130th Ohio General Assembly
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Am. Sub. H. B. No. 427As Passed by the House
As Passed by the House

125th General Assembly
Regular Session
2003-2004
Am. Sub. H. B. No. 427


REPRESENTATIVES Martin, Calvert, Hoops, C. Evans, D. Evans, Faber, Flowers, Hughes, T. Patton, Schmidt, Schneider, Trakas, Aslanides, Collier, Domenick, Gibbs, Gilb, Hagan, Oelslager, Reidelbach, Walcher



A BILL
To amend sections 122.18, 4928.62, 5709.62, 5709.63, 5709.631, and 5709.632 and to enact sections 4928.64 to 4928.644, 4928.65 to 4928.652, and 5709.91 of the Revised Code, to amend Sections 38, 38.18, and 38.20 of Am. Sub. H.B. 95 of the 125th General Assembly, and to repeal Section 2 of Sub. S.B. 186 of the 123rd General Assembly; to increase from 10 to 15 the number of years enterprise zones or urban jobs and enterprise zone agreements may exempt property from taxation, subject to school board approval; to authorize the Director of Development to grant money for the purpose of making loans to businesses located in certain economically distressed counties and for the purpose of improving commercial and industrial areas within the counties; to create the Job Development Initiatives Fund and transfer up to $25.8 million of unclaimed funds to it; to authorize the conveyance of state-owned real estate in Hamilton County to the Board of County Commissioners of Hamilton County; to modify the law authorizing payments to municipalities and counties that attract federal jobs; to prevent the repeal of the Employee Ownership Assistance Program that is to take effect December 31, 2004; and to make appropriations.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF OHIO:
Section 1. That sections 122.18, 4928.62, 5709.62, 5709.63, 5709.631, and 5709.632 be amended and sections 4928.64, 4928.641, 4928.642, 4928.643, 4928.644, 4928.65, 4928.651, and 4928.652 of the Revised Code be enacted to read as follows:
Sec. 122.18.  (A) As used in this section:
(1) "Facility" means all real property and interests in real property owned by a landlord and leased to a tenant pursuant to a project that is the subject of an agreement under this section;
(2) "Full-time employee" has the same meaning as under section 122.17 of the Revised Code;
(3) "Landlord" means a county or municipal corporation, or a corporate entity that is an instrumentality of a county or municipal corporation and that is not subject to the tax imposed by section 5733.06 or 5747.02 of the Revised Code;
(4) "New employee" means a full-time employee first employed by, or under or pursuant to a contract with, the tenant in the project that is the subject of the agreement after a landlord enters into an agreement with the tax credit authority under this section;
(5) "New income tax revenue" means the total amount withheld under section 5747.06 of the Revised Code by the tenant or tenants at a facility during a year from the compensation of new employees for the tax levied under Chapter 5747. of the Revised Code;
(6) "Tenant" means the United States or, any department, agency, or instrumentality thereof of the United States, or any person under contract with the United States or any department, agency, or instrumentality of the United States.
(B) The tax credit authority may enter into an agreement with a landlord under which an annual payment equal to the new income tax revenue or the amount called for under division (D)(3) or (4) of this section shall be made to the landlord from moneys of this state that were not raised by taxation, and shall be credited by the landlord to the rental owing from the tenant to the landlord for a facility.
(C) A landlord that proposes a project to create new jobs in this state may apply to the tax credit authority to enter into an agreement for annual payments under this section. The director of development shall prescribe the form of the application. After receipt of an application, the authority may enter into an agreement with the landlord for annual payments under this section if it determines all of the following:
(1) The project will create new jobs in this state;
(2) The project is economically sound and will benefit the people of this state by increasing opportunities for employment and strengthening the economy of this state;
(3) Receiving the annual payments will be a major factor in the decision of the landlord and tenant to go forward with the project.
(D) An agreement with a landlord for annual payments shall include all of the following:
(1) A description of the project that is the subject of the agreement;
(2) The term of the agreement, which shall be the greater of not exceed twenty years or until the date on which the bonds or other forms of financing referred to in division (D)(3) of this section are no longer outstanding;
(3) Based on the estimated new income tax revenue to be derived from the facility at the time the agreement is entered into, provision for a guaranteed minimum payment to the landlord commencing with the issuance by the landlord of any bonds or other forms of financing for the construction of the facility and continuing for so long as such bonds or other forms of financing or any bonds or other forms of financing issued to refund such bonds or other forms of financing are outstanding the term approved by the authority;
(4) Provision for offsets to this state of the annual payment in years in which such annual payment is greater than the guaranteed minimum payment of amounts previously paid by this state to the landlord in excess of the new income tax revenue by reason of the guaranteed minimum payment;
(5) A specific method for determining how many new employees are employed during a year;
(6) A requirement that the landlord annually shall obtain from the tenant and report to the director of development the number of new employees, the new income tax revenue withheld in connection with the new employees, and any other information the director needs to perform the director's duties under this section;
(7) A requirement that the director of development annually shall verify the amounts reported under division (D)(6) of this section, and after doing so shall issue a certificate to the landlord stating that the amounts have been verified.
(E) The director of development, in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code, shall adopt rules necessary to implement this section.
Sec. 4928.62.  (A) Beginning on the starting date of competitive retail electric service, there is hereby created the energy efficiency revolving loan program, which shall be administered by the director of development. Under the program, the director may authorize the use of moneys in the energy efficiency revolving loan fund for financial assistance for projects in this state. To the extent feasible given approved applications for assistance, the assistance shall be distributed among the certified territories of electric distribution utilities and participating electric cooperatives, and among the service areas of participating municipal electric utilities, in amounts proportionate to the remittances of each utility and cooperative under divisions (B)(1) and (3) of section 4928.61 of the Revised Code. The
(B) Financial assistance under the program may be provided by the director of development in the form of direct loans or grants, or through lending institutions in the form of loan participation agreements at below market rates or linked deposits. The total of all grants provided under this division in any one fiscal year shall not exceed ten per cent of the revenues paid into the energy efficiency revolving loan fund during the previous fiscal year.
The director shall not authorize financial assistance under the program this division unless the director first determines all of the following:
(1) The project will include an investment in products, technologies, or services, including energy efficiency for low-income housing, for residential, commercial and industrial business, local government, educational institution, nonprofit entity, or agricultural customers of an electric distribution utility in this state or a participating municipal electric utility or electric cooperative in this state.
(2) The project will improve energy efficiency in a cost-efficient manner by using both the most appropriate national, federal, or other standards for products as determined by the director, and the best practices for use of technology, products, or services in the context of the total facility or building.
(3) The project will benefit the economic and environmental welfare of the citizens of this state.
(4) The receipt of financial assistance is a major factor in the applicant's decision to proceed with or invest in the project.
(B)(C) In addition to the financial assistance authorized under division (B) of this section, financial assistance may be provided by the director in accordance with sections 4928.64 to 4928.644 and sections 4928.65 to 4928.652 of the Revised Code.
(D) In carrying out sections 4928.61 to 4928.63 of the Revised Code, the director may do all of the following for the purpose of the energy efficiency revolving loan program:
(1) Acquire in the name of the director any property of any kind or character in accordance with this section, by purchase, purchase at foreclosure, or exchange, on such terms and in such manner as the director considers proper;
(2) Make and enter into all contracts and agreements necessary or incidental to the performance of the director's duties and the exercise of the director's powers under those sections;
(3) Employ or enter into contracts with financial consultants, marketing consultants, consulting engineers, architects, managers, construction experts, attorneys, technical monitors, energy evaluators, or other employees or agents as the director considers necessary, and fix their compensation;
(4) Adopt rules prescribing the application procedures for financial assistance under the program; the terms and conditions of any loans, grants, loan participation agreements, linked deposits, and contracts; criteria pertaining to the eligibility of participating lending institutions; and any other matters necessary for the implementation of the program;
(5) Do all things necessary and appropriate for the operation of the program.
(C)(E) Financial statements, financial data, and trade secrets submitted to or received by the director from an applicant or recipient of financial assistance under sections 4928.61 to 4928.63 of the Revised Code, or any information taken from those statements, data, or trade secrets for any purpose, are not public records for the purpose of section 149.43 of the Revised Code.
Sec. 4928.64.  As used in sections 4928.64 to 4928.644 of the Revised Code:
(A) "Business" means any form of business organization, including, but not limited to, a sole proprietorship, partnership, limited liability company, or corporation, including an S corporation as defined in section 1361 of the Internal Revenue Code.
