) the 30
acquisition or construction of land, improvements, infrastructure, 31
buildings, structures, including facades and signage, fixtures and 32
equipment for industrial, commercial, residential, mixed-use or retail 33
use or transit-oriented development; [,] (iii) the demolition, alteration, 34
remodeling, repair or reconstruction of existing buildings, structures 35
and fixtures; (iv) environmental remediation; (v) site preparation and 36
finishing work; and (vi) all fees and expenses associated with the capital 37
cost of such improvements, including, but not limited to, licensing and 38
permitting expenses and planning, engineering, architectural, testing, 39
legal and accounting expenses; (B) financing costs, including, but not 40
limited to, closing costs, issuance costs, reserve funds and capitalized 41
interest; (C) real property assembly costs; (D) costs of technical and 42
marketing assistance programs; (E) professional service costs, 43 Raised Bill No. 6833
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including, but not limited to, licensing, architectural, planning, 44
engineering, development and legal expenses; (F) maintenance and 45
operation costs; (G) administrative costs, including, but not limited to, 46
reasonable charges for the time spent by municipal employees, other 47
agencies or third-party entities in connection with the implementation 48
of a district master plan; and (H) organizational costs relating to the 49
planning and the establishment of the tax increment district, including, 50
but not limited to, the costs of conducting environmental impact and 51
other studies and the costs of informing the public about the creation of 52
tax increment districts and the implementation of the district master 53
plan; 54
(2) Costs of improvements that are made outside the tax increment 55
district but are directly related to or are made necessary by the 56
establishment or operation of the tax increment district, including, but 57
not limited to, (A) that portion of the costs reasonably related to the 58
construction, alteration or expansion of any facilities not located within 59
the tax increment district that are required due to improvements or 60
activities within the tax increment district, including, but not limited to, 61
roadways, traffic signalization, easements, sewage treatment plants, 62
water treatment plants or other environmental protection devices, storm 63
or sanitary sewer lines, water lines, electrical lines, improvements to fire 64
stations, and street signs; (B) costs of public safety and public school 65
improvements made necessary by the establishment of the tax 66
increment district; and (C) costs of funding to mitigate any adverse 67
impact of the tax increment district upon the municipality and its 68
constituents; 69
(3) Costs related to economic development, environmental 70
improvements or employment training associated with the tax 71
increment district, including, but not limited to, (A) economic 72
development programs or events related to the tax increment district; 73
(B) environmental improvement projects developed by the municipality 74
related to the tax increment district; (C) the establishment of permanent 75
economic development revolving loan funds, investment funds and 76
grants; and (D) services and equipment necessary for employment skills 77 Raised Bill No. 6833
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development and training, including scholarships to in -state 78
educational institutions for jobs created or retained in the tax increment 79
district; and 80
(4) Costs of improvements that are made outside the tax increment 81
district for the renovation or rehabilitation of a housing development 82
that is a set-aside development, as defined in subsection (a) of section 8-83
30g, for which development the deed covenants or restrictions that 84
preserve such development as a set-aside development will expire in 85
not more than three years, provided the costs of such improvements are 86
paid pursuant to an agreement between the municipality and the owner 87
of such development in which the owner agrees to renew such deed 88
covenants or restrictions for not less than forty years. 89
Sec. 3. Section 7-393 of the general statutes is repealed and the 90
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2025): 91
Upon the completion of an audit, the independent auditor shall file 92
certified copies of the audit report [with] (1) with the appointing 93
authority, (2) in the case of a town, city or borough, with the clerk of 94
such town, city or borough, (3) in the case of a regional school district, 95
with the clerks of the towns, cities or boroughs in which such regional 96
school district is located and with the board of education, (4) in the case 97
of an audited agency, with the clerks of the towns, cities or boroughs in 98
which such audited agency is located, and (5) in each case, with the 99
Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management. Such copies shall be 100
filed within six months from the end of the fiscal year of the 101
municipality, regional school district or audited agency, but the 102
secretary may grant an extension of not more than thirty days, provided 103
the auditor making the audit and the chief executive officer of the 104
municipality, regional school district or audited agency shall jointly 105
submit a request in writing to the secretary stating the reasons for such 106
