[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]
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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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