Sec. 8-44. Powers of authority.
Sec. 8-44. Powers of authority. (a) An authority shall constitute a public body
corporate and politic, exercising public powers and having all the powers necessary or
convenient to carry out the purposes and provisions of this chapter, including the following enumerated powers in addition to others granted by any provision of the general
statutes: (1) To sue and be sued; to have a seal and to alter the same at pleasure; to have
perpetual succession; to make and execute contracts and other instruments necessary
or convenient to the exercise of the powers of the authority; and to make and from time
to time amend and repeal bylaws, rules and regulations not inconsistent with this chapter
to carry into effect the powers and purposes of the authority; (2) within its area of
operation, to prepare, carry out, acquire, lease and operate housing projects and to provide for the construction, reconstruction, improvement, alteration or repair of any housing project or any part thereof either directly or in the form of loans or other similar
assistance to developers, all such housing projects where families with children are
eligible for occupancy to contain reasonably adequate outdoor playground areas; (3) to
arrange or contract for the furnishing by any person or agency, public or private, of
services, privileges, works or facilities for, or in connection with, a housing project or
the occupants thereof; (4) to demise any dwellings, houses, accommodations, lands,
buildings, structures or facilities embraced in any housing project and, subject to the
limitations contained in this chapter, to establish and revise the rents or charges therefor;
to own, hold and improve real or personal property; to purchase, lease, obtain options
upon or acquire, by gift, grant, bequest, devise or otherwise, any real or personal property
or any interest therein, provided no real property or interest therein shall be acquired
for the site of a proposed housing project until the housing authority has held a public
hearing concerning such site, notice of which has been published in the form of a legal
advertisement in a newspaper having a substantial circulation in the municipality at least
twice at intervals of not less than two days, the first not more than fifteen or less than
ten days, and the last not less than two days, before such hearing; to insure or provide
for the insurance of any real or personal property or operations of the authority against
any risks or hazards; to procure insurance or guarantees from the federal government
of the payment of any debts or parts thereof, whether or not incurred by such authority,
secured by mortgages on any property included in any of its housing projects; (5) to
invest any funds held in reserves or sinking funds, or any funds not required for immediate disbursements, in investments legal for mutual savings banks, provided that the
provisions of subdivision (2) of subsection (n) of section 36-96 shall not be applicable
to any such investment, and to purchase its bonds at a price not more than the principal
amount thereof and accrued interest, all bonds so purchased to be cancelled; (6) within
its area of operation, to investigate living, dwelling and housing conditions and the
means and methods of improving such conditions; to determine where slum areas exist
or where there is a shortage of decent, safe and sanitary dwelling accommodations for
families of low and moderate income; to make studies and recommendations relating
to the problem of clearing, replanning and reconstructing slum areas, and the problem
of providing dwelling accommodations for families of low and moderate income, and
to cooperate with the municipality or the state or any political subdivision thereof in
action taken in connection with such problems; (7) to promote the creation and preservation of housing for low and moderate income persons and families, either directly or
through an agency or instrumentality designated or appointed by the authority, by lending or otherwise making available to developers the proceeds from the sale of obligations
which are tax-exempt pursuant to the provisions of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986,
or any subsequent corresponding internal revenue code of the United States, as from
time to time amended, or Section 11(b) of the United States Housing Act of 1937, as
amended, or any successor provisions amendatory or supplementary thereto, provided
no such obligations or other notes or securities issued by any agency or instrumentality
designated or approved by the authority pursuant to the provisions of this subdivision,
shall create or imply any indebtedness of any kind on the part of the housing authority,
the state, or any political subdivision thereof; and (8) to exercise all or any part or
combination of powers herein granted. No provision of law with respect to the operation
or disposition of property by other public bodies shall be applicable to an authority
unless the General Assembly specifically so states.
(b) As used in this subsection, "housing project construction work" means the construction, reconstruction, improvement, alteration or repair of a housing project or any
part of a housing project; and "simplified acquisition threshold" has the same meaning
as "simplified acquisition threshold", as defined in 41 USC 403(11). All contracts to
be made or let by an authority for housing project construction work, supplies, or purchases of personal property of every description, shall be publicly advertised, for the
purpose of receiving bids upon the same, in a local daily paper and, if deemed advisable,
in other papers, provided the several parts of such housing project construction work,
supplies or personal property shall, together, involve an expenditure that exceeds the
simplified acquisition threshold. The bids received in response to such public advertisement shall be publicly opened at a hearing of the authority, the date and time of such
hearing being named in such public advertisement, and the contract or award shall be
made by the authority with or to the lowest responsible bidder. Such bidding shall not
be required for housing project construction work, supplies or personal property previously bid and contracted for by the Department of Administrative Services, the federal
General Services Administration, the United States Department of Housing and Urban
Development, or a municipality. An expenditure for housing project construction work,
supplies or personal property which is less than or equal to the simplified acquisition
threshold and any expenditure for legal or other professional services shall be made in
accordance with the competitive proposals requirements of 24 CFR 85.36. In any contract let in connection with a housing project, an authority, notwithstanding any provision to the contrary in this chapter or in any other statute, may include stipulations
requiring that the contractor and any subcontractors comply with requirements as to
minimum wages, maximum hours and any conditions which the federal government or
any other obligee may have imposed as prerequisite to the granting of financial aid to
the housing project.