extension at least thirty days prior to the end of such six-month period. 107
If the reason for the extension relates to deficiencies in the accounting 108
system of the municipality, regional school district or audited agency, 109
the request must be accompanied by a corrective action plan. The 110 Raised Bill No. 6833
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secretary may, after a hearing with the auditor and officials of the 111
municipality, regional school district or audited agency, grant an 112
additional extension if conditions warrant, provided such extension 113
shall not exceed six months from the date the auditor was required to 114
file such copies. Said auditor shall preserve all of his or her working 115
papers employed in the preparation of any such audit until the 116
expiration of five years from the date of filing a certified copy of the 117
audit with the secretary and such working papers shall be available, 118
upon written request and upon reasonable notice from the secretary, 119
during such time for inspection by the secretary or his authorized 120
representative, at the office or place of business of the auditor, during 121
usual business hours. Any municipality, regional school district, 122
audited agency or auditor who fails to have the audit report filed on its 123
behalf within six months from the end of the fiscal year or within the 124
time granted by the secretary shall be referred by the secretary to the 125
Municipal Finance Advisory Commission established pursuant to 126
section 7-394b, assessed a civil penalty of not less than one thousand 127
dollars but not more than fifty thousand dollars or both, except that the 128
secretary may waive such penalties if, in the secretary's opinion, there 129
appears to be reasonable cause for not having completed or provided 130
the required audit report, provided an official of the municipality, 131
regional school district or audited agency or the auditor submits a 132
written request for such waiver. The secretary may impose any civil 133
penalty assessed pursuant to this section against a municipality, 134
regional school district or audited agency in the form of a reduction in 135
the amount of one or more grants awarded by the secretary, including, 136
but not limited to, any grant payable pursuant to section 12-18b. 137
Sec. 4. Subdivision (2) of subsection (a) of section 7-576e of the general 138
statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof 139
(Effective July 1, 2025): 140
(2) The Municipal Accountability Review Board may designate a tier 141
III municipality as a tier IV municipality based on a finding by the board 142
that the fiscal condition of such municipality warrants such a 143
designation based upon an evaluation of the following criteria: (A) The 144 Raised Bill No. 6833
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balance in the municipal reserve fund; (B) the short and long-term 145
liabilities of the municipality, including, but not limited to, the 146
municipality's ability to meet minimum funding levels required by law, 147
contract or court order; (C) the initial budgeted revenue for the 148
municipality for the past five fiscal years as compared to the actual 149
revenue received by the municipality for such fiscal years; (D) budget 150
projections for the following five fiscal years; (E) the economic outlook 151
for the municipality; (F) the municipality's access to capital markets; and 152
(G) evidence of unsound or irregular financial practices in relation to 153
commonly accepted standards in municipal finance that the board 154
believes may materially affect the municipality's financial condition. For 155
the purpose of determining whether to make a finding pursuant to this 156
subdivision, the membership of the board shall additionally include the 157
chief elected official of such municipality, the treasurer of such 158
municipality and a member of the legislative body of such municipality, 159
as selected by such body. In conducting a vote on any such 160
determination, the treasurer of such municipality shall be a [non-voting] 161
nonvoting member of the board. The board shall submit such finding 162
and recommended designation to the secretary, who shall provide for a 163
thirty-day notice and public comment period related to such finding 164
and recommendation. Following the public notice and comment period, 165
the secretary shall forward the board's finding and recommended 166
designation and a report regarding the comments received in this regard 167
to the Governor. Following the receipt of such documentation from the 168
secretary, the Governor may approve or disapprove the board's 169
recommended designation. 170
Sec. 5. Section 7-576i of the general statutes is repealed and the 171
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2025): 172
(a) Any designated tier II, III [,] or IV municipality shall be eligible to 173
receive funding from the Municipal Restructuring Fund, which fund 174
shall be nonlapsing. A designated tier II, III or IV municipality seeking 175
such funds shall submit, for approval by the Secretary of the Office of 176
Policy and Management, a plan detailing its overall restructuring plan, 177
including local actions to be taken and its proposed use of such funds. 178 Raised Bill No. 6833
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Notwithstanding section 10-262j, a municipality may, as part of such 179
