[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 235 (Wednesday, December 7, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 76431-76432]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-31415]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

[Docket No. FR-5481-N-18]


Notice of Proposed Information Collection: Comment Request; CDBG 
Urban County Qualification/Requalification Process, Notice

AGENCY: Office of 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 6, 2012.

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: Colette Pollard, Departmental 
Paperwork Reduction Act Officer, QDAM, Department of Housing and Urban 
Development, 451 7th Street SW., Room 4160, Washington, DC 20410; 
telephone: (202) 708-3400 (this is not a toll-free number) or email Ms. 
Pollard for a copy of the proposed form and other available 
information.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Gloria Coates, Community Planning and 
Development Specialist, Entitlement Communities Division, Office of 
Block Grant Assistance, 451 7th Street SW., Room 7282, Washington, DC 
20410; telephone (202) 708-1577 (this is not a toll-free number).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Department will submit 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 solicits 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 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 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 is used 
in HUD's allocation of CDBG funds for all entitlement and State CDBG 
grantees.
    New York towns undertook a similar process every three years. 
However, after consultation with program counsel, it has been 
determined that a requalification process for New York towns is 
unnecessary because the units of general local government in New York 
towns do not have the same statutory notice rights (under Section 
102(e) of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974) as units 
of general local government participating in an urban county. In 
addition, each New York town has automatic renewing agreements with the 
incorporated units of general local governments contained within their 
boundaries. Therefore, it is presumed that all incorporated units of 
general local government will continue to participate in the New York 
towns in which they are located unless Headquarters is notified to the 
contrary.
    Agency form numbers, if applicable: N/A.
    Members of affected public: Urban counties 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 183 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.

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Average of 3 new urban         3 x 100 hrs = 300 hrs.
 counties qualify per year.
183 grantees requalify on      61 x 60 hrs. = 3,660 hrs.
 triennial basis; average
 annual number of respondents
 = 61.
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    Total combined burden      3,960 hours.
     hours.
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[[Page 76432]]

    This total number of combined burden hours can be expected to 
increase annually by 300 hours, 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 February 29, 2012.

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

    Dated: December 2, 2011.
Clifford Taffet,
General Deputy Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and 
Development.
[FR Doc. 2011-31415 Filed 12-6-11; 8:45 am]
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