File No. 315

                    Substitute House Bill No. 6843






    House of Representatives,  April 15, 1997. The
Committee  on Planning  and  Development  reported
through REP. DAVIS,  50th  DIST.,  Chairman of the
Committee on the  part  of  the  House,  that  the
substitute bill ought to pass.

AN ACT CONCERNING HOME RULE AND FISCAL AUTONOMY.


    Be  it  enacted  by  the  Senate  and House of
Representatives in General Assembly convened:
    Section  1.  (NEW) (a) Any regional council of
elected   officials,   established   pursuant   to
sections  4-124c  to  4-124h,  inclusive,  of  the
general statutes,  as  amended  by  this  act,  or
regional   council   of   governments  established
pursuant to sections 4-124i to 4-124p,  inclusive,
of  the  general statutes, as amended by this act,
may impose a tax  within  the  boundaries  of  the
planning  region on any income, item, transaction,
property, subject or object.
    (b)  No  tax  imposed pursuant to this section
shall be effective unless adopted by ordinance  of
the  legislative body of all of the municipalities
that  are  members  of  the  regional  council  of
elected   officials   or   regional   council   of
governments.
    (c)  If  a  sales  and use tax is imposed, the
situs  of  sales  and  uses  of  motor   vehicles,
aircraft,   boats   and  utilities  shall  be  the
residence of the purchaser.
    Sec.  2.  Subparagraph  (B) of subdivision (2)
of subsection (c) of section 7-148 of the  general
statutes   is   repealed   and  the  following  is
substituted in lieu thereof:
    (B)   Assess,   levy  and  collect  taxes  for
general or special purposes on all INCOME,  ITEMS,
TRANSACTIONS,  property, subjects or objects which
may be lawfully taxed, and regulate  the  mode  of
assessment and collection of taxes and assessments
not    otherwise    provided    for,     including
establishment  of  a procedure for the withholding
of approval of building application when taxes are
delinquent   for   the   property   for  which  an
application was made.
    Sec.  3.  (NEW)  Any municipality may impose a
tax within the boundaries of the  municipality  on
any  income,  item, transaction, property, subject
or object. Such tax shall not be effective  unless
imposed  pursuant  to  an ordinance adopted by the
legislative body of the municipality.
    Sec.  4.  Subsection  (b) of section 12-62a of
the general statutes is repealed and the following
is substituted in lieu thereof:
    (b)  Each  such  municipality  shall, no later
than the close of its  next  revaluation  required
under  the provisions of section 12-62, assess all
property for purposes of the local  property  tax.
THE  MUNICIPALITY  MAY  ASSESS  ALL  PROPERTY at a
uniform rate of seventy per cent of  present  true
[and] OR actual value, as determined under section
12-63.  THE   MUNICIPALITY   MAY   ESTABLISH,   BY
ORDINANCE ADOPTED BY ITS LEGISLATIVE BODY, THE PER
CENT   OF   THE   UNIFORM   RATE   FOR   DIFFERENT
CLASSIFICATIONS OF PROPERTY.
    Sec.   5.   Section   4-124f  of  the  general
statutes  is  repealed  and   the   following   is
substituted in lieu thereof:
    Any  regional  council  of  elected  officials
established under the provisions of section 4-124c
is  authorized  to  receive  for  its  own use and
purposes any funds from any source, including  the
state   and  federal  governments,  and  including
bequests,  gifts  or  contributions  made  by  any
individual,  corporation or association. Any town,
city  or  borough  participating  in  a   regional
council   of   elected  officials  shall  annually
appropriate funds for the expenses of such council
in  the  performance  of  its purposes. Such funds
shall be appropriated and paid in accordance  with
a dues formula established by the regional council
of elected officials. Such  council  may  withhold
any  services  it  deems  advisable from any town,
city or borough which has failed to pay such dues.
Within  the  amounts  so  received  a  council may
engage employees and  contract  with  professional
consultants,  municipalities,  the  state  and the
federal governments, other  regional  councils  of
governments,    regional   councils   of   elected
officials, regional planning  agencies  and  other
intertown,  regional  or metropolitan agencies, or
with any one or more of them, and may  enter  into
contracts  from  time  to  time  to  carry out its
purpose. ANY REGIONAL COUNCIL OF ELECTED OFFICIALS
MAY  ENTER INTO A CONTRACT WITH ANY OTHER REGIONAL
COUNCIL OF ELECTED OFFICIALS OR  REGIONAL  COUNCIL
OF  GOVERNMENTS, ESTABLISHED UNDER SECTIONS 4-124i
TO 4-124p, INCLUSIVE, AS AMENDED BY THIS  ACT,  TO
CARRY  OUT  ITS  PURPOSES.  The  accounts  of  any
regional council of  elected  officials  shall  be
subject to an annual audit under the provisions of
chapter 111.
    Sec.   6.   Section   4-124p  of  the  general
statutes  is  repealed  and   the   following   is
substituted in lieu thereof:
    Each    regional    council   of   governments
established  under  the  provisions  of   sections
4-124i  to  4-124p,  inclusive, AS AMENDED BY THIS
ACT, is authorized to receive for its own use  and
purposes  any  funds from any source including the
state  and  federal  governments   and   including
bequests,  gifts  and  contributions  made  by any
individual, corporation or association. Any  town,
city   or  borough  participating  in  a  regional
council of governments shall annually  appropriate
funds  for  the  expenses  of  such council in the
performance of its purposes. Such funds  shall  be
appropriated  and  paid  in accordance with a dues
formula established by  the  regional  council  of
governments.   Such   council   may  withhold  any
services it deems advisable from any town, city or
borough  which has failed to pay such dues. Within
the amount  so  received,  a  council  may  engage
employees,    and   contract   with   professional
consultants, municipalities,  the  state  and  the
federal  governments,  other  regional councils of
governments,   regional   councils   of    elected
officials,  regional  planning  agencies and other
intertown, regional or metropolitan  agencies,  or
with  any  one or more of them, and may enter into
contracts from time  to  time  to  carry  out  its
purposes.  ANY REGIONAL COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS MAY
ENTER INTO A  CONTRACT  WITH  ANY  OTHER  REGIONAL
COUNCIL  OF  GOVERNMENTS  OR  REGIONAL  COUNCIL OF
ELECTED  OFFICIALS,  ESTABLISHED  UNDER   SECTIONS
4-124c  TO  4-124h,  INCLUSIVE, AS AMENDED BY THIS
ACT, TO CARRY OUT ITS PURPOSES.  The  accounts  of
any  regional  council  of  governments  shall  be
subject to an annual audit under the provisions of
chapter  111 and such council shall file an annual
report with the clerks of its member towns, cities
or boroughs, with planning commissions, if any, of
members, and with the Secretary of the  Office  of
Policy and Management, or his designee.
    Sec.  7.  This  act shall take effect from its
passage, except that section 1 shall be applicable
to  fiscal  years  of regional councils of elected
officials and  regional  councils  of  governments
commencing on and after July 1, 1997, and sections
2  to  4,  inclusive,  shall  be   applicable   to
assessment  years  of municipalities commencing on
and after October 1, 1997.

PD   COMMITTEE VOTE: YEA 12 NAY 7   JFS