Sec. 7-148ff. Special assessment on blighted property. Liens.
Sec. 7-148ff. Special assessment on blighted property. Liens. (a) Any municipality that has regulations preventing housing blight under subparagraph (H)(xv) of
subdivision (7) of subsection (c) of section 7-148 may, by ordinance adopted by its
legislative body on recommendation of its board of finance or equivalent body, provide
for a special assessment on housing that is blighted, as defined in such regulations.
(b) Prior to initial approval by the legislative body of such municipality of the plan
for implementation of the special assessment to be provided pursuant to the provisions
of this section, the executive authority of such municipality shall appoint a committee
consisting of not less than six taxpayers of such municipality, one of whom shall be a
landlord, the tax assessor and representatives of municipal agencies responsible for
zoning and health, housing, fire and other safety code compliance. The committee shall
undertake and complete, within a period not in excess of sixty days following such
appointment, a study and investigation with respect to such special assessment and shall
submit a report to the board of finance or equivalent body of such municipality. The
report shall include, but not be limited to, the following: (1) A statement describing the
fiscal effect of a special assessment on the revenue for the municipality; (2) identification
of properties that may be subject to a special assessment; (3) the amount of property
taxes generated by the properties and the cost to the municipality for code enforcement
on such properties, including costs for police and fire personnel; (4) recommendations
with respect to the form and extent of any assessment; and (5) standards for imposition
of the assessment. In establishing any standards, the committee shall consider the number of outstanding health, housing and safety violations for the property, the number of
times municipal health, housing and safety personnel have had to inspect the property
and the cost to the municipality to enforce code compliance on the property. After the
initial approval of the special assessment by the legislative body of such municipality,
such plan may be amended from time to time by vote of its legislative body on recommendation of its board of finance or equivalent body without compliance with the requirements of this subsection applicable to such initial approval.
(c) Any ordinance adopted under subsection (a) of this section shall include, but
not be limited to, the following: (1) Standards to determine if a special assessment should
be imposed on a property, (2) the amount of the assessment, which shall be a reasonable
amount and based on an analysis of the costs to the municipality for code inspection
and enforcement, including costs for police and fire personnel, (3) procedures for notice
to the property owner of imposition of the special assessment, which shall include a
time period to remedy the code noncompliance before the assessment is due and a process
for appeal of an assessment, and (4) the appointment of a board consisting of the finance
director, tax assessor and municipal code enforcement official to determine when the
special assessment should be imposed on specific property. Annually, the legislative
body shall review the amount of any assessment to be imposed pursuant to an ordinance
adopted under this section and may revise such amount.
(d) Any funds received by a municipality from a special assessment imposed pursuant to an ordinance adopted under subsection (c) of this section shall be deposited into
a special fund or account maintained by the municipality which shall be dedicated for
expenses of the municipality related to enforcement of ordinances regulating blight and
state and local health, housing and safety codes and regulations, including expenses
related to community police.
(e) Any unpaid special assessment imposed by a municipality pursuant to the provisions of an ordinance adopted under subsection (c) of this section shall constitute a lien
upon the real estate against which the fine was imposed from the date of such fine. Each
such lien may be continued, recorded and released in the manner provided by the general
statutes for continuing, recording and releasing property tax liens. Each such lien may
be enforced in the same manner as property tax liens.
(P.A. 06-185, S. 1; P.A. 07-217, S. 16.)
History: P.A. 06-185 effective July 1, 2006; P.A. 07-217 made a technical change in Subsec. (c)(2), effective July
12, 2007.
See Sec. 12-16b re addition of municipal expenses to property taxes for real estate violating health, safety and building codes.