February 6, 2012 |
2012-R-0078 | |
STATUTORY MUNICIPAL MANDATES ELIMINATED 2007-2011 | ||
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By: Mark Randall, Research Fellow Hendrik DeBoer, Research Fellow | ||
You asked which eliminated statutory “unfunded mandates” on municipalities the legislature repealed between 2007 and 2011.
ELIMINATION OF MUNICIPAL MANDATES
Over the last five years 56 municipal mandates have been eliminated. Table 1 lists the acts passed between 2007 and 2011 that eliminated municipal mandates.
Table 1: Public Act and Eliminated Municipal Mandate
Public Act Number |
Municipal Mandate Eliminated |
2011 | |
PA 11-20 |
Eliminated town requirement to appoint mechanics to prepare, adjust and place voting machines for use at a primary |
PA 11-48 |
Eliminated duplicative filing requirements of town committees for campaign finance statements |
PA 11-51 |
Eliminated requirement for a police chief or first selectmen to receive a report from an organization conducting “50-50” games and to forward that report to the Division of Special Revenue |
PA 11-61 |
Eliminated requirement for an assessor to (1) determine the value of certain equipment and (2) declare he or she implemented the manufacturing machinery & equipment tax exemption |
PA 11-69 |
Authorized assessors to send declaration forms to nonresidents electronically if acceptable to the recipient |
PA 11-89 |
Eliminated municipalities' responsibility to notify regional planning organizations of certain zoning changes by certified mail and instead authorizing email |
PA 11-99 |
● Reduced, to a single process, interlocal agreements ● Eliminated requirement that agreement contain certain provisions |
PA 11-130 |
Exempted a new school bus inspected before its first registration from further inspection until September of the following year |
PA 11-135 |
● Eliminated a requirement for school governance councils if a school (1) has a single-grade level or (2) is under a local school district's jurisdiction and the district already has an acceptable school governance council ● Eliminated requirement that teacher evaluation be continuous |
PA 11-136 |
● Reduced, from biannually to triannually, the frequency of school districts' facilities reporting ● Extended, from April to May, the deadline for notifying a teacher whose contract will not be renewed the following year |
PA 11-173 |
● Eliminated the (1) requirement to publish election session dates in a newspaper and allowed list to be maintained in an electronic format, (2) requirement to compile the list monthly, (3) deadline to complete the required list, (4) requirement for a voting machine mechanic to be present ● Reduced requirement for sample ballots and authorized two or more towns to jointly publish required elections notice ● Eliminated requirement that town clerks submit to the secretary of state a list of local offices to be filled at regular state elections |
PA 11-185 |
Eliminated requirement for mailing tax bills and authorized the use of email |
PA 11-239 |
Extended, until 2012, the revaluation deadlines for Cromwell, East Windsor, Farmington, Orange, Stamford, and Windham, with local legislative approval |
PA 11-251 |
Eliminated requirement that certified police officers repeat minimum basic training when accepting employment with another police department |
2010 | |
10-1 |
Eliminated requirement that municipal clerks mail absentee ballots by authorizing the use of email, if requested |
10-108 |
Eliminated requirement for city council action alone to establish a library in a city, allowing establishment by petition and referendum |
10-151 |
Eliminated state aid penalization against towns that reduced their minimum budgeted education appropriations for FY10 to reflect the drop in enrollment between the 2009-10 and 2008-09 school years |
10-152 |
Postponed, until 2013, the revaluation of Guilford, Madison, and Middletown, with local legislative approval. |
10-171 |
● Eliminated requirement that municipalities post minutes of meetings online ● Eliminated requirement that municipalities transport the personal property of evicted tenants and people ejected upon foreclosure to a storage facility |
10-188 |
Eliminated municipality's role in approving tax credit proposals from individual businesses |
2009 | |
09-1 |
● Removed the requirement that teachers with provisional certificates be under the direct supervision of the superintendent or his or her designee ● Enabled continuing education to be determined by the local board of education ● Removed the requirement that local school boards provide a program for teachers with nonrenewable temporary certificates who have not successfully completed the competency exam |
09-7 |
Increased, from $200,000 to $1 million, the amount of annual revenue that certain municipal entities must take in before they are subject to audit requirements |
09-60 |
Allowed certain municipalities to delay revaluation of real property |
09-92 |
Eliminated requirement that municipalities submit road resurfacing projects to local planning commissions for their approval |
09-126 |
Allowed municipalities to stop paying group health insurance premiums for employees and their dependents 72 hours after the employees quit or are terminated in a way other than being laid off |
09-137 |