(B) "Business facilities" means a business's place of business in an eligible county, including land, buildings, machinery, equipment, and other materials, except inventory, used in business.
(C) "Eligible business" means a business that establishes, acquires, maintains, expands, remodels, rehabilitates, or modernizes business facilities in an eligible county, thereby creating new jobs or preserving existing jobs and employment opportunities in, and improving the economic welfare of the people of, the eligible county.
(D) "Eligible county" means a county designated as being in the "Appalachian region" under the "Appalachian Regional Development Act of 1965," 40 U.S.C. 14102.
(E) "Local development district" has the same meaning as in the "Appalachian Regional Development Act of 1965," 40 U.S.C. 14102.
Sec. 4928.641.  The director of development shall disburse money in the business incubator grant fund to each local development district in the state so that an equal share is made available to each eligible county from the fund. Money disbursed from the fund to local development districts shall be used exclusively for the purpose of making loans in eligible counties as described in section 4928.642 of the Revised Code. Each local development district shall ensure that an equal amount of money is made available for such loans in each eligible county represented by the district.
Sec. 4928.642.  (A)(1) An eligible business may apply for a loan from the business incubator loan fund of a local development district by submitting an application to the district. The eligible business shall file the application in the form and manner prescribed by the district. The application shall contain all information required by the district. The application shall require an applicant to provide a detailed description of the applicant's business facilities and business activities in the eligible county and to specify how a loan from the district incubator loan fund will create new jobs or preserve existing jobs and employment opportunities in, and improve the economic welfare of the people of, the eligible county. The application shall require an applicant to specify the amount of the loan for which the applicant is applying. The district shall review each application.
(2) The district may approve an application for a loan from the district business incubator loan fund if it determines that the loan will create new jobs or preserve existing jobs and employment opportunities in, and improve the economic welfare of the people of, the eligible county. The district may approve a loan in an amount other than the amount specified in the application. A loan may not exceed thirty thousand dollars. Upon approving the application, the district shall forward a copy of the application to the director of development. If the district has approved a loan in an amount other than the amount specified in the application, the district shall inform the director of the amount of the loan it has approved. If the director consents to the loan, the district may make a loan to the applicant in the amount approved by the district.
(B) Interest shall not accrue on a loan from a district business incubator loan fund until seven years following the date on which the loan was made, at which time interest shall begin to accrue on the unpaid principal balance of the loan at a rate equal to two-thirds of the average prime fixed rate of interest on the date interest begins to accrue on the loan.
(C) Each loan made from a district business incubator loan fund shall be evidenced by a written agreement between the local development district and the eligible business that receives the loan. The agreement shall specify all the terms and conditions of the loan, including the term of the loan, which shall not exceed fifteen years. The terms and conditions of a loan shall be those the district determines to be appropriate and in furtherance of the purposes for which the loan is made. The terms and conditions must conform to sections 4928.64 to 4928.644 of the Revised Code.
(D) An eligible business and its related members, as defined in section 5733.042 of the Revised Code, are not eligible for more than one loan under this section.
(E) Financial statements and other information submitted by an eligible business to a district or the director of development for the purpose of obtaining a loan from a district business incubator loan fund are not open to public inspection.
Sec. 4928.643.  There is hereby created in the state treasury the business incubator grant fund, which shall consist of money appropriated to the fund by the general assembly. Money in the fund shall be used exclusively for the purpose of making grants to local development districts under section 4928.641 of the Revised Code.
Sec. 4928.644.  Money granted to a local development district from the business incubator grant fund under section 4928.641 of the Revised Code shall be credited to the district business incubator loan fund, which each local development district shall create. A district business incubator loan fund shall also consist of all payments of principal and interest on loans made from the fund under section 4928.642 of the Revised Code. All investment earnings on the cash balance in a district business incubator loan fund shall be credited to the fund. Money in a district business incubator loan fund shall be used exclusively for the purpose of making loans under section 4928.642 of the Revised Code.
Sec. 4928.65.  As used in sections 4928.65 to 4928.652 of the Revised Code:
(A) "Commercial or industrial areas" means areas established by a state, county, municipal, or other local zoning authority as being most appropriate for business, commerce, industry, or trade or an area not zoned by state or local law, regulation, or ordinance, but in which there is located one or more commercial or industrial activities.
(B) "Eligible county" means any of the following:
(1) A county designated as being in the "Appalachian region" under the "Appalachian Regional Development Act of 1965," 79 Stat. 5, 40 U.S.C. App. 403;
(2) A county that is a "distressed area" as defined in section 122.16 of the Revised Code;
(3) A county that has a population of less than one hundred thousand according to the most recent federal decennial census and in which three hundred fifty or more residents of the county were, during the most recently completed calendar year, permanently or temporarily terminated from a private sector employment position for any reason not reflecting discredit on the employee;
(4) A county that has a population of one hundred thousand or more according to the most recent federal decennial census and in which one thousand or more residents of the county were, during the most recently completed calendar year, permanently or temporarily terminated from a private sector employment position for any reason not reflecting discredit on the employee.
Sec. 4928.651.  (A) If the director of development determines that a grant from the industrial site improvement fund will create new jobs or preserve existing jobs and employment opportunities in an eligible county, the director may grant up to one million dollars from the fund to the eligible county for the purpose of making improvements to commercial or industrial areas within the eligible county, including, but not limited to:
(1) Expanding, remodeling, renovating, and modernizing buildings, structures, and other improvements;
(2) Remediating environmentally contaminated property on which hazardous substances exist under conditions that have caused or would cause the property to be identified as contaminated by the Ohio or United States environmental protection agency; and
(3) Infrastructure improvements, including, but not limited to, site preparation, including building demolition and removal; streets, roads, bridges, and traffic control devices; parking lots and facilities; water and sewer lines and treatment plants; gas, electric, and telecommunications, including broadband, hook-ups; and water and railway access improvements.
(B) An eligible county may apply to the director for a grant under this section in the form and manner prescribed by the director. The eligible county shall include on the application all information required by the director. The application shall require the eligible county to provide a detailed description of how the eligible county would use a grant to improve commercial or industrial areas within the eligible county, and to specify how a grant will lead to the creation of new jobs or the preservation of existing jobs and employment opportunities in the eligible county. The eligible county shall specify in the application the amount of the grant for which the eligible county is applying.
(C) An eligible county that receives a grant under this section is not eligible for any additional grants from the industrial site improvement fund.
Sec. 4928.652.  There is hereby created in the state treasury the industrial site improvement fund, which shall consist of money appropriated to the fund by the general assembly. Money in the fund shall be used exclusively for the purpose of making grants to eligible counties under section 4928.651 of the Revised Code.
The director of development shall prescribe the form and manner in which applications for grants are to be made.
Sec. 5709.62.  (A) In any municipal corporation that is defined by the United States office of management and budget as a central principal city of a metropolitan statistical area, or in a city designated as an urban cluster in a rural statistical area, the legislative authority of the municipal corporation may designate one or more areas within its municipal corporation as proposed enterprise zones. Upon designating an area, the legislative authority shall petition the director of development for certification of the area as having the characteristics set forth in division (A)(1) of section 5709.61 of the Revised Code as amended by Substitute Senate Bill No. 19 of the 120th general assembly. Except as otherwise provided in division (E) of this section, on and after July 1, 1994, legislative authorities shall not enter into agreements under this section unless the legislative authority has petitioned the director and the director has certified the zone under this section as amended by that act; however, all agreements entered into under this section as it existed prior to July 1, 1994, and the incentives granted under those agreements shall remain in effect for the period agreed to under those agreements. Within sixty days after receiving such a petition, the director shall determine whether the area has the characteristics set forth in division (A)(1) of section 5709.61 of the Revised Code, and shall forward the findings to the legislative authority of the municipal corporation. If the director certifies the area as having those characteristics, and thereby certifies it as a zone, the legislative authority may enter into an agreement with an enterprise under division (C) of this section.
