Advisory Commission On Intergovernmental Relations (ACIR) Reports

The following list of Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations (ACIR) Reports are either required by statute or authorized by the Commission.

Annual Report

The Annual Report describes the role of the Commission, its membership and organization, as well as its activities and publications during the last fiscal year.

Connecticut Municipal Budget Adoption Experiences

Each year, the Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations surveys the 169 municipalities and 17 regional school districts for their experiences in adopting their annual operating budgets and summarizes their experiences in a report. The survey requests information regarding the method of budget adoption, i.e., council, town meeting, referendum, date of adoption, and the number of times the budget was voted on before it was adopted. The Commission compares the information received with data from previous years in order to identify trends and facilitate other analysis.

The Budget Adoption Experiences Report is available. A description of ACIR is also available.

Cooperative Ventures by Local Governments in Connecticut   (2000)

In 2000, the Connecticut Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations updated a report on local government cooperative ventures. Local government cooperative ventures either can be authorized by statute or created by voluntary local initiatives. There are approximately 37 types of regional or inter-municipal organizations authorized by Connecticut General Statutes and federal legislation, including three inter-district education programs. There are also a wide variety of locally-generated, voluntary inter-municipal arrangements in Connecticut which address a wide range of issues. Since these locally-generated agreements are not required to be certified by, or registered with, any state agency, there is no comprehensive state-wide index of inter-municipal organizations.

The study identifies and classifies the types of regional and inter-local cooperation currently existing in the state; catalogues as many types of inter-municipal cooperative efforts as possible and provides concise and useful information concerning such programs for possible replication by other interested municipalities. It also contains examples of the different types of operational agreements which led to the creation of the inter-municipal bodies, providing resource documentation to municipal officials interested in examining potential relationships further.

The Cooperative Ventures Report is available. A description of ACIR is also available.

State Mandates On Municipalities: Actions In 2010

Under Section 2-32c of the Connecticut General Statutes, the Connecticut Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations (ACIR) must prepare a report within 90 days after the adjournment of the legislative session or by September 1, whichever is first, that lists each state mandate enacted during that legislative session. Section 2-32b(2) of the Connecticut General Statutes defines a state mandate as any state initiated constitutional, statutory or executive action that requires a local government to establish, expand or modify its activities in such a way as to necessitate additional expenditures from local revenues, excluding any order issued by a state court and any legislation necessary to comply with a federal mandate. ACIR submits the report to the leadership of the General Assembly.  The Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management must provide notice of the report to the chief elected official of each municipality.

The 2010 State Mandates Report is available. A description of ACIR is also available.

Compendium of Statutory and Regulatory Mandates on Municipalities in Connecticut

Section 2-79a(c) of the Connecticut General Statutes requires that every four years, beginning in 1998, the Connecticut Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations submit a report to the General Assembly listing each state mandate imposed on municipalities and, for Statutory Mandates, their estimated cost. A state mandate is defined under Section 2-32b(2) of the Connecticut General Statutes as any state initiated constitutional, statutory or executive action that requires a local government to establish, expand or modify its activities in such a way as to necessitate additional expenditures from local revenues, excluding any order issued by a state court and any legislation necessary to comply with a federal mandate.

Statutory Mandates

The listing of statutory mandates in the Compendium is divided into three sections to reflect three basically different types of mandates: 

Section A - includes the general list of requirements which mandate actions on the part of municipalities; 

Section B - includes statutes which mandate actions if a municipality chooses to perform a service which is not mandated (although which may be essentially unavoidable); 

Section C - includes statutes which are mandates on all entities performing certain functions including, but not limited to, municipalities. 

In addition, the Compendium characterizes the fiscal impact of each statutory  mandate based on the following criteria: 

    Minor - Under .1% of the municipal operating budget 

    Moderate - .1 - 1% of the municipal operating budget 

    Major - Over 1% of the municipal operating budget

Regulatory Mandates

Regulatory mandates are contained in formal state regulations, adopted in accordance with the Connecticut Uniform Administrative Procedures Act. Regulations implement specific sections of the Connecticut General Statutes and are usually more detailed. Regulations cannot be enacted without statutory authority.

The mandates are organized by title i.e., Title 4 - State Agencies, and are divided into two sections. Section A consists of regulations that implement statutes which require municipalities to take certain action. Section B consists of those regulations which require municipalities to take certain actions, but only after they have voluntarily chosen to undertake a specific activity. In this case, once the activity is undertaken, the regulations contain requirements which necessitate additional municipal expenditures.

The  Compendium of Statutory and Regulatory State Mandates on Municipalities in Connecticut is available. A description of ACIR is also available.

Compendium of Statutory and Regulatory Mandates on Municipalities in Connecticut: 2011 Supplement

In the intervening three years between publication of the Compendium of Statutory and Regulatory Mandates on Municipalities in Connecticut that lists each state regulatory and statutory mandate imposed upon municipalities and its submittal to the General Assembly , the Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations is required to submit a supplemental report on changes to such mandates.

The Supplemental Report is available. A description of ACIR is also available.

For Further Information, Please Contact:Bruce Wittchen: phone (860) 418-6323 - fax (860) 418-6493 - e-mail  bruce.wittchen@ct.gov