Substitute House Bill No. 5669
Substitute House Bill No. 5669
SPECIAL ACT NO. 98-5
AN ACT VALIDATING THE ACTIONS OF THE TOWN OF
COLCHESTER, HUNTERS RUN TAX DISTRICT, THE
LITCHFIELD HISTORIC DISTRICT, EXTENDING THE TASK
FORCE ON MUNICIPAL PROPERTY TAX COLLECTION,
VALIDATING CERTAIN MARRIAGE LICENSES,
ACKNOWLEDGING CERTAIN WATER DIVERSIONS AND
CONCERNING A REFERENDUM IN OXFORD AND THE LAKE
HARWINTON ASSOCIATION.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of
Representatives in General Assembly convened:
Section 1. Notwithstanding the provisions of
section 12-146 of the general statutes, the town
of Colchester shall not charge or collect interest
on unpaid taxes for the period commencing on July
1, 1996, to February 1, 1998, inclusive, for which
collection had been waived by the tax collector
and was not made under the hands of the proper
authority according to law with respect to
property on the grand lists for the years 1982 to
1994, inclusive.
Sec. 2. Section 3 of special act 97-14 is
amended to read as follows:
The Secretary of the Office of Policy and
Management shall establish a pilot program for the
fiscal years commencing ON OR AFTER July 1, 1997,
[July 1, 1998, and July 1, 1999] UP TO AND
INCLUDING JULY 1, 1999, in no more than the five
towns approved by the Office of Policy and
Management. The purpose of said pilot program
shall be to improve the tax collection
capabilities of each such town. Notwithstanding
any provision of the general statutes or
regulations adopted thereunder, the approved towns
are authorized, [for the period of the pilot
program only,] to employ a third-party agent,
acting under the direction of the town tax
collection official to collect current and
delinquent property taxes, interest and fees,
provided such collection shall not extend beyond
June 30, [2000] 2002. All procurement processes
and contracts entered into pursuant to this
section shall be approved by the Office of Policy
and Management prior to their execution. [Said
towns] THE TAX COLLECTION OFFICIAL SHALL SUBMIT AN
ANNUAL REPORT AND shall submit a final report no
later than September 15, [2000] 2002, to the task
force established pursuant to section 10 of public
act 95-228, as amended by sections 1 and 2 of
[this act] SPECIAL ACT 97-14, comparing tax
collections under the pilot program to previous
years, any administrative savings realized by
participation in the pilot program and any
additional information the task force requests.
Sec. 3. Notwithstanding any provision of the
general statutes or regulations adopted
thereunder, the town of Seymour is authorized, for
the period of ten years to employ a third-party
agent, acting under the direction of the town tax
collection official to collect current and
delinquent property taxes. All procurement
processes and contracts entered into pursuant to
this section shall be approved by the Office of
Policy and Management prior to their execution.
Sec. 4. Notwithstanding the provisions of No.
132 of the Special Acts of 1959, as amended, any
actions taken by the Litchfield Historic District
between August 1, 1989, and December 31, 1998, if
taken in accordance with (1) the applicable
procedures required by sections 7-147a through
7-147k, inclusive, of the general statutes, and
(2) the applicable procedures required by the
Litchfield Historic District Commission Ordinance
dated August 1, 1989, are validated.
Sec. 5. Notwithstanding the provisions of
subsection (b) of section 46b-24 of the general
statutes, any marriage license which has been
issued on or after April 15, 1998, but prior to
July 6, 1998, by the registrar for the town in
which the marriage is to be celebrated, shall be
sufficient authority for any person authorized to
perform a marriage ceremony in this state to join
such persons in marriage, provided the ceremony is
performed within the town where the license was
issued not later than July 6, 1998.
Sec. 6. (a) Notwithstanding the provisions of
chapters 3, 90, 105, 110 and 112 of the general
statutes and sections 12-129d, 12-130, 12-136,
12-144a, 12-145, 12-147, 12-151 and 12-155 to
12-159, inclusive, of the general statutes,
actions of the meetings, boards of directors, tax
collectors and officials of The Hunters Run Tax
District organized and existing under chapter 105
of the general statutes, pursuant to the minutes
of its organization meeting recorded in the Avon
Land Records at Volume 174, Page 258, in the
calling of meetings, holding of votes, passage of
ordinances, execution of contracts and agreements,
establishment of budgets, assessment, levy and
collection of taxes and enlargement and definition
of territorial limits, are hereby validated.