(B) Any enterprise that wishes to enter into an agreement with a municipal corporation under division (C) of this section shall submit a proposal to the legislative authority of the municipal corporation on a form prescribed by the director of development, together with the application fee established under section 5709.68 of the Revised Code. The form shall require the following information:
(1) An estimate of the number of new employees whom the enterprise intends to hire, or of the number of employees whom the enterprise intends to retain, within the zone at a facility that is a project site, and an estimate of the amount of payroll of the enterprise attributable to these employees;
(2) An estimate of the amount to be invested by the enterprise to establish, expand, renovate, or occupy a facility, including investment in new buildings, additions or improvements to existing buildings, machinery, equipment, furniture, fixtures, and inventory;
(3) A listing of the enterprise's current investment, if any, in a facility as of the date of the proposal's submission.
The enterprise shall review and update the listings required under this division to reflect material changes, and any agreement entered into under division (C) of this section shall set forth final estimates and listings as of the time the agreement is entered into. The legislative authority may, on a separate form and at any time, require any additional information necessary to determine whether an enterprise is in compliance with an agreement and to collect the information required to be reported under section 5709.68 of the Revised Code.
(C) Upon receipt and investigation of a proposal under division (B) of this section, if the legislative authority finds that the enterprise submitting the proposal is qualified by financial responsibility and business experience to create and preserve employment opportunities in the zone and improve the economic climate of the municipal corporation, the legislative authority, on or before October 15, 2009, may do one of the following:
(1) Enter into an agreement with the enterprise under which the enterprise agrees to establish, expand, renovate, or occupy a facility and hire new employees, or preserve employment opportunities for existing employees, in return for one or more of the following incentives:
(a) Exemption for a specified number of years, not to exceed ten fifteen, of a specified portion, up to seventy-five per cent, of the assessed value of tangible personal property first used in business at the project site as a result of the agreement. If an exemption for inventory is specifically granted in the agreement pursuant to this division, the exemption applies to inventory required to be listed pursuant to sections 5711.15 and 5711.16 of the Revised Code, except that, in the instance of an expansion or other situations in which an enterprise was in business at the facility prior to the establishment of the zone, the inventory that is exempt is that amount or value of inventory in excess of the amount or value of inventory required to be listed in the personal property tax return of the enterprise in the return for the tax year in which the agreement is entered into.
(b) Exemption for a specified number of years, not to exceed ten fifteen, of a specified portion, up to seventy-five per cent, of the increase in the assessed valuation of real property constituting the project site subsequent to formal approval of the agreement by the legislative authority;
(c) Provision for a specified number of years, not to exceed ten fifteen, of any optional services or assistance that the municipal corporation is authorized to provide with regard to the project site.
(2) Enter into an agreement under which the enterprise agrees to remediate an environmentally contaminated facility, to spend an amount equal to at least two hundred fifty per cent of the true value in money of the real property of the facility prior to remediation as determined for the purposes of property taxation to establish, expand, renovate, or occupy the remediated facility, and to hire new employees or preserve employment opportunities for existing employees at the remediated facility, in return for one or more of the following incentives:
(a) Exemption for a specified number of years, not to exceed ten fifteen, of a specified portion, not to exceed fifty per cent, of the assessed valuation of the real property of the facility prior to remediation;
(b) Exemption for a specified number of years, not to exceed ten fifteen, of a specified portion, not to exceed one hundred per cent, of the increase in the assessed valuation of the real property of the facility during or after remediation;
(c) The incentive under division (C)(1)(a) of this section, except that the percentage of the assessed value of such property exempted from taxation shall not exceed one hundred per cent;
(d) The incentive under division (C)(1)(c) of this section.
(3) Enter into an agreement with an enterprise that plans to purchase and operate a large manufacturing facility that has ceased operation or announced its intention to cease operation, in return for exemption for a specified number of years, not to exceed ten fifteen, of a specified portion, up to one hundred per cent, of the assessed value of tangible personal property used in business at the project site as a result of the agreement, or of the assessed valuation of real property constituting the project site, or both.
(D)(1) Notwithstanding divisions (C)(1)(a) and (b) of this section, the portion of the assessed value of tangible personal property or of the increase in the assessed valuation of real property exempted from taxation under those divisions may exceed seventy-five per cent in any year for which that portion is exempted if the average percentage exempted for all years in which the agreement is in effect does not exceed sixty per cent, or if the board of education of the city, local, or exempted village school district within the territory of which the property is or will be located approves a percentage in excess of seventy-five per cent.
(2) Notwithstanding any provision of the Revised Code to the contrary, the exemptions described in divisions (C)(1)(a), (b), and (c), (C)(2)(a), (b), and (c), and (C)(3) of this section may be for up to fifteen years if the board of education of the city, local, or exempted village school district within the territory in of which the property is or will be located approves a number of years in excess of ten, but only if the project that is part of the agreement includes a fixed asset investment of at least one hundred million dollars or the director of development determines there are extraordinary circumstances, and only if the project involves the enrichment and commercialization of uranium or uranium products or the research and development activities related to that enrichment or commercialization.
(3) For the purpose of obtaining the approval of a city, local, or exempted village school district under division (D)(1) or (2) of this section, the legislative authority shall deliver to the board of education a notice not later than forty-five days prior to approving the agreement, excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays as defined in section 1.14 of the Revised Code. The notice shall state the percentage to be exempted, an estimate of the true value of the property to be exempted, and the number of years the property is to be exempted. The board of education, by resolution adopted by a majority of the board, shall approve or disapprove the agreement and certify a copy of the resolution to the legislative authority not later than fourteen days prior to the date stipulated by the legislative authority as the date upon which approval of the agreement is to be formally considered by the legislative authority. The board of education may include in the resolution conditions under which the board would approve the agreement, including the execution of an agreement to compensate the school district under division (B) of section 5709.82 of the Revised Code. The legislative authority may approve the agreement at any time after the board of education certifies its resolution approving the agreement to the legislative authority, or, if the board approves the agreement conditionally, at any time after the conditions are agreed to by the board and the legislative authority.
If a board of education has adopted a resolution waiving its right to approve agreements and the resolution remains in effect, approval of an agreement by the board is not required under this division. If a board of education has adopted a resolution allowing a legislative authority to deliver the notice required under this division fewer than forty-five business days prior to the legislative authority's approval of the agreement, the legislative authority shall deliver the notice to the board not later than the number of days prior to such approval as prescribed by the board in its resolution. If a board of education adopts a resolution waiving its right to approve agreements or shortening the notification period, the board shall certify a copy of the resolution to the legislative authority. If the board of education rescinds such a resolution, it shall certify notice of the rescission to the legislative authority.
(4) The legislative authority shall comply with section 5709.83 of the Revised Code unless the board of education has adopted a resolution under that section waiving its right to receive such notice.
(E) This division applies to zones certified by the director of development under this section prior to July 22, 1994.
On or before October 15, 2009, the legislative authority that designated a zone to which this division applies may enter into an agreement with an enterprise if the legislative authority makes the finding required under that division and determines finds that the enterprise satisfies one of the criteria described in divisions (E)(1) to (5) of this section:
(1) The enterprise currently has no operations in this state and, subject to approval of the agreement, intends to establish operations in the zone;
(2) The enterprise currently has operations in this state and, subject to approval of the agreement, intends to establish operations at a new location in the zone that would not result in a reduction in the number of employee positions at any of the enterprise's other locations in this state;
(3) The enterprise, subject to approval of the agreement, intends to relocate operations, currently located in another state, to the zone;
(4) The enterprise, subject to approval of the agreement, intends to expand operations at an existing site in the zone that the enterprise currently operates;
(5) The enterprise, subject to approval of the agreement, intends to relocate operations, currently located in this state, to the zone, and the director of development has issued a waiver for the enterprise under division (B) of section 5709.633 of the Revised Code.
The agreement shall require the enterprise to agree to establish, expand, renovate, or occupy a facility in the zone and hire new employees, or preserve employment opportunities for existing employees, in return for one or more of the incentives described in division (C) of this section.
(F) All agreements entered into under this section shall be in the form prescribed under section 5709.631 of the Revised Code. After an agreement is entered into under this division section, if the legislative authority revokes its designation of a zone, or if the director of development revokes the a zone's certification, any entitlements granted under the agreement shall continue for the number of years specified in the agreement.
