Sec. 8-37u. Commissioner to coordinate housing policy and activities. Operating plan to be submitted and followed by the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority. Commissioner to consult with Commissioner of Agriculture.

(a) The Commissioner of Housing shall work with regional councils of governments, municipalities and municipal agencies, housing authorities and other appropriate agencies for the purpose of coordinating housing policy and housing activities, provided such coordination shall not be construed to restrict or diminish any power, right or authority granted to any municipality, agency, instrumentality, commission or any administrative or executive head thereof in accordance with the other provisions of the general statutes to proceed with any programs, projects or activities.

(b) The Commissioner of Housing shall coordinate on an ongoing basis the activities and programs of state agencies or quasi-state authorities which have a major impact on the cost, production or availability of housing, provided, such coordination shall not be construed to restrict or diminish any power, right or authority granted to any such agency or authority, or of any administrative or executive head thereof in accordance with the other provisions of the general statutes, to proceed with any programs, projects or activities, except as specifically provided in this section.

(c) In order to facilitate such coordination, the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority shall submit annually to the Commissioner of Housing a projected twelve-month operating plan. Said plan shall be prepared in a manner so as to be consistent with the state's consolidated plan for housing and community development prepared pursuant to section 8-37t as such plan is then in effect. Said plan shall include such matters as the authority determines are necessary and shall include, but not be limited to, production targets under each multifamily program of the authority, including targets for rental housing production for both elderly and nonelderly families in a proportion consistent with housing needs estimated pursuant to the state's consolidated plan for housing and community development; proposed new and expanded programs; proposed outreach activities to help serve areas of the state or segments of the population whose housing needs have been particularly underserved, and estimated level of subsidy needed to support the proposed level of production. The first such plan shall be submitted to the Commissioner of Housing prior to January 1, 1981, and subsequent plans on each twelve-month anniversary thereof.

(d) In the event the commissioner determines that the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority has not complied with the requirements of subsection (c) of this section, the commissioner shall file a report with the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management setting forth the items of the plan which are inconsistent with the consolidated plan for housing and community development and setting forth those recommendations which in the commissioner's opinion would result in such plan being consistent with such plan. In the event that the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management concurs with the Commissioner of Housing, said secretary shall convene a panel of the Commissioner of Housing, the chairman of the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority and the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management, which panel shall resolve the inconsistencies. Nothing contained in this section shall limit the right or obligation of the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority to comply with the provisions of or covenants contained in any contract with or for the benefit of the holders of any bonds, notes or other obligations evidencing indebtedness of such authority.

(e) The Connecticut Housing Finance Authority shall, to the maximum extent practical, conduct its business according to the plan approved by the commissioner.

(f) The Commissioner of Housing shall consult with the Commissioner of Agriculture with regard to the policies, activities, plans and programs specified in this section and the impact on and degree of protection provided to agricultural land by such policies, activities, plans and programs.

(P.A. 79-598, S. 8; P.A. 86-129, S. 2, 3; P.A. 95-250, S. 1; P.A. 96-211, S. 1, 5, 6; P.A. 04-189, S. 1; 04-222, S. 1; P.A. 11-124, S. 4; P.A. 13-234, S. 15; 13-247, S. 281.)

History: P.A. 86-129 amended Subsecs. (c) and (d) to extend period of plan from three years to five years; P.A. 95-250 and P.A. 96-211 replaced Commissioner and Department of Housing with Commissioner and Department of Economic and Community Development; P.A. 04-189, effective June 1, 2004, repealed Secs. 146 to 148, inclusive, of June 6 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6 which had created a single Department of Agriculture and Consumer Protection from separate Departments of Agriculture and Consumer Protection, necessitating substitution of “Commissioner of Agriculture” for “Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Protection” in P.A. 04-222; P.A. 04-222 added new Subsec. (f) requiring Commissioner of Economic and Community Development to consult with Commissioner of Agriculture, effective July 1, 2004; P.A. 11-124 amended Subsec. (c) by replacing references to five-year plan and Sec. 8-37t with “state's consolidated plan for housing and community development”; P.A. 13-234 substituted “Commissioner of Housing” for “Commissioner of Economic and Community Development”, amended Subsec. (d) by replacing “five-year plan” with “consolidated plan for housing and community development” and made technical changes, effective July 1, 2013; P.A. 13-247 amended Subsec. (a) by deleting “regional planning agencies, regional councils of elected officials,”, effective January 1, 2015 (Revisor's note: In Subsec. (a), a reference to “Commissioner of Economic and Community Development” was changed editorially by the Revisors to “Commissioner of Housing” to conform with changes made by P.A. 13-234).

Notation

See chapter 127 re regional councils of governments.

See chapter 134 re the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority.

See Sec. 4-124i et seq. re regional councils of governments.