Sec. 51-27a. (Formerly Sec. 51-156a). Courthouses serving the geographical areas. - Connecticut Statutes

      Sec. 51-27a. (Formerly Sec. 51-156a). Courthouses serving the geographical areas. (a) Except as provided in this section and in section 51-27, quarters and furniture necessary for holding sessions of the Superior Court serving geographical areas may be provided and maintained by the city or town in which the session is held.

      (b) Two or more contiguous towns may, by action of their legislative bodies, combine to provide and maintain such quarters and furniture and by agreement of the legislative bodies apportion the expense thereof among the towns.

      (c) The Commissioner of Public Works may continue to lease quarters serving the geographical areas of the Superior Court from a municipality or other person, subject to the provisions of section 4b-23, at a rental as may be set by agreement of the parties, except that with respect to quarters leased from a municipality or any lessor exempt from local property taxes such rental may not exceed annual operating costs for such quarters including, but not limited to, the cost of insurance, electricity, air conditioning, heat, hot and cold running water, janitorial services and supplies, rubbish removal, snow and ice removal, groundskeeping, window washing, security service, maintenance and repairs, replacement of ballasts, tubes and bulbs, toilet supplies, and any renovations undertaken at the request of the lessee, plus two dollars per square foot for contingency expenses.

      (d) The Commissioner of Public Works may, subject to section 4b-23, acquire courthouses to serve the geographical areas of the Superior Court, provided a courthouse shall be within the geographical area which it serves.

      (e) The amount received from the state as rental under this section shall, if two or more municipalities combined to provide the quarters, be divided among them in proportion to the expense of the quarters paid by each.

      (f) Such quarters shall not be leased without the approval of the Chief Court Administrator or his designee.

      (1959, P.A. 28, S. 6; 152, S. 97; 1961, P.A. 386; 1963, P.A. 263, S. 2; February, 1965, P.A. 535; 597, S. 1; 1971, P.A. 870, S. 2; P.A. 74-183, S. 57, 291; 74-272, S. 1, 3; P.A. 75-169; 75-406, S. 1, 11; 75-578, S. 4; P.A. 76-108, S. 1, 3; 76-435, S. 22, 82; 76-436, S. 10a, 52a, 681; P.A. 77-614, S. 73, 610; P.A. 82-248, S. 12; 82-427, S. 1, 3; P.A. 84-371, S. 1, 3; P.A. 87-470, S. 1, 2; 87-496, S. 103, 110.)

      History: Later 1959 act required that expenses of circuit court be paid by state rather than by county where session is held where facilities shared by superior court and court of common pleas, county government having been abolished; 1961 act added proviso re towns' agreement to share expenses for quarters and furniture for circuit court sessions; 1963 act added provisions re leasing of court quarters from municipalities by public works commissioner; 1965 acts revised leasing provisions to allow rentals at other rates than $1.50 per square foot and clarified provision re sharing of facilities by superior and common pleas and circuit courts, specifying that use of chamber, jury assembly and deliberation rooms is allowed and that circuit court may not use facilities when they are in use for trials by superior court, court of common pleas, a judge of either court or a state referee; 1971 act specified that chief judge will establish continuous civil jury sessions to serve circuits, deleted provision whereby sessions were held in any town whose legislative body requests such sessions of the executive secretary of the judicial department and rephrased provision re shared facilities with superior and common pleas courts adding reference to facilities no longer used by such courts, effective September 1, 1971; P.A. 74-183 substantially revised provisions to reflect transfer of circuit court functions to court of common pleas, effective December 31, 1974; P.A. 74-272 established maximum of $3.50 per square foot; P.A. 75-169 specified that trial of "criminal matters and small claims matters transferred to the regular docket except such matters claimed for jury trial or transferred for consolidation" shall be held in court locations maintained for circuit courts on April 1, 1974; P.A. 75-406 specified venue for paternity actions; P.A. 75-578 added provision specifically applicable to short calendar sessions and sessions for trial of civil matters, previously short calendar sessions were held in court facilities in same building as superior court and trials of civil matters were held in former circuit court locations; Sec. 51-251 transferred to Sec. 51-156a in 1975; P.A. 76-108 transferred venue from court locations formerly maintained for circuit courts to locations serving geographical areas or judicial districts, replaced unspecified rental sum agreed on by public works commissioner and municipalities for new or reconstructed quarters with maximum rental of $6.50 per square foot, authorized acquisition of courthouses serving geographical areas or judicial districts and deleted provision which required state to provide and maintain offices of common pleas court established under Sec. 51-156b; P.A. 76-435 made technical correction; P.A. 76-436 amended section to reflect transfer of common pleas court functions to superior court, effective July 1, 1978; Sec. 51-156a transferred to Sec. 51-27a in the 1977 Court Reorganization Supplement; P.A. 77-614 replaced commissioner of public works with commissioner of administrative services as leasing authority; P.A. 82-248 made technical revision, rewording some provisions and dividing section into Subsecs. but made no substantive change; P.A. 82-427 increased maximum annual rental for quarters serving geographical areas of court of common pleas or common pleas judicial districts on July 1, 1978, from maximum of $3.50 per square foot to $6.50 per square foot and substituted "commissioner of administrative services" for "state"; P.A. 84-371 added provision that cost of rental for quarters serving the geographical areas of the superior court from any lessor not exempt from local property tax may not exceed $8.50 per square foot, effective July 1, 1984, and applicable to lease agreements for courthouses entered into on or after that date; P.A. 87-470 amended Subsec. (c) by deleting the maximum rental rates of $6.50 per square foot payable to a municipality or a lessor exempt from local property tax and $8.50 per square foot payable to a lessor not exempt from local property tax, and by adding provision that with respect to quarters leased from a municipality or lessor exempt from local property tax the rental may not exceed annual operating costs plus $2 per square foot for contingency expenses and specifying examples of such operating costs; P.A. 87-496 substituted "public works" for "administrative services" commissioner.

      See Sec. 51-348 re geographical areas, courthouse use and housing docket.

      Annotations to former section 51-251:

      Constitutionality upheld. 23 CS 357.

      Cited. 2 Conn. Cir. Ct. 59.