(G) Except as otherwise provided in this division, an agreement entered into under this section shall require that the enterprise pay an annual fee equal to the greater of one per cent of the dollar value of incentives offered under the agreement or five hundred dollars; provided, however, that if the value of the incentives exceeds two hundred fifty thousand dollars, the fee shall not exceed two thousand five hundred dollars. The fee shall be payable to the legislative authority once per year for each year the agreement is effective on the days and in the form specified in the agreement. Fees paid shall be deposited in a special fund created for such purpose by the legislative authority and shall be used by the legislative authority exclusively for the purpose of complying with section 5709.68 of the Revised Code and by the tax incentive review council created under section 5709.85 of the Revised Code exclusively for the purposes of performing the duties prescribed under that section. The legislative authority may waive or reduce the amount of the fee charged against an enterprise, but such a waiver or reduction does not affect the obligations of the legislative authority or the tax incentive review council to comply with section 5709.68 or 5709.85 of the Revised Code.
(H) When an agreement is entered into pursuant to this section, the legislative authority authorizing the agreement shall forward a copy of the agreement to the director of development and to the tax commissioner within fifteen days after the agreement is entered into. If any agreement includes terms not provided for in section 5709.631 of the Revised Code affecting the revenue of a city, local, or exempted village school district or causing revenue to be foregone by the district, including any compensation to be paid to the school district pursuant to section 5709.82 of the Revised Code, those terms also shall be forwarded in writing to the director of development along with the copy of the agreement forwarded under this division.
(I) After an agreement is entered into, the enterprise shall file with each personal property tax return required to be filed, or annual report required to be filed under section 5727.08 of the Revised Code, while the agreement is in effect, an informational return, on a form prescribed by the tax commissioner for that purpose, setting forth separately the property, and related costs and values, exempted from taxation under the agreement.
(J) Enterprises may agree to give preference to residents of the zone within which the agreement applies relative to residents of this state who do not reside in the zone when hiring new employees under the agreement.
(K) An agreement entered into under this section may include a provision requiring the enterprise to create one or more temporary internship positions for students enrolled in a course of study at a school or other educational institution in the vicinity, and to create a scholarship or provide another form of educational financial assistance for students holding such a position in exchange for the student's commitment to work for the enterprise at the completion of the internship.
(L) The tax commissioner's authority in determining the accuracy of any exemption granted by an agreement entered into under this section is limited to divisions (C)(1)(a) and (b), (C)(2)(a), (b), and (c), (C)(3), (D), and (I) of this section and divisions (B)(1) to (10) of section 5709.631 of the Revised Code and, as authorized by law, to enforcing any modification to, or revocation of, that agreement by the legislative authority of a municipal corporation or the director of development.
Sec. 5709.63.  (A) With the consent of the legislative authority of each affected municipal corporation or of a board of township trustees, a board of county commissioners may, in the manner set forth in section 5709.62 of the Revised Code, designate one or more areas in one or more municipal corporations or in unincorporated areas of the county as proposed enterprise zones. A board of county commissioners may designate no more than one area within a township, or within adjacent townships, as a proposed enterprise zone. The board shall petition the director of development for certification of the area as having the characteristics set forth in division (A)(1) or (2) of section 5709.61 of the Revised Code as amended by Substitute Senate Bill No. 19 of the 120th general assembly. Except as otherwise provided in division (D) of this section, on and after July 1, 1994, boards of county commissioners shall not enter into agreements under this section unless the board has petitioned the director and the director has certified the zone under this section as amended by that act; however, all agreements entered into under this section as it existed prior to July 1, 1994, and the incentives granted under those agreements shall remain in effect for the period agreed to under those agreements. The director shall make the determination in the manner provided under section 5709.62 of the Revised Code. Any
Any enterprise wishing to enter into an agreement with the board under division (B) or (D) of this section shall submit a proposal to the board on the form and accompanied by the application fee prescribed under division (B) of section 5709.62 of the Revised Code. The enterprise shall review and update the estimates and listings required by the form in the manner required under that division. The board may, on a separate form and at any time, require any additional information necessary to determine whether an enterprise is in compliance with an agreement and to collect the information required to be reported under section 5709.68 of the Revised Code.
(B) If the board of county commissioners finds that an enterprise submitting a proposal is qualified by financial responsibility and business experience to create and preserve employment opportunities in the zone and to improve the economic climate of the municipal corporation or municipal corporations or the unincorporated areas in which the zone is located and to which the proposal applies, the board, on or before October 15, 2009, and with the consent of the legislative authority of each affected municipal corporation or of the board of township trustees may do either of the following:
(1) Enter into an agreement with the enterprise under which the enterprise agrees to establish, expand, renovate, or occupy a facility in the zone and hire new employees, or preserve employment opportunities for existing employees, in return for the following incentives:
(a) When the facility is located in a municipal corporation, the board may enter into an agreement for one or more of the incentives provided in division (C) of section 5709.62 of the Revised Code, subject to division (D) of that section;
(b) When the facility is located in an unincorporated area, the board may enter into an agreement for one or more of the following incentives:
(i) Exemption for a specified number of years, not to exceed ten fifteen, of a specified portion, up to sixty per cent, of the assessed value of tangible personal property first used in business at a project site as a result of the agreement. If an exemption for inventory is specifically granted in the agreement pursuant to this division, the exemption applies to inventory required to be listed pursuant to sections 5711.15 and 5711.16 of the Revised Code, except, in the instance of an expansion or other situations in which an enterprise was in business at the facility prior to the establishment of the zone, the inventory that is exempt is that amount or value of inventory in excess of the amount or value of inventory required to be listed in the personal property tax return of the enterprise in the return for the tax year in which the agreement is entered into.
(ii) Exemption for a specified number of years, not to exceed ten fifteen, of a specified portion, up to sixty per cent, of the increase in the assessed valuation of real property constituting the project site subsequent to formal approval of the agreement by the board;
(iii) Provision for a specified number of years, not to exceed ten fifteen, of any optional services or assistance the board is authorized to provide with regard to the project site;
(iv) The incentive described in division (C)(2) of section 5709.62 of the Revised Code.
(2) Enter into an agreement with an enterprise that plans to purchase and operate a large manufacturing facility that has ceased operation or has announced its intention to cease operation, in return for exemption for a specified number of years, not to exceed ten fifteen, of a specified portion, up to one hundred per cent, of tangible personal property used in business at the project site as a result of the agreement, or of real property constituting the project site, or both.
(C)(1)(a) Notwithstanding divisions (B)(1)(b)(i) and (ii) of this section, the portion of the assessed value of tangible personal property or of the increase in the assessed valuation of real property exempted from taxation under those divisions may exceed sixty per cent in any year for which that portion is exempted if the average percentage exempted for all years in which the agreement is in effect does not exceed fifty per cent, or if the board of education of the city, local, or exempted village school district within the territory of which the property is or will be located approves a percentage in excess of sixty per cent.
(b) Notwithstanding any provision of the Revised Code to the contrary, the exemptions described in divisions (B)(1)(b)(i), (ii), (iii), and (iv) and (B)(2) of this section may be for up to fifteen years if the board of education of the city, local, or exempted village school district within the territory in of which the property is or will be located approves a number of years in excess of ten, but only if the project that is part of the agreement includes a fixed asset investment of at least one hundred million dollars or the director of development determines there are extraordinary circumstances, and only if the project involves the enrichment and commercialization of uranium or uranium products or the research and development activities related to that enrichment or commercialization.
(c) For the purpose of obtaining the approval of a city, local, or exempted village school district under division (C)(1)(a) or (b) of this section, the board of county commissioners shall deliver to the board of education a notice not later than forty-five days prior to approving the agreement, excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays as defined in section 1.14 of the Revised Code. The notice shall state the percentage to be exempted, an estimate of the true value of the property to be exempted, and the number of years the property is to be exempted. The board of education, by resolution adopted by a majority of the board, shall approve or disapprove the agreement and certify a copy of the resolution to the board of county commissioners not later than fourteen days prior to the date stipulated by the board of county commissioners as the date upon which approval of the agreement is to be formally considered by the board of county commissioners. The board of education may include in the resolution conditions under which the board would approve the agreement, including the execution of an agreement to compensate the school district under division (B) of section 5709.82 of the Revised Code. The board of county commissioners may approve the agreement at any time after the board of education certifies its resolution approving the agreement to the board of county commissioners, or, if the board of education approves the agreement conditionally, at any time after the conditions are agreed to by the board of education and the board of county commissioners.
