Municipal Plans of Conservation and Development
Plan of Conservation and Development Adoption
Section 8-23 of the Connecticut General Statutes (CGS) requires each municipality to prepare or amend and adopt a plan of conservation and development (POCD) at least once every ten years.
Municipal POCDs must be submitted to the Regional Councils of Governments (COGs) for review prior to holding public hearings. OPM does not review draft POCDs.
Within 60 days of adoption of a POCD, the municipality must notify OPM and identify any inconsistencies with the Connecticut Conservation and Development Policies Plan. When notifying OPM through the contact listed at the bottom of this page, include a link to the POCD and clearly specify the date of adoption. OPM maintains the Municipal POCD Inventory by adoption date, not the date the plan takes effect.
Expired Plan of Conservation and Development
Whenever a municipality fails to adopt a new or amended POCD within the required 10-year timeframe, CGS Sec. 8-23(a) requires the Chief Elected Official of the municipality to notify the OPM Secretary and the Commissioners of Transportation, Energy and Environmental Protection, and Economic and Community Development.
A sample Notice of Expired POCD is provided in the Resources section below and should be emailed to the following required recipients, copying the OPM contact listed at the bottom of this page, who will provide an email confirming receipt:
- OPM Secretary Jeffrey Beckham
- DOT Commissioner Garrett Eucalitto
- DEEP Commissioner Katie Dykes
- DECD Commissioner Daniel O’Keefe
“Extensions” on local POCDs are not enabled by state law. Rather, the Notice of Expired POCD letter serves to explain to state agencies why the municipality has fallen out of compliance with state law and its anticipated timeline for adopting a POCD.
Discretionary Funding Prohibition and Waivers
In accordance with CGS Sec. 8-23(a), any municipality that does not adopt a POCD every ten years shall be ineligible for discretionary state funding of more than $25,000 unless such prohibition is expressly waived by the OPM Secretary.
- Discretionary state funding includes, but is not limited to, any source of funding that a state agency administers through a competitive process, e.g. the Urban Action Program, Small Town Economic Assistance Program, Brownfields Remediation, etc.
- Discretionary funding does not include entitlement or formula-based programs, such as the Local Capital Improvement Program (LoCIP), Education Cost Sharing (ECS), Town Aid Road (TAR), etc.
Prior to requesting a waiver for discretionary funding, a municipality must submit a Notice of Expired POCD Letter as explained above. A copy of the previously filed Notice of Expired POCD must also be included with each application for discretionary state funding to any administering state agency.
The Chief Elected Official of the municipality should submit a Waiver Request Letter (sample provided in the Resources section below) addressed to the OPM Secretary via the contact listed below. While not required, OPM recommends submitting the waiver request before applying for discretionary state funding. However, OPM may also process requests that are submitted at the same time as a grant application to an administering state agency. A new Waiver Request letter is required for each application for discretionary state funding.
The OPM Secretary shall consider the information provided in each Waiver Request Letter and provide a timely written response to both the Chief Elected Official of the municipality and to the administering state agency’s point-of-contact as to whether or not the discretionary state funding prohibition is waived for the subject application.
Contact: Justine.Phillips-Gallucci@ct.gov; 860.418.6292
Resources: