[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 109 (Thursday, June 6, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 39033-39034]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-14091]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

[Docket No. FR-4733-N-03]


Notice of Proposed Information Collection: Comment Request; CDBG 
Urban County Notice

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: August 5, 2002.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments regarding 
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: Sue Miller, Director, Entitlement 
Communities Division, (202) 708-1577 (this is not a toll-free number) 
for copies of the proposed forms and other available 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: 2506-0170.
    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 or requalification as urban counties under the CDBG 
program must provide information to HUD on a triennial 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 triennial 
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 will still have an opportunity to 
participate as part of an urban county.
    Agency form numbers, if applicable: N/A.

[[Page 39034]]

    Members of affected public: Urban counties and New York towns that 
are eligible as entitlement grantees of the CDBG program.
    Estimation of the total numbers of hours needed to prepare the 
information collection including number of respondents, frequency of 
response, and hours of response: There are currently 158 qualified 
urban counties participating in the CDBG program that must requalify on 
a triennial 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 per year:
    2 x 72 hrs = 144 hrs.
158 grantees requalify on triennial basis; average ann. num. of 
respondents = 53
    53 x 40 hrs. = 2,120 hrs.
    Total = 2,264 hrs.

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

10 towns requalify on triennial basis; average annual number of 
respondents = 3.3
    3.3 x 30 = 100 hrs.
    Total combined burden hours: 2,364 hrs.

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 
number will expire September 30, 2002.

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

    Dated: May 30, 2002.
Roy A. Bernardi,
Assistant, Secretary for Community, Planning and Development.
[FR Doc. 02-14091 Filed 6-5-02; 8:45 am]
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