(a)    The Department:

(1)    shall provide planning assistance, including surveys, land use studies, urban renewal plans, technical services, and other planning work, to local governments; and

(2)    may provide financial and other planning assistance to local governments as provided in the State budget.

(b)    The Department may provide financial or other planning assistance to regional planning agencies as provided in the State budget.

(c)    Before providing the assistance, the Secretary shall consider the adequacy and competency of any regional or local planning agency that requests financial assistance from the Department.

(d)    The Secretary may require any local government or regional planning agency that receives financial or other planning assistance from the State to submit to the Secretary a copy of its planning budget.

(e)    (1)    The Secretary may require any local government or regional planning agency that receives financial or other planning assistance from the State to submit to an annual audit of its financial operations related to planning.

(2)    The audit shall be performed by the Legislative Auditor or by an auditor or accountant legally qualified to perform municipal audits.

(3)    The Secretary may accept an audit by the federal unit for a local government that receives financial or other planning assistance from a unit of the federal government.

(f)    Whenever the Department requests and receives financial or other assistance from any unit of the federal government for planning assistance to a local government or a regional planning agency, the Department shall satisfy any requirement imposed by federal law.