If a board of education has adopted a resolution waiving its right to approve agreements and the resolution remains in effect, approval of an agreement by the board of education is not required under division (C) of this section. If a board of education has adopted a resolution allowing a board of county commissioners to deliver the notice required under this division fewer than forty-five business days prior to approval of the agreement by the board of county commissioners, the board of county commissioners shall deliver the notice to the board of education not later than the number of days prior to such approval as prescribed by the board of education in its resolution. If a board of education adopts a resolution waiving its right to approve agreements or shortening the notification period, the board of education shall certify a copy of the resolution to the board of county commissioners. If the board of education rescinds such a resolution, it shall certify notice of the rescission to the board of county commissioners.
(2) The board of county commissioners shall comply with section 5709.83 of the Revised Code unless the board of education has adopted a resolution under that section waiving its right to receive such notice.
(D) This division applies to zones certified by the director of development under this section prior to July 22, 1994.
On or before October 15, 2009, and with the consent of the legislative authority of each affected municipal corporation or board of township trustees of each affected township, the board of county commissioners that designated a zone to which this division applies may enter into an agreement with an enterprise if the board makes the finding required under that division and determines finds that the enterprise satisfies one of the criteria described in divisions (D)(1) to (5) of this section:
(1) The enterprise currently has no operations in this state and, subject to approval of the agreement, intends to establish operations in the zone;
(2) The enterprise currently has operations in this state and, subject to approval of the agreement, intends to establish operations at a new location in the zone that would not result in a reduction in the number of employee positions at any of the enterprise's other locations in this state;
(3) The enterprise, subject to approval of the agreement, intends to relocate operations, currently located in another state, to the zone;
(4) The enterprise, subject to approval of the agreement, intends to expand operations at an existing site in the zone that the enterprise currently operates;
(5) The enterprise, subject to approval of the agreement, intends to relocate operations, currently located in this state, to the zone, and the director of development has issued a waiver for the enterprise under division (B) of section 5709.633 of the Revised Code.
The agreement shall require the enterprise to agree to establish, expand, renovate, or occupy a facility in the zone and hire new employees, or preserve employment opportunities for existing employees, in return for one or more of the incentives described in division (B) of this section.
(E) All agreements entered into under this section shall be in the form prescribed under section 5709.631 of the Revised Code. After an agreement under this section is entered into, if the board of county commissioners revokes its designation of the a zone, or if the director of development revokes the a zone's certification, any entitlements granted under the agreement shall continue for the number of years specified in the agreement.
(F) Except as otherwise provided in this paragraph division, an agreement entered into under this section shall require that the enterprise pay an annual fee equal to the greater of one per cent of the dollar value of incentives offered under the agreement or five hundred dollars; provided, however, that if the value of the incentives exceeds two hundred fifty thousand dollars, the fee shall not exceed two thousand five hundred dollars. The fee shall be payable to the board of county commissioners once per year for each year the agreement is effective on the days and in the form specified in the agreement. Fees paid shall be deposited in a special fund created for such purpose by the board and shall be used by the board exclusively for the purpose of complying with section 5709.68 of the Revised Code and by the tax incentive review council created under section 5709.85 of the Revised Code exclusively for the purposes of performing the duties prescribed under that section. The board may waive or reduce the amount of the fee charged against an enterprise, but such waiver or reduction does not affect the obligations of the board or the tax incentive review council to comply with section 5709.68 or 5709.85 of the Revised Code, respectively.
(G) With the approval of the legislative authority of a municipal corporation or the board of township trustees of a township in which a zone is designated under division (A) of this section, the board of county commissioners may delegate to that legislative authority or board any powers and duties of the board of county commissioners to negotiate and administer agreements with regard to that zone under this section.
(H) When an agreement is entered into pursuant to this section, the legislative authority board of county commissioners authorizing the agreement or the legislative authority or board of township trustees that negotiates and administers the agreement shall forward a copy of the agreement to the director of development and to the tax commissioner within fifteen days after the agreement is entered into. If any agreement includes terms not provided for in section 5709.631 of the Revised Code affecting the revenue of a city, local, or exempted village school district or causing revenue to be foregone by the district, including any compensation to be paid to the school district pursuant to section 5709.82 of the Revised Code, those terms also shall be forwarded in writing to the director of development along with the copy of the agreement forwarded under this division.
(I) After an agreement is entered into, the enterprise shall file with each personal property tax return required to be filed, or annual report that is required to be filed under section 5727.08 of the Revised Code, while the agreement is in effect, an informational return, on a form prescribed by the tax commissioner for that purpose, setting forth separately the property, and related costs and values, exempted from taxation under the agreement.
(J) Enterprises may agree to give preference to residents of the zone within which the agreement applies relative to residents of this state who do not reside in the zone when hiring new employees under the agreement.
(K) An agreement entered into under this section may include a provision requiring the enterprise to create one or more temporary internship positions for students enrolled in a course of study at a school or other educational institution in the vicinity, and to create a scholarship or provide another form of educational financial assistance for students holding such a position in exchange for the student's commitment to work for the enterprise at the completion of the internship.
(L) The tax commissioner's authority in determining the accuracy of any exemption granted by an agreement entered into under this section is limited to divisions (B)(1)(b)(i) and (ii), (B)(2), (C), and (I) of this section, division (B)(1)(b)(iv) of this section as it pertains to divisions (C)(2)(a), (b), and (c) of section 5709.62 of the Revised Code, and divisions (B)(1) to (10) of section 5709.631 of the Revised Code and, as authorized by law, to enforcing any modification to, or revocation of, that agreement by the board of county commissioners or the director of development or, if the board's powers and duties are delegated under division (G) of this section, by the legislative authority of a municipal corporation or board of township trustees.
Sec. 5709.631.  Each agreement entered into under sections 5709.62, 5709.63, and 5709.632 of the Revised Code on or after April 1, 1994, shall be in writing and shall include all of the information and statements prescribed by this section. Agreements may include terms not prescribed by this section, but such terms shall in no way derogate from the information and statements prescribed by this section.
(A) Each agreement shall include the following information:
(1) The names of all parties to the agreement;
(2) A description of the investments to be made by the applicant enterprise or by another party at the facility whether or not the investments are exempted from taxation, including existing or new building size and cost thereof; the value of machinery, equipment, furniture, and fixtures, including an itemization of the value of machinery, equipment, furniture, and fixtures used at another location in this state prior to the agreement and relocated or to be relocated from that location to the facility and the value of machinery, equipment, furniture, and fixtures at the facility prior to the execution of the agreement that will not be exempted from taxation; the value of inventory at the facility, including an itemization of the value of inventory held at another location in this state prior to the agreement and relocated or to be relocated from that location to the facility, and the value of inventory held at the facility prior to the execution of the agreement that will not be exempted from taxation;
(3) The scheduled starting and completion dates of investments made in building, machinery, equipment, furniture, fixtures, and inventory;
(4) Estimates of the number of employee positions to be created each year of the agreement and of the number of employee positions retained by the applicant enterprise due to the project, itemized as to the number of full-time, part-time, permanent, and temporary positions;
(5) Estimates of the dollar amount of payroll attributable to the positions set forth in division (A)(4) of this section, similarly itemized;
(6) The number of employee positions, if any, at the project site and at any other location in the state at the time the agreement is executed, itemized as to the number of full-time, part-time, permanent, and temporary positions.
(B) Each agreement shall set forth the following information and incorporate the following statements:
(1) A description of real property to be exempted from taxation under the agreement, the percentage of the assessed valuation of the real property exempted from taxation, and the period for which the exemption is granted, accompanied by the statement: "The exemption commences the first year for which the real property would first be taxable were that property not exempted from taxation. No exemption shall commence after .......... (insert date) nor extend beyond .......... (insert date)." The tax commissioner shall adopt rules prescribing the form the description of such property shall assume to ensure that the property to be exempted from taxation under the agreement is distinguishable from property that is not to be exempted under that agreement.
