(a) As used in this section, “legislative body” means the council, commission, board, body or town meeting, by whatever name it may be known, having or exercising the general legislative powers and functions of a municipality and “municipality” means any town, city or borough, consolidated town and city or consolidated town and borough.

(b) Notwithstanding any provision of the general statutes or any special act, municipal charter or home rule ordinance, the chief elected officials of two or more municipalities that are members of the same federal economic development district, established under 42 USC 3171, may initiate a process for such municipalities to enter into an agreement to promote regional economic development and share the real and personal property tax revenue from new economic development. Such agreement shall provide that the municipalities agree not to compete for new economic development and shall specify the types of new economic development projects subject to the agreement. The agreement shall also have terms providing for (1) identification of areas for (A) new economic development, (B) open space and natural resource preservation, and (C) transit-oriented development, including housing; (2) capital improvements, including the shared use of buildings and other capital assets; (3) regional energy consumption, including strategies for cooperative energy use and development of distributive generation and sustainable energy projects; and (4) promotion and sharing of arts and cultural assets. The agreement shall also include terms providing for at least three municipal cooperative programs and at least three educational cooperative programs, including, but not limited to, the following: (A) Collective bargaining, (B) purchasing cooperatives, (C) health care pooling with each other or the state, (D) regional shared school curriculum and special education services, through regional educational service centers, established under section 10-66a, and (E) any other initiatives mutually agreed upon. Each municipality that is party to the agreement shall participate in at least one municipal cooperative program and one educational cooperative program. The provisions of this section shall not be construed to require each municipality that is party to the agreement to participate in all municipal cooperative programs and educational cooperative programs described in the agreement.

(c) The agreement shall be prepared pursuant to negotiations and shall contain all provisions on which there is mutual agreement between the municipalities. The agreement shall establish procedures for amendment, termination and withdrawal. The negotiations shall include an opportunity for public participation. The agreement shall be approved by each municipality that is a party to the agreement by resolution of the legislative body.

(d) The municipality in which real property with new economic development is located that is subject to shared revenue pursuant to an agreement under this section shall maintain a separate list describing such properties. The mill rate used to determine the amount of taxes imposed on such new economic development shall be the mill rate of the municipality in which the development is located.

(P.A. 09-231, S. 1.)