Coronavirus Update
Governor Issues Executive Order No. 7I
Governor Ned Lamont issued a sweeping Executive Order this evening to address many concerns stemming from the coronavirus, including municipal budget, tax, land use and assessments. COST and CCM, along with various attorneys and other groups, consulted with the governor's office on these issues, which are aimed at ensuring that local governments can continue to deliver critical services during these difficult times.

Executive Order 7I includes the following provisions of interest to towns:

Adoption of Municipal Budgets (#13)

  • Requires a municipality's legislative body or, in a municipality where the legislative body is the town meeting, the board of selectmen, to authorize the municipality's budget-making authority to adopt a budget for the July 1, 2020 - June 30, 2021 Fiscal Year and set a mill rate, notwithstanding any provision of the state statutes, special acts, municipal charters or local ordinances.
  • Provides that the budget shall be adopted without holding votes required by charter or without complying with any in-person budget adoption requirements, including town meetings, referendum or special town meetings.
  • Requires the budget-making authority to comply with the public meeting requirements set forth in Executive Order 7B and take all reasonable steps to publicize the draft municipal budget and receive public comment, including publishing draft budgets on the website and providing an email address or other means for the public to submit timely comments on the proposed budget.

Adoption of Regional Board of Education Budgets (#14)

  • Requires Regional Boards of Education to adopt a budget for the July 1, 2020 - June 30, 2021 fiscal year without complying with any in-person budget adoption requirements, including annual district budget meetings requiring votes, referendum, and special district meetings.
  • Requires the Regional Boards of Education to comply with the public meeting requirements set forth in Executive Order 7B and take all reasonable steps to publicize the proposed budget and receive public comment, including publishing draft budgets on the website and providing an email address or other means for the public to submit timely comments on the proposed budget.

Municipal Planning, Assessment and Taxation - Extension of Municipal Deadlines and Waiver of Penalties (#15)

  • Extends the deadlines for Net Grand Lists, Assessor Reports, Board of Assessment Appeals applications and decisions, Grand List of Taxable and Tax-Exempt Property, Sales Data Reports, and State and Colleges and Hospitals PILOT reimbursement claims without penalty.
  • Suspends the penalty provisions for municipalities' failure to file certain information with the state: 10-261b, CGS (Data re transfers of real property for preparation of equalized net grand lists), 12-19a, CGS (Grants in lieu of taxes) and 12-20b, CGS (Valuation of Property for PILOT reimbursements)

Municipal Planning, Assessment and Taxation - Suspension of In-Person Filing Requirements (#16)

  • Suspends the requirements for a taxpayer to appear in person relative to assessment appeals and certain abatement and exemption filings and permits the municipality to meet and take such actions without permitting or requiring in-person participation, and to hold such meetings or obtain information remotely by conference call, videoconference, electronic communication, or other technology, consistent with Executive Order 7B.

Extension of Budget Deadlines for Other Municipal Bodies (#12)

  • Applies the provisions in Executive Order 7C authorizing the extension of municipal budget deadlines to other bodies, including any village, school, sewer, fire, lighting, special services or special taxing district, beach or improvement association, any regional water or resource recovery authority or any other political subdivision of the state.

Land Use Applications and Proceedings (#19)

  • Extends any time deadlines that may pass or expire during the public health and civil preparedness emergency for various land use applications and proceedings by an additional 90 days for any and all of the following circumstances: 1) the commencement or completion of any public hearing; 2) the rendering of any decision required to be made within a particular period; and 3) the submission or reporting by any municipality to any agency or quasi-public agency of the state.
  • Suspends any requirement that a municipality or agency publish a notice(s) in a newspaper and allows a single notice to be published electronically on a municipality's or agency's website.
  • Requires all notices to be filed with a town clerk's office to be filed electronically and posted on a municipality's website.
  • Suspends any provisions requiring a physical sign to be posted in relation to any zoning, inland wetlands, planning, or historic district petition, application or proposal and instead requires electronic posting on a municipality's website, unless the electronic mail address is unknown.
  • Provides that the suspensions and modifications specified in section 19 of the order are permitted provided that 1) the municipality, within a reasonable time after the reopening of the relevant office, include printed or electronic confirmations of all modifications, extensions, notices and decisions in the permanent office records; and 2) documents are duly recorded or filed within a reasonable time after reopening.

Download the Executive Order here.

Please advise us if you have any questions on any of the provisions included in the Executive Order. We will be following up with guidance on key provisions.

Thank you.

Betsy Gara
COST
860-841-7350

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