Allowed police officers directing traffic to wear headgear that meets national, state, and local safety standards instead of statutorily specified headgear |
09-176 |
Eliminated requirement that veterans under age 65 claiming the veteran's disabled property tax exemption provide annual proof of their disability to the town assessor, requiring proof only after the federal Veteran's Administration changes its disability rating |
09-177 |
● Eliminated mandatory inspections for vehicles used for storing or transporting flammable or combustible liquids, allowing municipalities instead to require, by ordinance, inspection of these vehicles ● Eliminated mandatory tank inspections and hazard reports |
09-187 |
Allowed police officials to submit reports to the Department of Motor Vehicles electronically rather than by mail |
09-213 |
Eliminated requirements that town clerks make marginal notations on recorded original condominium instruments for changes to a declaration's designation and service of process agent |
09-220 |
Extended, from every three years to five years to every six to nine years, the time for municipal water companies serving 1,000 or more people to submit revised water supply plans |
09-230 |
Postponed, for two years, requirement that municipalities update their conservation and development plans and the penalty for municipalities that fail to do so |
09-234 |
Postponed, for three months, when every municipality with an enterprise zone must begin reporting to the Commissioner of Economic and Community Development on its progress in meeting performance standards |
09-235 |
Broadened municipalities' ability to enter and inspect property and the circumstances under which municipalities qualify as innocent third parties, a designation that protects them from liability for cleanup costs |
2008 | |
08-7 |
Allowed Durham to withdraw water for the Durham Fair without the normally required permit |
08-10 |
Removed the “40 consecutive fiscal years” limit for reimbursements to municipalities for property tax revenue losses |
08-35 |
Postponed, for six months, requirement for municipalities to provide for the recycling of Covered Electronic Devices |
08-43 |
Extended, from one year to two years, the time water liens run before the waterworks superintendent must file a certificate of continuation with the town clerk |
08-70 |
Relieved local law enforcement agencies from responsibilities for certain criminal enforcement activities associated with the Division of Special Revenue |
08-107 |
Eliminated the Beginner Educator Support and Training (BEST) program |
08-128 |
Expanded the powers of the Connecticut Municipal Electric Energy Cooperative (CMEEC) and gave the CMEEC more options in procuring supplies, materials, and equipment |
08-134 |
Allowed out-of-state water systems operators to temporarily function without Connecticut licensure during an emergency |
08-141 |
Allowed municipalities and school districts to use reverse auctions when awarding contracts for goods or supplies |
08-150 |
Exempted from certain statutory vehicle requirements municipal motor vehicles used exclusively for removing leaves and similar organic materials from roads and streets |
08-160 |
Postponed, for one year, the implementation of mandatory in-school suspensions. |
08-169 |
Allowed regional school districts meeting specific requirements to develop and recommend a plan for adding or removing grades from the regional school district without having to establish a previously required study committee. |
08-170 |
● Allowed any town that was a member of 7-12 or 9-12 regional district with fewer students attending the school district, to meet its minimum budget requirement by appropriating the legal minimum percentage of its ECS increase (15%) for FY08 and FY09 ● Limited requirements for school districts not participating in an interdistrict magnet school to pay for students to attend that school |
08-174 |
Expanded the circumstances under which a municipality can enter and investigate or assess contaminated property and specified the extent to which it is immune from liability when it does so |
08-184 |
Limited the requirement for a distinct entrance for School-Based Health Clinics (SBHC) to only those (1) located in, or attached to, a school building constructed on or after 7/1/09 and (2) sharing a first floor exterior wall with the school building |
2007 | |
07-26 |
Increased, from 90 to 180 days, the maximum waiting period a municipality may impose by ordinance before a demolition permit can be issued for a building or structure |
07-51 |
Eliminated requirement to hold referenda to issue bonds for water or sewage systems |
07-87 |
Reduced the amount of money that a municipality must budget annually for debt service payments for school construction projects |
07-154 |
Extended, from one to seven years, the time period that special services districts have to pay off any obligation from borrowing money |
07-194 |
Eliminated a requirement for registrars of voters to be stationed at polling places during polling hours |
07-196 |
Raised, from $200,000 to $1 million, the ceiling on annual receipts for “reporting agencies” |
Source: Office of Policy and Management's State Mandates on Municipalities and OLR's Acts Affecting Municipalities, 2007 to 2011
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