[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 26 (Monday, February 9, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7028-7029]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-02617]



[[Page 7028]]

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DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

[Docket No. FR-5832-N-02]


60-Day Notice of Proposed Information Collection: Comment 
Request; CDBG Urban County Qualification/Requalification Processes

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: April 10, 2015.

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: This notice informs the public that HUD is 
seeking approval from OMB for the information collection described in 
section A.

A. Overview of Information Collection

    Title of Information Collection: Community Development Block Grant 
(CDBG) Urban County Qualification/Requalification Processes.
    OMB Approval Number: 2506-0170.
    Type of Request: Existing collection number will expire May 31, 
2015.
    Form Numbers: 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 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 was 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.
    Respondents: Urban counties that are eligible as entitlement 
grantees of the CDBG program.
    Estimation Number of Respondents: There are currently 185 qualified 
urban counties participating in the CDBG program that must requalify 
every three years.
    Frequency of Response: On average, two 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 2 new urban counties qualify     2 x 100 hrs = 200 hrs.
 per year.
185 grantees requalify on triennial basis;  62 x 60 hrs. = 3,720 hrs.
 average annual number of respondents = 62.
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  Total combined burden hours.............  3,920 hours.
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    This total number of combined burden hours can be expected to 
increase annually by 200 hours, given the average of two new urban 
counties becoming eligible entitlement grantees each year.

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                                             Number of     Frequency of   Responses  per    Burden hour    Annual burden    Hourly cost
   Information  collection  2506-0170       respondents      response          annum       per response        hours       per response     Annual cost
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                                                       2               2               2             100             200  ..............  ..............
                                                     185               1              62              60           3,720  ..............  ..............
    Total...............................  ..............  ..............  ..............  ..............           3,920           18.00         $70,560
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B. Solicitation of Public Comment

    This notice is soliciting comments from members of the public and 
affected parties concerning the collection of information described in 
Section A on the following:
    (1) 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) The accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the 
proposed collection of information;

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    (3) Ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and
    (4) Ways to 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.
    HUD encourages interested parties to submit comment in response to 
these questions.

     Authority: Section 3507 of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 
44 U.S.C. 35.

    Dated: January 29, 2015.
Clifford Taffet,
General Deputy Secretary for Community Planning and Development.
[FR Doc. 2015-02617 Filed 2-6-15; 8:45 am]
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