Government Relations Committee

The Government Relations Committee consists of at least nine Chapter members, at least three of which must have AICP certification. At least one member of the Committee must be a municipal planner, another a regional planner, and another a planning consultant. Over the years the Government Relations Committee has established an important and respected presence at the state legislature and is called upon to review pending legislation. The Committee also develops and articulates Chapter positions on legislation and other important planning issues. We rely on the Government Relations Committee to communicate with federal, state, and other agencies regarding land use policy and planning issues important to the State and to the membership.

Contact:
Christopher S. Wood, AICP, Town Planner
Town of Woodbury
P.O. Box 369
Woodbury, CT 06798
203.558.0654

Winter 2011-2012 Update

PA 11-79 An Act Concerning Bonds and Other Surety for Approved Site Plans and Subdivisions
As has been widely discussed, PA 11-79 revised the statutory authorization and procedures for bonding of public improvements associated with site development plan and subdivision approvals. The legislation, intended to streamline municipal approvals to encourage economic activity, raised additional uncertainty for towns and developers, as well as significant concerns for fiscal and physical protections for municipalities. More information about the legislation and its implications, please see the slide presentation "PA 11-79 – where do we go from here?".

The Connecticut Home Builders' Association, one of the supporters of the original legislation, has initiated an effort to seek revisions to address the major concerns of municipalities and developers during the 2012 General Assembly. CCAPA has worked with HBA and other interests on crafting such revisions, but it is unclear that consensus can be reached or whether the legislature will even take up such a proposal. CCAPA members are asked to stay tuned and be prepared to contact town officials and legislators to help promote an effective resolution of this important growth management issue.

DRAFT 2013-2018 State Conservation and Development Policies Plan
The Office of Policy and Management has issued the first draft of the next State Plan, but acknowledges that additional work is necessary to implement the cross-acceptance process required by the legislature (intended to ensure that "planning policies of different levels of government are compared and differences between such policies are reconciled with the purpose of attaining compatibility between local, regional and state plans").

OPM is also charged with identifying "priority funding areas"; providing performance indicators for the Plan; and analyzing regional planning agency boundaries, among other recent legislative directives. OPM is scheduling workshops on the Draft Plan through regional planning agencies and continues to seek municipal and regional input to the cross-acceptance process. CCAPA members are encouraged to review the Draft Plan and participate in regional workshops being scheduled with OPM. Following the workshops, CCAPA will seek additional input from members to formulate Chapter comments and recommendations. Members are asked to copy any comments filed with OPM to govrel@ccapa.org.

2012 Legislative Session
The next General Assembly is a short session (February 8 to May 9), dominated by the development of the next two-year budget. Because of this and since bill introductions are restricted, we do not expect any significant activity pertaining to planning and land use, although, as noted, there may be an effort to amend PA 11-79. However, anything can happen when the legislature is in session, so we will try to keep the Chapter membership informed of any developments. And, as always, please forward any ideas or concerns to the Government Relations Committee at govrel@ccapa.org. We work closely with the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities, the Connecticut Bar Association, and other interests to monitor developments and identify opportunities to address CCAPA goals.