(2) A description of tangible personal property to be exempted from taxation under the agreement, the percentage of the assessed value of the tangible personal property exempted from taxation, and the period for which the exemption is granted, accompanied by the statement: "The minimum investment for tangible personal property to qualify for the exemption is $.......... (insert dollar amount) to purchase machinery and equipment first used in business at the facility as a result of the project, $.......... (insert dollar amount) for furniture and fixtures and other noninventory personal property first used in business at the facility as a result of the project, and $.......... (insert dollar amount) for new inventory. The maximum investment for tangible personal property to qualify for the exemption is $.......... (insert dollar amount) to purchase machinery and equipment first used in business at the facility as a result of the project, $.......... (insert dollar amount) for furniture and fixtures and other noninventory personal property first used in business at the facility as a result of the project, and $.......... (insert dollar amount) for new inventory. The exemption commences the first year for which the tangible personal property would first be taxable were that property not exempted from taxation. No exemption shall commence after tax return year .......... (insert year) nor extend beyond tax return year .......... (insert year). In no instance shall any tangible personal property be exempted from taxation for more than ten return years unless the project that is part of the agreement involves the enrichment and commercialization of uranium or uranium products or the research and development activities related to that enrichment or commercialization, under division (D)(2) of section 5709.62 or under division (C)(1)(b) of section 5709.63 of the Revised Code, the board of education approves exemption for a number of years in excess of ten, in which case the tangible personal property may be exempted from taxation for up to that number of years, not to exceed fifteen return years." No exemption shall be allowed for any type of tangible personal property if the total investment is less than the minimum dollar amount specified for that type of property. If, for a type of tangible personal property, there are no minimum or maximum investment dollar amounts specified in the statement or the dollar amounts are designated in the statement as not applicable, the exemption shall apply to the total cost of that type of tangible personal property first used in business at the facility as a result of the project. The tax commissioner shall adopt rules prescribing the form the description of such property shall assume to ensure that the property to be exempted from taxation under the agreement is distinguishable from property that is not to be exempted under that agreement.
(3) ".......... (insert name of enterprise) shall pay such real and tangible personal property taxes as are not exempted under this agreement and are charged against such property and shall file all tax reports and returns as required by law. If .......... (insert name of enterprise) fails to pay such taxes or file such returns and reports, all incentives granted under this agreement are rescinded beginning with the year for which such taxes are charged or such reports or returns are required to be filed and thereafter."
(4) ".......... (insert name of enterprise) hereby certifies that at the time this agreement is executed, .......... (insert name of enterprise) does not owe any delinquent real or tangible personal property taxes to any taxing authority of the State of Ohio, and does not owe delinquent taxes for which .......... (insert name of enterprise) is liable under Chapter 5727., 5733., 5735., 5739., 5741., 5743., 5747., or 5753. of the Revised Code, or, if such delinquent taxes are owed, .......... (insert name of enterprise) currently is paying the delinquent taxes pursuant to a delinquent tax contract enforceable by the State of Ohio or an agent or instrumentality thereof, has filed a petition in bankruptcy under 11 U.S.C.A. 101, et seq., or such a petition has been filed against .......... (insert name of enterprise). For the purposes of the certification, delinquent taxes are taxes that remain unpaid on the latest day prescribed for payment without penalty under the chapter of the Revised Code governing payment of those taxes."
(5) ".......... (insert name of municipal corporation or county) shall perform such acts as are reasonably necessary or appropriate to effect, claim, reserve, and maintain exemptions from taxation granted under this agreement including, without limitation, joining in the execution of all documentation and providing any necessary certificates required in connection with such exemptions."
(6) "If for any reason the enterprise zone designation expires, the Director of the Ohio Department of Development revokes certification of the zone, or .......... (insert name of municipal corporation or county) revokes the designation of the zone, entitlements granted under this agreement shall continue for the number of years specified under this agreement, unless .......... (insert name of enterprise) materially fails to fulfill its obligations under this agreement and .......... (insert name of municipal corporation or county) terminates or modifies the exemptions from taxation granted under this agreement."
(7) "If .......... (insert name of enterprise) materially fails to fulfill its obligations under this agreement, or if .......... (insert name of municipal corporation or county) determines that the certification as to delinquent taxes required by this agreement is fraudulent, .......... (insert name of municipal corporation or county) may terminate or modify the exemptions from taxation granted under this agreement."
(8) ".......... (insert name of enterprise) shall provide to the proper tax incentive review council any information reasonably required by the council to evaluate the enterprise's compliance with the agreement, including returns or annual reports filed pursuant to section 5711.02 or 5727.08 of the Ohio Revised Code if requested by the council."
(9) ".......... (insert name of enterprise) and .......... (insert name of municipal corporation or county) acknowledge that this agreement must be approved by formal action of the legislative authority of .......... (insert name of municipal corporation or county) as a condition for the agreement to take effect. This agreement takes effect upon such approval."
(10) "This agreement is not transferable or assignable without the express, written approval of .......... (insert name of municipal corporation or county)."
(11) "Exemptions from taxation granted under this agreement shall be revoked if it is determined that ............... (insert name of enterprise), any successor enterprise, or any related member (as those terms are defined in section 5709.61 of the Ohio Revised Code) has violated the prohibition against entering into this agreement under division (E) of section 3735.671 or section 5709.62, 5709.63, or 5709.632 of the Ohio Revised Code prior to the time prescribed by that division or either of those sections."
(12) "In any calendar year during which this agreement is in effect, if the actual number of employee positions created or retained by . . . . . . . . (insert name of enterprise) is not equal to or greater than seventy-five per cent of the number of employee positions estimated to be created or retained under this agreement that year, . . . . . . . . (insert name of enterprise) shall repay the amount of taxes on property that would have been payable had the property not been exempted from taxation that year under this agreement."
The statement described in division (B)(7) of this section may include the following statement, appended at the end of the statement: "and may require the repayment of the amount of taxes that would have been payable had the property not been exempted from taxation under this agreement."
(C) If the director of development had to issue a waiver under section 5709.633 of the Revised Code as a condition for the agreement to be executed, the agreement shall include the following statement:
"Continuation of this agreement is subject to the validity of the circumstance upon which .......... (insert name of enterprise) applied for, and the Director of the Ohio Department of Development issued, the waiver pursuant to section 5709.633 of the Ohio Revised Code. If, after formal approval of this agreement by .......... (insert name of municipal corporation or county), the Director or ............. (insert name of municipal corporation or county) discovers that such a circumstance did not exist, ........... (insert name of enterprise) shall be deemed to have materially failed to comply with this agreement."
If the director issued a waiver on the basis of the circumstance described in division (B)(3) of section 5709.633 of the Ohio Revised Code, the conditions enumerated in divisions (B)(3)(a)(i) and (ii) or divisions (B)(3)(b)(i) and (ii) of that section shall be incorporated in the information described in divisions (A)(2), (3), and (4) of this section.
Sec. 5709.632.  (A)(1) The legislative authority of a municipal corporation defined by the United States office of management and budget as a central principal city of a metropolitan statistical area or designated as an urban cluster in a rural statistical area may, in the manner set forth in section 5709.62 of the Revised Code, designate one or more areas in the municipal corporation as a proposed enterprise zone.
(2) With the consent of the legislative authority of each affected municipal corporation or of a board of township trustees, a board of county commissioners may, in the manner set forth in section 5709.62 of the Revised Code, designate one or more areas in one or more municipal corporations or in unincorporated areas of the county as proposed urban jobs and enterprise zones, except that a board of county commissioners may designate no more than one area within a township, or within adjacent townships, as a proposed urban jobs and enterprise zone.
(3)(a) The legislative authority or board of county commissioners may petition the director of development for certification of the area as having the characteristics set forth in division (A)(3) of section 5709.61 of the Revised Code. Within sixty days after receiving such a petition, the director shall determine whether the area has the characteristics set forth in that division and forward the findings to the legislative authority or board of county commissioners. If the director certifies the area as having those characteristics and thereby certifies it as a zone, the legislative authority or board may enter into agreements with enterprises under division (B) of this section. Any enterprise wishing to enter into an agreement with a legislative authority or board of commissioners under this section and satisfying one of the criteria described in divisions (B)(1) to (5) of this section shall submit a proposal to the legislative authority or board on the form prescribed under division (B) of section 5709.62 of the Revised Code and shall review and update the estimates and listings required by the form in the manner required under that division. The legislative authority or board may, on a separate form and at any time, require any additional information necessary to determine whether an enterprise is in compliance with an agreement and to collect the information required to be reported under section 5709.68 of the Revised Code.
(b) The legislative authority of a city designated as an urban cluster in a rural statistical area that has, pursuant to this section, as amended by Am. Sub. H.B. 95 of the 125th general assembly, designated one or more areas in the city as a proposed enterprise zone, shall not enter into an agreement under this section unless it has petitioned the director and the director has certified the proposed enterprise zone under division (A)(3)(a) of this section.
