(a) The state, acting by and in the discretion of the Commissioner of Housing, may enter into a contract with a municipality for state financial assistance for housing, or any part thereof, solely for low or moderate-income persons or families, or for housing or any part thereof, on property classified by the municipality pursuant to section 8-215, for use for housing solely for low or moderate-income persons or families, in the form of reimbursement for tax abatements under said section, provided the construction or rehabilitation of such housing shall have been commenced after July 1, 1967, or, in the case of apartment buildings containing three or more stories, under construction on July 1, 1967. Such contract shall provide for state financial assistance in the form of a state grant-in-aid to the municipality not to exceed the amount of taxes abated by the municipality pursuant to section 8-215, provided no payment shall be made to any municipality under any contract entered into on or after October 1, 1973, unless the assessment on such housing or part thereof is determined as provided in section 8-216a except when such contract is a modification, amendment, or replacement of a contract already in existence on or before October 1, 1973. In such contract, the commissioner may require assurances that the amount of tax abatement will be used for the purposes stated in section 8-215, and that the commissioner shall have the right of inspection to determine that such purposes are being achieved. With respect to housing for which tax abatement has been provided pursuant to said section 8-215, such grant-in-aid shall be paid to the municipality each year, in an amount not to exceed the tax abatement for such year, as long as the housing continues to fulfill the purposes stated in said section.

(b) The state, acting by and in the discretion of the Commissioner of Housing, may enter into a contract with a municipality and the housing authority of the municipality or with the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority or any subsidiary created by the authority pursuant to section 8-242a or 8-244 or with a successor owner to make payments in lieu of taxes to the municipality on land and improvements owned or leased by the housing authority or the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority or successor owner under the provisions of part II of chapter 128. On and after July 1, 1997, the time period of the contract may include the remaining years of operation of the project. Such payments shall be made annually in an amount equal to the taxes that would be paid on such property were the property not exempt from taxation, and shall be calculated by multiplying the assessed value of such property, which shall be determined by the tax assessor of such municipality in the manner used by such assessor for assessing the value of other real property, by the applicable tax rate of the municipality. Such contract shall provide that, in consideration of such grant-in-aid, the municipality shall waive during the period of such contract any payments by the housing authority or the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority or successor owner to the municipality under the provisions of section 8-71, and shall further provide that the amount of the payments so waived shall be used by the housing authority or the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority or successor owner for a program of social and supplementary services to the occupants or shall be applied to the operating costs or reserves of the property, or shall be used to maintain or improve the physical quality of the property. As used in this subsection, a “successor owner” means an entity that owns a housing project developed pursuant to part II of chapter 128 after the revitalization of such project pursuant to a plan approved by the commissioner.

(c) The state, after it has entered into a contract with a municipality for financial assistance under this section, shall have the right to appeal or make application for relief from any assessment of any real property with respect to which reimbursement for tax abatement or a payment in lieu of taxes is made, in the manner provided by sections 12-111 to 12-119, inclusive, and no increase in assessed valuation of such property after such contract has been entered into shall be binding upon the commissioner unless notice of such increase has been given to the commissioner in the manner provided for giving notice of such an increase to the owners of real property. In any such proceeding the state shall have the same procedural rights as the owner of such property and shall act in accordance with the procedures and rules of law applicable to such owner.

(d) The state, acting by and in the discretion of the Commissioner of Housing, may enter into a contract with a municipality to make payments in lieu of taxes to the municipality on land and improvements owned or leased by said commissioner pursuant to chapter 129. Such payments shall be made annually in an amount equal to the taxes that would be paid on such property were the property not exempt from taxation, and shall be calculated by multiplying the assessed value of such property, which shall be determined by the tax assessor of such municipality in the manner used by such assessor for assessing the value of other real property, by the applicable tax rate of the municipality. Such contract shall provide that, in consideration of such grant-in-aid the municipality shall waive any payments by the state to the municipality under the provisions of a cooperation agreement between the municipality and said commissioner.

