2012 Connecticut General Statutes
Title 7 - Municipalities
Chapter 111 - Municipal Auditing Act
Section 7-394b - Municipal Finance Advisory Commission.

(a) There is established a Municipal Finance Advisory Commission which shall (1) review and submit any recommendations as may be deemed appropriate with respect to any regulations concerning the provisions of section 7-394a, submitted by the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management for purposes of such review and (2) work with any municipality referred to it pursuant to the provisions of section 7-395, to improve the fiscal condition of such municipality. Upon receipt of the secretary’s report pursuant to said section 7-395, the commission shall, in determining the level of financial distress of such municipality, review audits, budgets, accounting and fiscal management practices and any other information relevant to the municipality’s fiscal condition. The commission may require the chief executive officer of the municipality to (A) provide such information and appear before the commission to discuss the financial condition of the municipality and the implementation of remedial measures to improve its financial condition and (B) submit a written report to the commission on implementation of the recommendations of the commission and other remedial measures. If a chief executive officer of a municipality fails to provide the information requested or submit the report within thirty days of the request, the commission may assess a civil penalty of not less than one thousand but not more than ten thousand dollars on the municipality. If a chief executive officer of a municipality upon whom a penalty has been imposed submits a request, the secretary may waive all or a portion of such penalty if he determines that a reasonable cause exists for not having provided the requested information or report. The secretary may, as a condition of such waiver, require compliance by a date set by the secretary.

(b) Said commission shall consist of eight members appointed by the Governor as follows: (1) Four members who are fiscal or executive officers of municipalities, with one such member from a municipality in each of the following categories of population at the time of such appointment: (A) A municipality with a population under ten thousand, (B) a municipality with a population of at least ten thousand but under twenty-five thousand, (C) a municipality with a population of at least twenty-five thousand but under seventy-five thousand and (D) a municipality with a population of seventy-five thousand or over; (2) three members who are not officers of municipalities but whose experience and knowledge, in the discretion of the Governor, would be valuable for the purposes of said commission, and (3) a representative from the Office of Policy and Management. Members shall be appointed for four-year terms coterminous with the term of the Governor or until a successor is appointed and qualified, whichever is longer, provided the term of any such member shall be contingent upon holding the office, when applicable, which qualified such member for appointment. Vacancies other than by expiration of terms shall be filled by appointment by the Governor for the unexpired term. All members of said commission shall serve without compensation, except for reimbursement for their necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties as members.

(c) Repealed by P.A. 83-321, S. 2, 3.

(P.A. 77-611, S. 3, 6; 77-614, S. 19(d), 587, 610; P.A. 78-303, S. 85, 136; P.A. 83-321, S. 2, 3; P.A. 89-370, S. 2, 15; P.A. 93-421, S. 16, 22.)

History: P.A. 77-614 and P.A. 78-303 substituted secretary of the office of policy and management for tax commissioner; P.A. 83-321 repealed Subsec. (c) which had provided for termination of commission on July 1, 1983; P.A. 89-370 amended Subsec. (a) to require commission to work with municipality referred to it pursuant to Sec. 7-395 and review audits, accounting and fiscal management practices and other relevant information in determining level of municipal financial distress and to authorize commission to require chief executive officer to provide such information and appear before commission to discuss financial condition and remedial measures and amended Subsec. (b) to provide that terms of members are coterminous with governor’s term “or until a successor is appointed and qualified, whichever is longer” and to delete obsolete provision re termination of terms of commission’s first members on July 1, 1979; P.A. 93-421 amended Subsec. (a) by expanding the commission’s authority to consider budgets in determining the level of financial distress and adding Subdiv. (B) authorizing the commission to request a written report from the chief executive officer of a municipality and to assess penalty for noncompliance, effective July 1, 1993.