(b) The territory of the district shall be and
shall have been deemed to be phase 1 and 2 of the
territory of Hunter's Run, a condominium developed
by Hunter's Run, Inc., Nod Road, Avon,
Connecticut, as described as follows: Being town
parcels of land shown as "Land Not Subject to
Development Rights Area 55.231 Acres +/-" and
"Land Not Subject to Development Rights Area 1.432
Acres" on a certain map or plan entitled "Zoning
Location Survey 'Hunters Run' A Condominium To Be
Developed By: Hunter's Run Condominiums, L.L.C.
Nod Road Avon, Connecticut Scale 1"=200' December
10, 1997 Hodge Surveying Associates, P.C. D-1 Job
79-49 Drw 88" certified as "substantially correct
as noted thereon Francis A. Richard, L.S. #1135,
Surveyor" on file in the Avon Land Records as
Drawer No. 97, Map No. 106.
Sec. 7. The wells owned by the Connecticut
Water Company in Enfield which are known as the
Powder Hollow 1, 2, and 3 wells and the well owned
by such company in Westbrook which is known as the
Holbrook well are hereby acknowledged as
registered existing diversions under section
22a-368 of the general statutes.
Sec. 8. Notwithstanding any general statute,
special act, charter or ordinance to the contrary,
the town of Oxford may conduct a referendum prior
to November, 1998, for the purpose of
appropriating and authorizing bonds and notes in
an amount not to exceed three million four hundred
thousand dollars for the acquisition of
approximately five hundred twenty acres of land.
The referendum question shall be determined by a
majority vote provided fifteen per cent of voters
eligible to vote at a general or special election
in the town of Oxford vote in such referendum.
Sec. 9. Section 11 of special act 73-15, as
amended by special act 88-18, is amended to read
as follows:
(a) Parliamentary procedure as set forth in
the current edition of ROBERT'S RULES OF ORDER,
and as said Rules may be amended or hereafter
revised, shall govern the association in all cases
to which they are applicable and are not
inconsistent with the provisions of this Charter
or any Association Ordinance or Resolution adopted
pursuant to this Charter. If any ordinance or
regulation adopted by The Lake Harwinton
Association shall conflict with any lawful
ordinance of the town of Harwinton setting higher
standards, limits, requirements or conditions,
then, in such case, the ordinance of said town
shall prevail and supersede the ordinance or
regulation of said association. Any tax liens
levied by said town of Harwinton on property
within the limits of The Lake Harwinton
Association shall have priority over any tax or
lien levied on the same property by said
association.
(b) The members of The Lake Harwinton
Association shall have the power to adopt and
amend a charter which shall be its organic law and
shall supersede any inconsistent provisions of
special act 73-15, as amended, [by this act,] at a
special meeting of the members called and held for
that purpose. Any proposed Charter or amendment to
the Charter shall be approved for submission to
the general membership by a two-thirds vote of the
entire membership of the association's board of
governors. Upon approval by the board of
governors, copies of the proposed Charter or
amendment to the Charter, together with notice of
the special meeting, shall be sent to each
property owner of record at such owner's
last-known address on file with the association's
secretary, and to the town clerk and the board of
selectmen of the town of Harwinton not earlier
than thirty days nor later than twelve days prior
to the date of the meeting. At such meeting, the
members, by a vote of [a simple majority]
TWO-THIRDS of those eligible, present and voting,
may adopt or revise the Charter or the amendments
to the Charter proposed by the board of governors.
Such Charter or amendments to the Charter as may
be adopted shall take effect upon publication in a
newspaper having a general circulation in the town
of Harwinton within ten days following their
adoption. Copies of such Charter or amendments to
the Charter as may be adopted shall be sent to the
town clerk and the board of selectmen of the town
of Harwinton.
Approved May 14, 1998