Notice of Proposed Information; Collection: Comment Request

DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

[Docket No. FR-4369-N-13]

Notice of Proposed Information; Collection: Comment Request

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: February 26, 1999.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments regarding

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this proposal. Comments should refer to the proposal by name and/or OMB

Control Number and should be sent to: Shelia Jones, Reports Liaison

Officer, Department of Housing and Urban Development, 451 7th Street,

SW, Room 7232, Washington, DC 20410.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Deirdre Maguire-Zinni, Director, Entitlement Communities Division,

(202) 708-1577 (this is not a toll-free number) for copies of the

proposed documents.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Department is submitting 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 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 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 Processes.

OMB Control Number, if applicable: 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/requalification as urban counties under the CDBG program

must provide information to HUD on a triannual basis identifying the

communities within the county participating as a part of the county for

purposes of receiving CDBG funds. The population of included units of

local government 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 on a triannual

basis because under New York state law, towns that contain incorporated

units of general local government within their boundaries cannot

qualify as metropolitan cities unless they execute cooperation

agreements with all such incorporated units. The New York towns

qualification process must be completed prior to the qualification of

urban counties so that any town that does not qualify as a metropolitan

city can 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.

Elimination of the total numbers of hours needed to prepare the

information collection including number of respondents, frequency of

responses, and hours of response: There are currently 147 qualified

urban counties participating in the CDBG program that must requalify on

a triannual basis. On average, 2 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, 72

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, 40 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 units of government in writing that their

agreement will automatically be renewed unless the unit of government

terminates the agreement in writing, rather than executing a new

agreement every three years.

Average of 2 new urban counties qualify 2 x hrs.......................... = 144 hrs.

per year.

147 grantees requalify on triannual basis; 49 x 40 hrs...................... = 1,960 hrs.

average annual number of respondents = 49.

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Total burden.......................... ................................... = 2,104 hrs.

There are 10 New York towns that requalify on a triannual basis.

They, too, may use ``renewable'' agreements which reduces the burden

required under this process. The Department estimates that New York

towns, on average, use 30 hours on a triannual basis to complete the

requalification process.

10 towns requalify on triannual basis; 3.3 x 30......................... = 100 hrs.

average annual number of respondents =

3.3.

Total combined burden hours:.......... ................................. = 2,204 hrs.

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This total number of combined burden hours can be expected to

increase by 144 hours annually given the average of 2 new urban

counties becoming eligible entitlement grantees each year.

Status of the proposed information collection: Existing collection

in use without an OMB control number.

Authority: The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 44 U.S.C.

Chapter 35, as amended.

Dated: December 21, 1998.

Cardell Cooper,

Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development.

[FR Doc. 98-34315 Filed 12-24-98; 8:45 am]

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