(B) Prior to entering into an agreement with an enterprise, the legislative authority or board of county commissioners shall determine whether the enterprise submitting the proposal is qualified by financial responsibility and business experience to create and preserve employment opportunities in the zone and to improve the economic climate of the municipal corporation or municipal corporations or the unincorporated areas in which the zone is located and to which the proposal applies, and whether the enterprise satisfies one of the following criteria:
(1) The enterprise currently has no operations in this state and, subject to approval of the agreement, intends to establish operations in the zone;
(2) The enterprise currently has operations in this state and, subject to approval of the agreement, intends to establish operations at a new location in the zone that would not result in a reduction in the number of employee positions at any of the enterprise's other locations in this state;
(3) The enterprise, subject to approval of the agreement, intends to relocate operations, currently located in another state, to the zone;
(4) The enterprise, subject to approval of the agreement, intends to expand operations at an existing site in the zone that the enterprise currently operates;
(5) The enterprise, subject to approval of the agreement, intends to relocate operations, currently located in this state, to the zone, and the director of development has issued a waiver for the enterprise under division (B) of section 5709.633 of the Revised Code.
(C) If the legislative authority or board determines that the enterprise is so qualified and satisfies one of the criteria described in divisions (B)(1) to (5) of this section, the legislative authority or board may, after complying with section 5709.83 of the Revised Code and on or before October 15, 2009, and, in the case of a board of commissioners, with the consent of the legislative authority of each affected municipal corporation or of the board of township trustees, enter into an agreement with the enterprise under which the enterprise agrees to establish, expand, renovate, or occupy a facility in the zone and hire new employees, or preserve employment opportunities for existing employees, in return for the following incentives:
(1) When the facility is located in a municipal corporation, a legislative authority or board of commissioners may enter into an agreement for one or more of the incentives provided in division (C) of section 5709.62 of the Revised Code, subject to division (D) of that section;
(2) When the facility is located in an unincorporated area, a board of commissioners may enter into an agreement for one or more of the incentives provided in divisions (B)(1)(b), (B)(2), and (B)(3) of section 5709.63 of the Revised Code, subject to division (C) of that section.
(D) All agreements entered into under this section shall be in the form prescribed under section 5709.631 of the Revised Code. After an agreement under this section is entered into, if the legislative authority or board of county commissioners revokes its designation of the zone, or if the director of development revokes the zone's certification, any entitlements granted under the agreement shall continue for the number of years specified in the agreement.
(E) Except as otherwise provided in this division, an agreement entered into under this section shall require that the enterprise pay an annual fee equal to the greater of one per cent of the dollar value of incentives offered under the agreement or five hundred dollars; provided, however, that if the value of the incentives exceeds two hundred fifty thousand dollars, the fee shall not exceed two thousand five hundred dollars. The fee shall be payable to the legislative authority or board of commissioners once per year for each year the agreement is effective on the days and in the form specified in the agreement. Fees paid shall be deposited in a special fund created for such purpose by the legislative authority or board and shall be used by the legislative authority or board exclusively for the purpose of complying with section 5709.68 of the Revised Code and by the tax incentive review council created under section 5709.85 of the Revised Code exclusively for the purposes of performing the duties prescribed under that section. The legislative authority or board may waive or reduce the amount of the fee charged against an enterprise, but such waiver or reduction does not affect the obligations of the legislative authority or board or the tax incentive review council to comply with section 5709.68 or 5709.85 of the Revised Code, respectively.
(F) With the approval of the legislative authority of a municipal corporation or the board of township trustees of a township in which a zone is designated under division (A)(2) of this section, the board of county commissioners may delegate to that legislative authority or board any powers and duties of the board to negotiate and administer agreements with regard to that zone under this section.
(G) When an agreement is entered into pursuant to this section, the legislative authority or board of commissioners authorizing the agreement shall forward a copy of the agreement to the director of development and to the tax commissioner within fifteen days after the agreement is entered into. If any agreement includes terms not provided for in section 5709.631 of the Revised Code affecting the revenue of a city, local, or exempted village school district or causing revenue to be foregone by the district, including any compensation to be paid to the school district pursuant to section 5709.82 of the Revised Code, those terms also shall be forwarded in writing to the director of development along with the copy of the agreement forwarded under this division.
(H) After an agreement is entered into, the enterprise shall file with each personal property tax return required to be filed while the agreement is in effect, an informational return, on a form prescribed by the tax commissioner for that purpose, setting forth separately the property, and related costs and values, exempted from taxation under the agreement.
(I) An agreement entered into under this section may include a provision requiring the enterprise to create one or more temporary internship positions for students enrolled in a course of study at a school or other educational institution in the vicinity, and to create a scholarship or provide another form of educational financial assistance for students holding such a position in exchange for the student's commitment to work for the enterprise at the completion of the internship.
Section 2. That existing sections 122.18, 4928.62, 5709.62, 5709.63, 5709.631, and 5709.632 of the Revised Code are hereby repealed.
Section 3. That Section 2 of Sub. S.B. 186 of the 123rd General Assembly is hereby repealed.
Section 4. It is the intent of Section 3 of this act to prevent the repeal of sections 122.13, 122.131, 122.132, 122.133, 122.134, 122.135, and 122.136 of the Revised Code that was to have taken effect December 31, 2004, and thereby to remove the limitation imposed by such repeal upon the continued existence of those sections. This intent is not affected by the rule of statutory interpretation contained in section 1.57 of the Revised Code.
Section 5. That Sections 38, 38.18, and 38.20 of Am. Sub. H.B. 95 of the 125th General Assembly be amended to read as follows:
Sec. 38. DEV DEPARTMENT OF DEVELOPMENT
General Revenue Fund
GRF 195-321 Operating Expenses $ 2,695,236 $ 3,020,115
GRF 195-401 Thomas Edison Program $ 16,634,934 $ 16,334,934
GRF 195-404 Small Business Development $ 1,740,722 $ 1,740,722
GRF 195-405 Minority Business Development Division $ 1,620,755 $ 1,669,378
GRF 195-407 Travel and Tourism $ 6,049,345 $ 7,049,345
GRF 195-410 Defense Conversion Assistance $ 1,500,000 $ 0
GRF 195-412 Business Development Grants $ 8,905,530 $ 8,905,530
GRF 195-414 First Frontier Match $ 389,987 $ 389,987
GRF 195-415 Economic Development Division and Regional Offices $ 5,594,975 $ 5,594,975
GRF 195-416 Governor's Office of Appalachia $ 4,372,324 $ 4,372,324
GRF 195-417 Urban/Rural Initiative $ 589,390 $ 589,390
GRF 195-422 Third Frontier Action Fund $ 16,790,000 $ 16,790,000
GRF 195-426 Clean Ohio Administration $ 518,730 $ 518,730
GRF 195-432 International Trade $ 4,492,713 $ 4,492,713
GRF 195-434 Investment in Training Grants $ 12,227,500 $ 12,227,500
GRF 195-436 Labor/Management Cooperation $ 811,869 $ 811,869
GRF 195-497 CDBG Operating Match $ 1,107,400 $ 1,107,400
GRF 195-498 State Energy Match $ 100,000 $ 100,000
GRF 195-501 Appalachian Local Development Districts $ 380,080 $ 380,080
GRF 195-502 Appalachian Regional Commission Dues $ 238,274 $ 246,803
GRF 195-507 Travel and Tourism Grants $ 1,025,000 $ 1,025,000
GRF 195-515 Economic Development Contingency $ 10,000,000 $ 10,000,000
GRF 195-516 Shovel Ready Sites $ 2,500,000 $ 2,500,000
GRF 195-905 Third Frontier Research & Commercialization General Obligation Debt Service $ 0 $ 7,360,000
TOTAL GRF General Revenue Fund $ 100,284,764 $ 107,226,795

