Resiliency improvement districts. Municipal authority to establish. Powers. Dissolving or modification of district. Interlocal agreements.
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 7-159f
in effect7-159f. Resiliency improvement districts. Municipal authority to establish. Powers. Dissolving or modification of district. Interlocal agreements.
(a) Any municipality may, by vote of its legislative body, establish a resiliency improvement district located wholly within the boundaries of such municipality in accordance with the requirements of this section and sections 7-159g to 7-159n, inclusive. If a municipality is governed by a home rule charter, and such charter prohibits the establishment of a resiliency improvement district, such municipality shall not establish such district. Except as provided in subsection (d) of this section, the establishment of a resiliency improvement district approved by such municipality shall be effective upon the concurrent approval of such district and the adoption of a district master plan pursuant to section 7-159h.
(b) Within a resiliency improvement district, and consistent with the district master plan, the municipality, in addition to powers granted to such municipality under the Constitution of the state of Connecticut, the general statutes, the provisions of any special act or sections 7-159g to 7-159n, inclusive, shall have the following powers:
(1) To acquire, construct, reconstruct, improve, preserve, alter, extend, operate or maintain property or promote development intended to meet the objectives of the district master plan. The municipality may acquire property, land or easements through negotiation or by other means authorized for any municipality under the general statutes;
(2) To execute and deliver contracts, agreements and other documents relating to the operation and maintenance of the resiliency improvement district;
(3) To issue bonds and other obligations of the municipality in accordance with the provisions set forth in section 7-159l;
(4) Acting through its board of selectmen, town council or other governing body of such municipality, to enter into written agreements with a taxpayer that fixes the assessment of real property located within a resiliency improvement district, provided (A) the term of such agreement shall not exceed thirty years from the date of the agreement; and (B) the agreed assessment for such real property plus future improvements shall not be less than the assessment of the real property as of the last regular assessment date without such future improvements. Any such agreement shall be recorded in the land records of the municipality. The recording of such agreement shall constitute notice of the agreement to any subsequent purchaser or encumbrancer of the property or any part of it, whether voluntary or involuntary, and such agreement shall be binding upon any subsequent purchaser or encumbrancer. If the municipality claims that the taxpayer or a subsequent purchaser or encumbrancer has violated the terms of such agreement, the municipality may bring an action in the superior court for the judicial district in which the municipality is located to enforce such agreement;
(5) To accept grants, advances, loans or other financial assistance from the federal government, the state, private entities or any other source, including, but not limited to, such funds as allowable from sections 7-159d, 16-245n, 22a-498 and 25-85, and undertake any additional actions necessary or desirable to secure such financial aid; and
(6) Upon such terms as the municipality determines, to furnish services or facilities, provide property, lend, grant or contribute funds and take any other action such municipality is authorized to perform for any other purposes.
(c) The resiliency improvement district may be dissolved or the boundaries of such district may be modified upon the vote of the legislative body of the municipality, except that the resiliency improvement district may not be dissolved nor may the boundaries of the resiliency improvement district be decreased if any bonds or other indebtedness authorized and issued by the municipality under sections 7-159g to 7-159n, inclusive, remain outstanding. Outstanding obligation bonds of the municipality secured solely by the full faith and credit of the municipality shall not preclude the dissolution of, or the decrease of the boundaries of, a resiliency improvement district.
(d) Two or more contiguous municipalities may enter into an interlocal agreement in accordance with sections 7-339a to 7-339l, inclusive, to establish a joint resiliency improvement district and adopt a district master plan for a district that consists of contiguous properties partially located in each such municipality. Such interlocal agreement shall be adopted prior to the establishment of any such joint district and the adoption of a district master plan for such district. A joint resiliency improvement district shall be deemed established upon the concurrent approval of such district and the adoption of a district master plan by the legislative bodies of all of the municipalities participating in the interlocal agreement.
(e) The interlocal agreement under which two or more contiguous municipalities establish a joint resiliency improvement district shall apportion any power, right, duty or obligation granted to, or required of, any municipality under the provisions of sections 7-159g to 7-159n, inclusive, among the municipalities participating in the interlocal agreement.
(f) Nothing in this section shall be construed to limit the power granted to a municipality pursuant to any provision of the general statutes or any special act to offer, enter into or modify any tax abatement for real property located in a resiliency improvement district if such real property contains one or more units of affordable housing, as defined in section 8-39a.
(P.A. 25-33, S. 22.)
History: P.A. 25-33 effective July 1, 2025.
Source: Connecticut General Assembly (cga.ct.gov)URL: https://www.cga.ct.gov/2026/sup/chap_098.htm#sec_7-159fFetched: 10/20/2026