(a) The department is authorized to (1) promote and assist the formation of municipal or regional economic development commissions under sections 7-136 and 7-137, or any other provision of the general statutes or any special act; and (2) make available technical and financial assistance to any municipal or regional economic development commission, regional economic development corporation or a regional council of governments organized under sections 4-124i to 4-124p, inclusive. Such financial assistance may be provided to expand or establish the capacity for planning and implementation of regional economic development, including, but not limited to, business retention and recruitment, infrastructure enhancement, labor force development and financial credit availability. Financial assistance may be used for strategic economic development plans, establishment of regional economic databases, regional marketing for business retention and recruitment, coordination of economic development efforts with regional, local, state and federal agencies, surveys, land use studies, site development plans and for any other functions of economic development commissions as set forth in said sections 7-136 and 7-137 or any other provision of the general statutes or any special act.

(b) Such financial assistance, if any, shall be rendered upon such contractual arrangements as may be agreed upon by the department and the eligible applicant in accordance with their respective needs.

(c) Applications for financial assistance shall be submitted to the Commissioner of Economic and Community Development at such times and on such forms as the commissioner may prescribe. Each such application shall include, but not be limited to, the following: (1) Documentation that the applicant has staff with expertise in regional economic development to prepare an effective plan to market its services through such entities as chambers of commerce, industry trade associations, banks, local development corporations, community-based organizations and industrial development agencies; (2) a description of the applicant including its organization, membership, staff and sources of other funds, if any; (3) identification of the geographic region to be served; and (4) a description of the means for coordinating financial assistance available under this section with financial assistance available from other public and private funding sources within the region.

(d) The commissioner shall approve financial assistance on the basis of: (1) The ability of the applicant to administer the financial assistance authorized under this section; (2) the extent of coordination with other publicly and privately supported financial assistance programs available within the region represented by the applicant; and (3) the degree of public and private support within the region for the applicant.