Section 7-622 - Grant program for repairs necessitated by and reimbursements for costs associated with property damage due to flooding(a) Not later than January 1, 2024, the Comptroller shall develop a grant program to provide financial (1) assistance to eligible owners of real property in the city of Hartford to pay for repairs to such property necessitated by flood damage caused on or after January 1, 2021, and (2) reimbursement to residents of the city of Hartford for costs associated with damage to personal property due to flooding occurring on or after said date.(b) The Governor shall appoint an administrator to administer the program developed pursuant to subsection (a) of this section not later than August 1, 2023. The administrator shall be a resident of the city of Hartford and have experience in environmental justice issues and insurance policy claims determinations. Not later than July 15, 2023, the state representatives and state senators for the city of Hartford shall provide the Governor a list of not fewer than two candidates for consideration and the Governor may select and appoint one of such candidates as the administrator or select and appoint a candidate of the Governor's own choosing. The administrator shall be employed pursuant to a personal service agreement and compensated at a per diem rate commensurate with the per diem compensation provided a senior judge pursuant to section 51-47b for each day's service performed in connection with such appointment.(c)(1) The administrator shall develop an application process and eligibility criteria for the grant program. Such process and criteria shall be approved by the Comptroller.(A) Such application shall include, but need not be limited to, if applicable, a copy of any determination made on any claim for such damage against any property and casualty insurance policy issued to an applicant, including any amounts paid to such applicant pursuant to such claim. (B) Except as provided in subparagraph (C) of this subdivision, such eligibility criteria shall include, but need not be limited to, requirements that any such applicant (i) owned real property in the city of Hartford that was damaged by flooding on or after January 1, 2021, or (ii) is a resident of the city of Hartford and owned personal property in said city that was damaged by flooding on or after said date. No applicant shall be deemed ineligible solely because such (I) applicant's property was not insured at the time such damage occurred, or (II) applicant did not receive payment pursuant to any such claim.(C) No applicant who submits an application on or after May 1, 2025, shall be eligible for financial assistance for repairs to real property unless (i) such applicant requested an assessment from the Metropolitan District of Hartford County pursuant to the district's sewer back-up prevention and reporting program on or before April 30, 2025, or (ii) the administrator determines, in accordance with criteria approved by the Comptroller, that extenuating circumstances prevented such applicant from requesting such assessment. The administrator, in consultation with the Metropolitan District of Hartford County, shall verify that an applicant timely requested an assessment from the district.(2) The administrator shall review applications for participation in the grant program and determine each applicant's eligibility for the grant program in accordance with the eligibility criteria developed pursuant to subdivision (1) of this subsection not later than thirty days after receipt of any such application.(3) If the administrator determines that an applicant requesting assistance to pay for repairs to real property is eligible, (A) a licensed home inspector or insurance adjuster with whom the Office of the Comptroller has executed a contract for services, or (B) at such eligible applicant's option, licensed home inspector or insurance adjuster with experience assessing flood damage who is approved by the administrator and hired by such eligible applicant, shall evaluate the damage to the applicant's property and provide a report concerning such damage to the administrator. Such report shall be in a form and manner prescribed by the administrator, and shall include, but need not be limited to, a description of the damage to such eligible applicant's property and the estimated cost to repair such damage. Not later than thirty days after the receipt of such report, the administrator may award a grant, in accordance with a formula established by the Comptroller, to the eligible applicant, or at the administrator's discretion, provide such grant to a contractor or vendor selected by the applicant to repair such damage. Such formula shall include a reduction in the amount of any such grant equal to any payments received by the applicant pursuant to any claim made against a property and casualty insurance policy held by such applicant for such damage.(4) Not later than thirty days after a determination that an applicant is eligible for reimbursement for costs associated with damage to personal property pursuant to subdivision (1) of this subsection, the administrator shall award a grant to the eligible applicant in accordance with a formula established by the Comptroller, which may include a reduction in the amount of any such grant equal to any payments received by the applicant pursuant to any claim made against a property and casualty insurance policy held by such applicant for such damage.(5) The total amount of any grants awarded pursuant to this section to an eligible applicant for repairs to real property and reimbursement for costs associated with damage to personal property where such property was utilized for business purposes at the time such damage was incurred shall not exceed fifty thousand dollars.(6) Any eligible applicant that hires a licensed home inspector or insurance adjuster pursuant to subdivision (3) of this subsection may request reimbursement for the costs of the evaluation conducted pursuant to said subdivision in a form and manner prescribed by the administrator. The administrator shall reimburse such eligible applicant for any such reasonable costs.(d)(1) Any applicant may appeal a decision of the administrator concerning such applicant's eligibility for the grant program or the amount of a grant awarded to such applicant not later than thirty days after the issuance of such decision by filing a notice of intent to appeal with the Comptroller. Any such appeal shall be heard by a judge trial referee assigned by the Chief Court Administrator, who shall be compensated in accordance with the provisions of section 52-434 from funds made available to the Comptroller.(2) In any appeal taken pursuant to subdivision (1) of this subsection, a judge trial referee may consider evidence presented by the applicant, administrator or other interested party, including, but not limited to, testimony or reports prepared by or on behalf of such parties. The applicant shall have the burden of demonstrating by a preponderance of evidence that such applicant is eligible for the grant program and assistance to pay for repairs to real property or reimbursement for costs associated with damage to personal property. Upon such demonstration, the judge trial referee shall award a grant to such applicant in accordance with the formula established by the Comptroller. Any decision made pursuant to this subsection shall be issued not later than sixty days following the end of the hearing and shall be final.(e) Upon the request of a tenant residing in a residential building or occupying a commercial property that was damaged by flooding on or after January 1, 2021, the administrator shall notify the owner of such residential building of the availability of the program developed and administered pursuant to this section by mail or electronic mail, if such owner's mailing address or electronic mail address are known to the administrator.(f) The program established pursuant to this section shall terminate upon the exhaustion of the Hartford Sewerage System Repair and Improvement Fund established pursuant to section 7-621.Amended by P.A. 24-0081,S. 24 of the Connecticut Acts of the 2024 Regular Session, eff. 5/30/2024.Added by P.A. 23-0204, S. 143 of the Connecticut Acts of the 2023 Regular Session, eff. 6/12/2023.