plan and in consultation with its local board of education, submit a 180
proposed reduction in the minimum budget requirement related to its 181
education budget. The secretary shall consult with the Commissioner of 182
Education in approving or rejecting such proposed reduction. The 183
secretary shall consult with the Municipal Accountability Review Board 184
in making distribution decisions and attaching appropriate conditions 185
thereto, including the timing of any such distributions and whether such 186
funds shall be distributed in the form of a municipal restructuring fund 187
loan subject to repayment by the municipality. The distribution of such 188
assistance funds shall be based on the relative fiscal needs of the 189
requesting municipalities. The secretary may approve all, none or a 190
portion of the funds requested by a municipality. In attaching 191
conditions to such funding, the secretary shall consider the impact of 192
such conditions on the ability of a municipality to meet legal and other 193
obligations. The board shall monitor and report to the secretary on the 194
use of such funds and adherence to the conditions attached thereto. The 195
secretary shall develop and issue guidance on the (1) administration of 196
the Municipal Restructuring Fund, (2) criteria for participation by 197
municipalities and requirements for plan submission, and (3) 198
prioritization for the awarding of assistance funds pursuant to this 199
section. Any municipality that receives funding from the Municipal 200
Restructuring Fund, in addition to the other responsibilities and 201
authority given to the board with respect to designated tiers II, III and 202
IV municipalities, shall be required to receive board approval of its 203
annual budgets. 204
(b) The secretary may distribute funds from the Municipal 205
Restructuring Fund to a third party on behalf of a designated tier II, tier 206
III or tier IV municipality. Funds received by a municipality pursuant to 207
this section may be used, in part, to pay an arbitrator selected pursuant 208
to clause (v) of subdivision (3) of subsection (a) of section 7-576e. 209
(c) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a) of this section, 210
in making distributions from the Municipal Restructuring Fund, the 211
board shall give immediate consideration to any municipality that shall 212 Raised Bill No. 6833
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default on debt obligations by January 1, 2018, without an immediate 213
distribution of such funds. 214
Sec. 6. Subdivision (3) of subsection (c) of section 7-622 of the general 215
statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof 216
(Effective July 1, 2025): 217
(3) If the administrator determines that an applicant requesting 218
assistance to pay for repairs to real property is eligible, (A) a licensed 219
home inspector or insurance adjuster with whom the Office of the 220
Comptroller has executed a contract for services, or (B) at such eligible 221
applicant's option, a licensed home inspector or insurance adjuster with 222
experience assessing flood damage who is approved by the 223
administrator and hired by such eligible applicant, shall evaluate the 224
damage to the applicant's property and provide a report concerning 225
such damage to the administrator. Such report shall be in a form and 226
manner prescribed by the administrator, and shall include, but need not 227
be limited to, a description of the damage to such eligible applicant's 228
property and the estimated cost to repair such damage. Not later than 229
thirty days after the receipt of such report, the administrator may award 230
a grant, in accordance with a formula established by the Comptroller, to 231
the eligible applicant, or at the administrator's discretion, provide such 232
grant to a contractor or vendor selected by the applicant to repair such 233
damage. Such formula shall include a reduction in the amount of any 234
such grant equal to any payments received by the applicant pursuant to 235
any claim made against a property and casualty insurance policy held 236
by such applicant for such damage. 237
Sec. 7. Subsection (b) of section 8-216a of the general statutes is 238
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 239
2025): 240
(b) Any modification, amendment [,] or replacement of a contract 241
already in existence on or before October 1, 1973, shall not be subject to 242
the provisions of subsection (a) of this section without the mutual 243
consent of the parties thereto. 244 Raised Bill No. 6833
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Sec. 8. Subsection (a) of section 12-170d of the general statutes is 245
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 246
2025): 247
(a) Beginning with the calendar year 1973 and for each calendar year 248
thereafter, any renter of real property, or of a mobile manufactured 249
home, as defined in section 12-63a, which such renter occupies as his or 250
her home, who meets the qualifications set forth in this section, shall be 251
entitled to receive in the following year in the form of direct payment 252
from the state, a grant in refund of utility and rent bills actually paid by 253
or for such renter on such real property or mobile manufactured home 254
to the extent set forth in section 12-170e. Such grant by the state shall be 255
made upon receipt by the state of a certificate of grant with a copy of the 256