(1949 Rev., S. 929; 1949, 1955, S. 440d; 1957, P.A. 592, S. 1; February, 1965, P.A. 302; 1971, P.A. 100; P.A. 79-233,
S. 6; 79-536, S. 1, 2; P.A. 80-238, S. 1; 80-483, S. 23, 186; P.A. 83-339, S. 3, 9; P.A. 87-211; P.A. 89-211, S. 13; P.A. 92-12, S. 109; P.A. 94-82, S. 3, 5; P.A. 97-27; P.A. 02-79, S. 2; P.A. 03-278, S. 20.)
History: 1965 act added public hearing requirement re site of project to make it precedent only to acquisition of real
property and amended Subdiv. (d) to amplify notice provisions; 1971 act increased dollar limit for expenditures not requiring
advertising for bids to $2,000 and limit for waiver of bidding from $2,000 to $4,000; P.A. 79-233 allowed investments as
allowed for mutual savings banks if provisions of Subsec. 14b of Sec. 36-96 not applicable to investment; P.A. 79-536
allowed authorities to promote construction of low and moderate-income housing directly or indirectly within limitations
set forth in section; P.A. 80-238 changed dollar limit for expenditures not requiring advertising for bids to $5,000 and limit
for waiver of bidding to $10,000; P.A. 80-483 replaced "subsection 14b" with "subdivision (b) of subsection (14)" of Sec.
36-96; P.A. 83-339 provided for the issuance of tax-exempt bonds pursuant to Section 103(b)(4)(A) of the Federal Internal
Revenue Code; P.A. 87-211 changed dollar limit for expenditures not requiring advertising for bids from $5,000 to $10,000
and limit for waiver of bidding from $10,000 to $20,000; P.A. 89-211 clarified reference to the Internal Revenue Code of
1986; P.A. 92-12 made a technical change; P.A. 94-82 amended Subdiv. (g) to authorize authorities to promote creation
and preservation of housing and delete the term "construction" and citation to Sec. 103(b)(4)(a) of the Internal Revenue
Code, effective May 25, 1994; P.A. 97-27 increased threshold for expenditures requiring advertising for bids from $10,000
to $25,000 and limit for cost of expenditures re waiver of bidding from $20,000 to $30,000; P.A. 02-79 divided existing
provisions into Subsecs. (a) and (b), amended Subsec. (a) by redesignating existing Subdivs. (a) to (h) as Subdivs. (1) to
(8), and amended Subsec. (b) by adding definitions of "housing project construction work" and "simplified acquisition
threshold", revising provisions for consistency with said definitions, substituting bidding exemption for bidding waiver
procedure, and requiring certain expenditures to be made in accordance with competitive proposals requirements of 24
CFR 85.36, effective July 1, 2002; P.A. 03-278 made a technical change in Subsec. (a)(4), effective July 9, 2003.
See Sec. 51-58 re court seals.
Requirements of this section extend to purchase of standard form policies of fire and extended coverage insurance.
Lowest responsible bidder statutes are enacted solely for benefit of public and in no sense create any rights in those who
submit bids. 143 C. 338. Provisions that contracts for work, supplies or personal property involving expenditure of more
than $1000 be advertised for bid does not restrict housing authority from selecting a type of facility which, in its judgment,
will benefit it. 148 C. 536. Housing authority decided to convert from coal heat to gas heat and then advertised for bids
on gas installation; plaintiff, a seller of oil, could not complain of decision to convert to gas heat for it was not necessary
for housing authority to invite bids for other types of fuel before deciding to convert to gas. Id. Cited. 208 C. 161. Cited.
216 C. 112.
Housing authority is not a board to hear and determine disputes over labor and wages. 10 CS 389. Provision in lease
absolving authority from liability owing to lack of repair held ineffective as defense. 16 CS 106. Decision of public officers
in awarding contracts will not be interfered with by the courts. 18 CS 302.
Subdiv. (4) (Former Subdiv. (d)):
Nothing in statute creates a cause of action against housing authority or right of appeal should housing authority fail
to comply with the hearing requirement. 265 C. 280.