[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 248 (Monday, December 28, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 71494-71496]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-34315]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

[Docket No. FR-4369-N-13]


Notice of Proposed Information; Collection: Comment Request

AGENCY: Office of the Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and 
Development, HUD.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The proposed information collection requirement described 
below will be submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) 
for review, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act. The Department 
is soliciting public comments on the subject proposal.

DATES: Comments due date: February 26, 1999.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments regarding

[[Page 71495]]

this proposal. Comments should refer to the proposal by name and/or OMB 
Control Number and should be sent to: Shelia Jones, Reports Liaison 
Officer, Department of Housing and Urban Development, 451 7th Street, 
SW, Room 7232, Washington, DC 20410.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Deirdre Maguire-Zinni, Director, Entitlement Communities Division, 
(202) 708-1577 (this is not a toll-free number) for copies of the 
proposed documents.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Department is submitting the proposed 
information collection to OMB for review, as required by the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35, as amended).
    This Notice is soliciting comments from members of the public and 
affected agencies concerning the proposed collection of information to: 
(1) Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is 
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, 
including whether the information will have practical utility; (2) 
Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the 
proposed collection of information; (3) Enhance the quality, utility, 
and clarity of the information to be collected; and (4) Minimize the 
burden of the collection of information on those who are to respond; 
including through the use of appropriate automated collection 
techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting 
electronic submission of responses.
    This Notice also lists the following information:
    Title of Proposal: Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Urban 
County and New York Towns Qualification/Requalification Processes.
    OMB Control Number, if applicable: N/A.
    Description of the need for the information and proposed use: The 
Housing and Community Development Act of 1974, as amended, at sections 
102(a)(6) and 102(e) requires that any county seeking qualification as 
an urban county notify each unit of general local government within the 
county that such unit may enter into a cooperation agreement to 
participate in the CDBG program as part of the county. Section 102(d) 
of the statute specifies that the period of qualification will be three 
years. Based on these statutory provisions, counties seeking 
qualification/requalification as urban counties under the CDBG program 
must provide information to HUD on a triannual basis identifying the 
communities within the county participating as a part of the county for 
purposes of receiving CDBG funds. The population of included units of 
local government for each eligible urban county and New York town are 
used in HUD's allocation of CDBG funds for all entitlement and State 
CDBG grantees.
    New York towns must undertake a similar process on a triannual 
basis because under New York state law, towns that contain incorporated 
units of general local government within their boundaries cannot 
qualify as metropolitan cities unless they execute cooperation 
agreements with all such incorporated units. The New York towns 
qualification process must be completed prior to the qualification of 
urban counties so that any town that does not qualify as a metropolitan 
city can still have an opportunity to participate as part of an urban 
county.
    Agency form numbers, if applicable: N/A.
    Members of affected public: Urban counties and New York towns that 
are eligible as entitlement grantees of the CDBG program.
    Elimination of the total numbers of hours needed to prepare the 
information collection including number of respondents, frequency of 
responses, and hours of response: There are currently 147 qualified 
urban counties participating in the CDBG program that must requalify on 
a triannual basis. On average, 2 new counties qualify each year. The 
burden on new counties is greater than for existing counties that 
requalify. The Department estimates new grantees use, on average, 72 
hours to review instructions, contact communities in the county, 
prepare and review agreements, obtain legal opinions, have agreements 
executed at the local and county level, and prepare and transmit copies 
of required documents to HUD. The Department estimates that counties 
that are requalifying use, on average, 40 hours to complete these 
actions. The time savings on requalification is primarily a result of a 
grantee's ability to use agreements with no specified end date. Use of 
such ``renewable'' agreements enables the grantee to merely notify 
affected participating units of government in writing that their 
agreement will automatically be renewed unless the unit of government 
terminates the agreement in writing, rather than executing a new 
agreement every three years.

Average of 2 new urban counties qualify     2  x  hrs..........................   =    144 hrs.
 per year.
147 grantees requalify on triannual basis;  49  x  40 hrs......................   =  1,960 hrs.
 average annual number of respondents = 49.
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    Total burden..........................  ...................................   =  2,104 hrs.
 

    There are 10 New York towns that requalify on a triannual basis. 
They, too, may use ``renewable'' agreements which reduces the burden 
required under this process. The Department estimates that New York 
towns, on average, use 30 hours on a triannual basis to complete the 
requalification process.

10 towns requalify on triannual basis;      3.3  x  30.........................   =  100 hrs.
 average annual number of respondents =
 3.3.
    Total combined burden hours:..........    .................................   =  2,204 hrs.
 


[[Page 71496]]

    This total number of combined burden hours can be expected to 
increase by 144 hours annually given the average of 2 new urban 
counties becoming eligible entitlement grantees each year.
    Status of the proposed information collection: Existing collection 
in use without an OMB control number.

    Authority: The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 44 U.S.C. 
Chapter 35, as amended.

    Dated: December 21, 1998.
Cardell Cooper,
Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development.
[FR Doc. 98-34315 Filed 12-24-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4210-29-M