(e) The financial assistance authorized by subsection (a) of this section shall not be extended to assist housing sponsored by a profit-motivated sponsor, unless the commissioner, upon advice by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development or the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority shall determine that the mortgage loan financing such housing would not be insurable or feasible in the absence of such assistance.

(f) The Commissioner of Housing may amend any contracts entered into prior to October 1, 1969, under subsection (a) of this section, by increasing, up to a maximum of forty consecutive fiscal years of the municipality, the term of reimbursement for tax abatements provided for therein.

(1967, P.A. 522, S. 19; 1969, P.A. 137, S. 1, 2; 590; 683, S. 3; 808; P.A. 73-642, S. 2; P.A. 75-312, S. 1, 2; 75-465, S. 6, 7; P.A. 77-614, S. 296, 610; P.A. 79-598, S. 17; P.A. 93-309, S. 23, 29; P.A. 95-250, S. 1; P.A. 96-211, S. 1, 5, 6; P.A. 97-244, S. 2, 13; May Sp. Sess. P.A. 04-2, S. 93; P.A. 06-93, S. 15; 06-196, S. 46; P.A. 08-10, S. 1; P.A. 13-234, S. 2.)

History: 1969 acts amended Subsec. (a) to allow reimbursement for tax abatements on apartment building of at least three stories under construction on July 1, 1967, and to change limit for payments from 20 to 40 consecutive fiscal years, amended Subsec. (b) to delete references to state-owned or leased land and improvements and to state payments under Sec. 8-71, to provision of cooperative agreements between municipality and state or housing authority and to chapter 129 and restated uses to which waived payments shall be put and added Subsecs. (d) to (f), inclusive, concerning state-owned or leased property, profit-motivated sponsors of housing and contract amendments to increase term for reimbursement; P.A. 73-642 amended Subsec. (a) to include housing on property classified for use for low and moderate-income housing, to state that grants-in-aid not exceed amount of abatement rather than that they equal abatements and added proviso governing contracts on or after October 1, 1973; P.A. 75-312 amended Subsec. (e) to replace advice of Federal Housing Administration with advice of Department of Housing and Urban Development or Connecticut Housing Finance Authority and to allow assistance if financing not otherwise “feasible”; P.A. 75-465 amended Subsec. (b) to allow use of amount of waived payment for operating costs or for maintaining and improving property; P.A. 77-614 specified commissioner of economic development, previously “commissioner” applied to commissioner of community affairs, effective January 1, 1979; P.A. 79-598 substituted commissioner of housing for commissioner of economic development; P.A. 93-309 amended Subsec. (b) by adding provision authorizing payments on land or improvements leased or owned under the provision of Sec. 8-433 to 8-437, inclusive, effective July 1, 1993; 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. 97-244 amended Subsec. (b) to provide that time of the contract may include remaining years of operation of the project, effective July 1, 1997; May Sp. Sess. P.A. 04-2 amended Subsec. (b) by adding references to Connecticut Housing Finance Authority or subsidiary created by the authority under Sec. 8-242a or 8-244, effective May 12, 2004; P.A. 06-93 amended Subsec. (b) by removing reference to repealed sections; P.A. 06-196 made technical changes in Subsec. (a), effective June 7, 2006; P.A. 08-10 amended Subsec. (a) to delete provision limiting payments to 40 consecutive fiscal years and amended Subsec. (b) to add references to successor owner, effective July 1, 2008; pursuant to P.A. 13-234, references to Commissioner of Economic and Community Development were changed editorially by the Revisors to references to Commissioner of Housing, effective June 19, 2013.

See Sec. 8-226 re use of prior bond proceeds for purposes of this section.

Cited. 206 C. 711.

Cited. 12 CA 499.

Tax abatement constitutes a subsidy to landlord supporting conclusion that activities of landlord are “state action” re federal constitution. 33 CS 15.