[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 126 (Friday, July 1, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 38189-38190]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-12977]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

[Docket No. FR-4972-N-07]


Notice of Proposed Information Collection: Comment Request; CDBG 
Urban County/New York Towns Qualification/Requalification Process, 
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 30, 2005.

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: Sheila Jones, Reports Liaison 
Officer, Department of Housing Urban and Development, 451 7th Street, 
SW., Room 7232, Washington, DC 20410.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Stan Gimont, Director, Entitlement 
Communities Division, (202) 708-1577 (this is not a toll-free number).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Department is submitting the proposed 
information collection to OMB for review, as required by the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995 (55 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 affected 
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 Process.
    OMB Control Number, is 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(2) 
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 every three years identifying 
the units of general local governments (UGLGs) within the county 
participating as a part of the county for purposes of receiving CDBG 
funds. The population of UGLGs 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 every three years because under New York State law, New 
York towns that contain incorporated UGLGs within their boundaries 
cannot qualify as metropolitan cities unless they execute cooperation 
agreements with all such incorporated units. The New York town 
qualification process must be completed prior to the qualification or 
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.
    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 165 qualified 
urban counties participating in the CDBG program that must requalify 
every three years. On average, three 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, 100 
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, 60 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 UGLGs in writing that their agreement will 
automatically be renewed unless the UGLG terminates the agreement in 
writing, rather than executing a new agreement every three years.
    There are 10 New York towns that requalify every three years. They, 
too, may use ``renewable'' agreements that reduce the burden required 
under this process. The Department estimates that New York towns, on 
average, use 50 hours every three years to complete the requalification 
process.

[[Page 38190]]

    Average of 3 new urban counties qualify per year: 3 x 100 hours = 
300 hrs.
    165 grantees requalify on triennial basis; average annual number of 
respondents = 55: 55 x 60 hrs. = 3300 hrs.
    10 towns requalify every three years; average annual number of 
respondents = 3.3: 3.3 x 50 = 165 hrs.
    Total combined burden hours: 3,765 hrs.
    This total number of combined burden hours can be expected to 
increase annually by 300 hours annually, given the average of three new 
urban counties becoming eligible entitlement grantees each year.
    Status of the proposed information collection: Existing collection 
number will expire October 31, 2005.

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

    Dated: June 27, 2005.
Pamela H. Patenaude,
Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development.
[FR Doc. 05-12977 Filed 6-30-05; 8:45 am]
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