Sec. 7-131g. Grant: Amount, purposes, valuation of land. Issuance of bonds.
Sec. 7-131g. Grant: Amount, purposes, valuation of land. Issuance of bonds.
(a) Subject to the provisions of sections 7-131d to 7-131k, inclusive, the Commissioner
of Environmental Protection may (1) where a federal grant is also made, approve grants
to municipalities in an amount not to exceed one-half of the nonfederal share of open
space land acquisition or development costs, (2) where a federal rehabilitation or innovation grant is made to a municipality under the Urban Park and Recreation Recovery Act
of 1978 (P.L. 95-625, 92 Stat. 3538), approve a grant to such municipality not to exceed
fifteen per cent of the total project cost of such development or rehabilitation, and (3)
where a federal grant is not made, approve grants to municipalities in accordance with
the provisions of this section.
(b) The Commissioner of Environmental Protection may make grants under the
open space and watershed land acquisition program to: (1) Municipalities for acquisition
of land for open space under subdivisions (1) to (6), inclusive, of subsection (b) of
section 7-131d in an amount not to exceed sixty-five per cent of the fair market value
of a parcel of land or interest in land proposed to be acquired; (2) municipalities for
acquisition of land for class I and class II water supply protection under subdivision (5)
of subsection (b) of said section 7-131d, in an amount not to exceed sixty-five per cent
of such value; (3) nonprofit land conservation organizations for acquisition of land for
open space or watershed protection under subdivisions (1) to (6), inclusive, of subsection
(b) of said section 7-131d, in an amount not to exceed sixty-five per cent of such value;
(4) water companies for acquisition of land under subdivision (7) of subsection (b) of
said section 7-131d, in an amount not to exceed sixty-five per cent of such value provided
if such a company proposes in a grant application that it intends to allow access to such
land for recreational uses, such company shall seek approval of the Commissioner of
Public Health for such access; and (5) distressed municipalities or targeted investment
communities, as defined in section 32-9p, or, with the approval of the chief elected
official or governing legislative body of such a municipality or community, to a nonprofit
land conservation organization or water company, for acquisition of land within that
municipality or community, for open space under subdivisions (1) to (6), inclusive, of
subsection (b) of said section 7-131d, in an amount not to exceed seventy-five per cent
of such value or for performance of work in the restoration, enhancement or protection
of resources in an amount not to exceed fifty per cent of the cost of such work. Applicants
for grants under the program shall provide a copy of the application to the chairperson
of the review board established under section 7-131e. The board shall provide comments
to the commissioner on pending applications as it deems necessary.
(c) For purposes of this subsection, the fair market value of land or interest in land
shall be determined by one or more appraisals satisfactory to the commissioner and
shall not include incidental costs, including, but not limited to, surveying, development
or closing costs. The commissioner may consider a portion of the fair market value of
a donation of land by an entity receiving a grant as a portion of the matching funds
required under this subsection. A potential grantee may use funds made available by
the state and federal government to fund not more than seventy per cent of the total cost
of any project funded under the program.
(d) To the extent there is a balance of bonds authorized but not allocated by the State
Bond Commission on or after July 1, 1998, pursuant to any bond act for the purposes of
(1) the recreation and natural heritage trust program established under sections 23-73
to 23-79, inclusive, and (2) the municipal open space grant program established under
sections 7-131c to 7-131g, inclusive, the State Bond Commission shall authorize the
issuance of such balance only for the purposes described in section 23-74 and sections
23-75 and 7-131d and in two substantially equal installments one in each half of the
fiscal year commencing with the fiscal year ending June 30, 1999.
(1963, P.A. 649, S. 3; 1967, P.A. 739, S. 1; 1969, P.A. 190, S. 1; 1971, P.A. 63, S. 1; 872, S. 407; 1972, P.A. 21, S. 1;
P.A. 78-359, S. 2, 8; P.A. 79-607, S. 8; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 83-33, S. 14, 17; P.A. 92-206, S. 2; P.A. 98-157, S. 5, 15; P.A.
01-204, S. 9, 29; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 01-9, S. 73, 131; P.A. 07-131, S. 2; P.A. 08-124, S. 1, 38.)
History: 1967 act amended Subsec. (a) to differentiate between cases where federal grants made and where not made
and required that land cost be determined by state-obtained appraisals in Subsec. (b); 1969 act added Subsec. (c) re applications prior to January 1, 1968; 1971 acts amended Subsec. (b) to allow state to make appraisals and substituted commissioner
of environmental protection for council on agriculture and natural resources; 1972 act amended Subsec. (b) by specifying
"one or more" appraisals; P.A. 78-359 changed "shall" to "may" in Subsec. (a), included grants for development costs,
added provision re information required for determining development cost grant in Subsec. (b) and in Subsec. (c) changed
applicable date to January 1, 1968, and replaced reference to council with commissioner of environmental protection; P.A.
79-607 added provision concerning grants under Urban Park and Recreation Recovery Act in Subsec. (a); June Sp. Sess.
P.A. 83-33 amended Subsec. (b) to include language regarding determination of the treatment of gifts to municipalities;
P.A. 92-206 amended Subsec. (a) to change the specification re the amount of certain grants authorized under this section;
P.A. 98-157 replaced former Subsecs. (b) and (c) with new Subsecs. (b) to (d), inclusive, re amount of grants, valuation
of land and issuance of bonds, effective July 1, 1998 (Revisor's note: In 1999 a reference to Sec. 7-131c was changed
editorially by the Revisors to Sec. 7-131d, since Sec. 7-131c was repealed by P.A. 98-157); P.A. 01-204 amended Subsec.
(b) to allow the commissioner to make grants under the program to a nonprofit land conservation organization for the
acquisition of land within a distressed municipality or targeted investment community with the approval of the chief elected
official or governing legislative body of such municipality or community, effective July 11, 2001; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 01-9 revised effective date of P.A. 01-204 but without affecting this section; P.A. 07-131 amended Subsec. (b) to increase
the percentages of the fair market value permitted to be paid in grants and added "water company" to the list of entities
permitted to receive a grant in Subdiv. (5), effective July 1, 2007; P.A. 08-124 made a technical change in Subsec. (a) and
amended Subsec. (c) to delete prohibition against using matching funds and to add provision permitting grantee to use
state and federal funds for not more than 70% of total cost of project, effective June 2, 2008.