application therefor attached, as provided in section 12-170f. If the rental 257
quarters are occupied by more than one person, it shall be assumed for 258
the purposes of this section and sections 12-170e and 12-170f that each 259
of such persons pays his or her proportionate share of the rental and 260
utility expenses levied thereon and grants shall be calculated on that 261
portion of utility and rent bills paid that are applicable to the person 262
making application for grant under said sections. For purposes of this 263
section and sections 12-170e and 12-170f, a married couple shall 264
constitute one tenant, and a resident of cooperative housing shall be a 265
renter. To qualify for such payment by the state, the renter shall meet 266
qualification requirements in accordance with each of the following 267
subdivisions: (1) (A) At the close of the calendar year for which a grant 268
is claimed be sixty-five years of age or over, or his or her spouse who is 269
residing with such renter shall be sixty-five years of age or over, at the 270
close of such year, or be fifty years of age or over and the surviving 271
spouse of a renter who at the time of his or her death had qualified and 272
was entitled to tax relief under this chapter, provided such spouse was 273
domiciled with such renter at the time of his or her death, or (B) at the 274
close of the calendar year for which a grant is claimed be under age 275
sixty-five and eligible in accordance with applicable federal regulations, 276
to receive permanent total disability benefits under Social Security, or if 277
such renter has not been engaged in employment covered by Social 278 Raised Bill No. 6833
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Security and accordingly has not qualified for Social Security benefits 279
but has become qualified for permanent total disability benefits under 280
any federal, state or local government retirement or disability plan, 281
including the Railroad Retirement Act and any government-related 282
teacher's retirement plan, determined by the Secretary of the Office of 283
Policy and Management to contain requirements in respect to 284
qualification for such permanent total disability benefits which are 285
comparable to such requirements under Social Security; (2) shall reside 286
within this state and shall have resided within this state for at least one 287
year or such renter's spouse who is domiciled with such renter shall 288
have resided within this state for at least one year and shall reside within 289
this state at the time of filing the claim and shall have resided within this 290
state for the period for which claim is made; (3) shall have taxable and 291
nontaxable income, the total of which shall hereinafter be called 292
"qualifying income", during the calendar year preceding the filing of 293
such renter's claim in an amount of not more than twenty thousand 294
dollars, jointly with spouse, if married, and not more than sixteen 295
thousand two hundred dollars if unmarried, provided such maximum 296
amounts of qualifying income shall be subject to adjustment in 297
accordance with subdivision (2) of subsection (a) of section 12-170e, and 298
provided the amount of any Medicaid payments made on behalf of the 299
renter or the spouse of the renter shall not constitute income; and (4) 300
shall not have received financial aid or subsidy from federal, state, 301
county or municipal funds, excluding Social Security receipts, 302
emergency energy assistance under any state program, emergency 303
energy assistance under any federal program, emergency energy 304
assistance under any local program, payments received under the 305
federal Supplemental Security Income Program, payments derived 306
from previous employment, veterans and veterans disability benefits 307
and subsidized housing accommodations, during the calendar year for 308
which a grant is claimed, for payment, directly or indirectly, of rent, 309
electricity, gas, water and fuel applicable to the rented residence. 310
Notwithstanding the provisions of subdivision (4) of this subsection, a 311
renter who receives cash assistance from the Department of Social 312
Services in the calendar year prior to that in which such renter files an 313 Raised Bill No. 6833
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application for a grant may be entitled to receive such grant provided 314
the amount of the cash assistance received shall be deducted from the 315
amount of such grant and the difference between the amount of the cash 316
assistance and the amount of the grant is equal to or greater than ten 317
dollars. Funds attributable to such reductions shall be transferred 318
annually from the appropriation to the Office of Policy and 319
Management, for tax relief for elderly renters, to the Department of 320
Social Services, to the appropriate accounts, following the issuance of 321
such grants. Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (b) of section 322
12-170aa, the owner of a mobile manufactured home may elect to 323
receive benefits under section 12-170e in lieu of benefits under said 324
section 12-170aa. 325
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Section 1 July 1, 2025 4-124s(a)
Sec. 2 July 1, 2025 7-339hh
Sec. 3 July 1, 2025 7-393
Sec. 4 July 1, 2025 7-576e(a)(2)
Sec. 5 July 1, 2025 7-576i
Sec. 6 July 1, 2025 7-622(c)(3)
Sec. 7 July 1, 2025 8-216a(b)
Sec. 8 July 1, 2025 12-170d(a)
PD Joint Favorable