General Services Fund Group
135 195-605 Supportive Services $ 7,417,068 $ 7,539,686
136 195-621 International Trade $ 24,915 $ 24,915
685 195-636 General Reimbursements $ 1,316,012 $ 1,232,530
TOTAL GSF General Services Fund
Group $ 8,757,995 $ 8,797,131

Federal Special Revenue Fund Group
3K8 195-613 Community Development Block Grant $ 65,000,000 $ 65,000,000
3K9 195-611 Home Energy Assistance Block Grant $ 85,036,000 $ 85,036,000
3K9 195-614 HEAP Weatherization $ 16,219,479 $ 16,219,479
3L0 195-612 Community Services Block Grant $ 25,235,000 $ 25,235,000
3V1 195-601 HOME Program $ 40,000,000 $ 40,000,000
308 195-602 Appalachian Regional Commission $ 350,200 $ 350,200
308 195-603 Housing and Urban Development $ 5,000,000 $ 5,000,000
308 195-605 Federal Projects $ 15,300,248 $ 15,300,248
308 195-609 Small Business Administration $ 4,196,381 $ 4,296,381
308 195-618 Energy Federal Grants $ 3,397,659 $ 3,397,659
335 195-610 Oil Overcharge $ 8,500,000 $ 8,500,000
380 195-622 Housing Development Operating $ 5,606,080 $ 5,667,627
TOTAL FED Federal Special Revenue
Fund Group $ 273,841,047 $ 274,002,594

State Special Revenue Fund Group
4F2 195-639 State Special Projects $ 540,183 $ 290,183
4H4 195-641 First Frontier $ 500,000 $ 500,000
4S0 195-630 Enterprise Zone Operating $ 211,900 $ 211,900
4S1 195-634 Job Creation Tax Credit Operating $ 375,800 $ 375,800
4W1 195-646 Minority Business Enterprise Loan $ 2,580,597 $ 2,580,597
444 195-607 Water and Sewer Commission Loans $ 523,775 $ 523,775
445 195-617 Housing Finance Operating $ 5,040,843 $ 4,983,738
450 195-624 Minority Business Bonding Program Administration $ 13,563 $ 13,563
451 195-625 Economic Development Financing Operating $ 2,358,310 $ 2,358,310
5AQ 195-673 Business Incubator Grants $ 0 $ 8,700,000
5AR 195-674 Industrial Site Improvements $ 0 $ 3,300,000
5M4 195-659 Universal Service $ 170,000,000 $ 170,000,000
5M5 195-660 Energy Efficiency Revolving Loan $ 12,000,000 $ 12,000,000
611 195-631 Water and Sewer Administration $ 15,713 $ 15,713
617 195-654 Volume Cap Administration $ 200,000 $ 200,000
646 195-638 Low and Moderate Income Housing Trust Fund $ 40,000,000 $ 40,000,000
TOTAL SSR State Special Revenue
Fund Group $ 234,360,684 $ 234,053,579 246,053,579

Facilities Establishment Fund Group
009 195-664 Innovation Ohio $ 50,000,000 $ 55,000,000
037 195-615 Facilities Establishment $ 63,931,149 $ 63,931,149
4Z6 195-647 Rural Industrial Park Loan $ 5,000,000 $ 5,000,000
5D2 195-650 Urban Redevelopment Loans $ 10,475,000 $ 10,475,000
5H1 195-652 Family Farm Loan Guarantee $ 1,500,000 $ 1,500,000
5S8 195-627 Rural Development Initiative $ 5,000,000 $ 5,000,000
5S9 195-628 Capital Access Loan Program $ 3,000,000 $ 3,000,000
TOTAL 037 Facilities
Establishment Fund Group $ 138,906,149 $ 143,906,149

Clean Ohio Revitalization Fund
003 195-663 Clean Ohio Operating $ 150,000 $ 150,000
TOTAL 003 Clean Ohio Revitalization Fund $ 150,000 $ 150,000

Job Development Initiatives Fund
5AD 195-667 Investment in Training Expansion $ 0 $ 12,800,000
5AD 195-668 Worker Guarantee Program $ 0 $ 3,000,000
5AD 195-669 Wright Operating Grants $ 0 $ 10,000,000
TOTAL 5AD Job Development Initiatives Fund $ 0 $ 25,800,000
TOTAL ALL BUDGET FUND GROUPS $ 756,300,639 $ 768,136,248
805,936,248

Sec. 38.18. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FINANCING OPERATING
The foregoing appropriation item 195-625, Economic Development Financing Operating, shall be used for the operating expenses of financial assistance programs authorized under Chapter 166. of the Revised Code and under sections 122.43 and 122.45 of the Revised Code.
VOLUME CAP ADMINISTRATION
The foregoing appropriation item 195-654, Volume Cap Administration, shall be used for expenses related to the administration of the Volume Cap Program. Revenues received by the Volume Cap Administration Fund (Fund 617) shall consist of application fees, forfeited deposits, and interest earned from the custodial account held by the Treasurer of State.
UNIVERSAL SERVICE FUND
The foregoing appropriation item 195-659, Universal Service, shall be used to provide payments to regulated electric utility companies for low-income customers enrolled in Percentage of Income Payment Plan (PIPP) electric accounts, to fund targeted energy efficiency and customer education services to PIPP customers, and to cover the department's administrative costs related to the Universal Service Fund Programs.
ENERGY EFFICIENCY REVOLVING LOAN FUND
The foregoing appropriation item 195-660, Energy Efficiency Revolving Loan, shall be used to provide financial assistance to customers for eligible energy efficiency projects for residential, commercial and industrial business, local government, educational institution, nonprofit, and agriculture customers, and to pay for the program's administrative costs as provided in the Revised Code and rules adopted by the Director of Development.
BUSINESS INCUBATOR GRANTS
Notwithstanding Chapter 4928. of the Revised Code, $8,700,000 in cash shall be transferred in fiscal year 2005 from the Energy Efficiency Revolving Loan Fund (Fund 5M5) to the Business Incubator Grants Fund (Fund 5AQ). Moneys in appropriation item 195-673, Business Incubator Grants (Fund 5AQ), shall be used to make grants to eligible counties under section 4928.641 of the Revised Code.
INDUSTRIAL SITE IMPROVEMENTS
Notwithstanding Chapter 4928. of the Revised Code, $3,300,000 in cash shall be transferred in fiscal year 2005 from the Energy Efficiency Revolving Loan Fund (Fund 5M5) to the Industrial Site Improvement Fund (Fund 5AR). Moneys in appropriation item 195-674, Industrial Site Improvements, shall be used to make grants to eligible counties for the improvement of commercial or industrial areas within those counties under section 4928.651 of the Revised Code.
GLOBAL ANALYST SETTLEMENT AGREEMENTS PAYMENTS
All payments received by the state pursuant to a series of settlements with ten brokerage firms reached with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, the National Association of Securities Dealers, the New York Stock Exchange, the New York Attorney General, and other state regulators, (henceforth referred to as the "Global Analysts Settlement Agreements"), shall be deposited into the state treasury to the credit of the Economic Development Contingency Fund (Fund 5Y6), which is hereby created in the state treasury. The fund shall be used by the Director of Development to support economic development projects for which appropriations would not otherwise be available, and shall be subject to the submission of a request to the Controlling Board by the Director outlining the planned use of the funds, and the subsequent approval of the request by the Controlling Board.
Sec. 38.20. CLEAN OHIO OPERATING EXPENSES
The foregoing appropriation item 195-663, Clean Ohio Operating, shall be used by the Department of Development in administering sections 122.65 to 122.658 of the Revised Code.
INVESTMENT IN TRAINING EXPANSION
The foregoing appropriation item 195-667, Investment in Training Expansion, shall be used for the same purposes and in the same manner as specified in Section 38.09 of Am. Sub. H.B. 95 of the 125th General Assembly.
WORKER GUARANTEE PROGRAM
The foregoing appropriation item 195-668, Worker Guarantee Program, shall be used for the Worker Guarantee Program.
Benefited employers must create at least 100 high-paying, full-time jobs over a three-year period and must demonstrate prior to the commitment of state funds that the availability of those skilled workers is a major factor in the employer's decision to locate or expand in Ohio. Activities eligible for funding through the Worker Guarantee Program include job assessment services, screening and testing of potential employees, customized training activities, and any other training or related service determined by the Director.
A local workforce development service provider may include, but is not limited to, a community college, technical or vocational school, one-stop center, or any other entity designated by the Director of Development, to provide services under the program.
State matching funds totaling one-third of a project's cost shall be provided for each approved project when an employer and any local workforce development service provider, in conjunction with the local community, contracts with the Department of Development to provide services under the program. The employer and the local community each shall provide matching funds totaling one-third of a project's cost, and each portion of the matching funds shall be equal to state funding, which also shall be one-third of a project's cost.
The state shall count in-kind contributions when determining a contribution from entities associated with the local community.
The Director of Development, in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code, shall adopt, and may amend or rescind, rules the Director finds necessary for the implementation and successful operation of the Worker Guarantee Program.
WRIGHT OPERATING GRANTS
The foregoing appropriation item 195-669, Wright Operating Grants, shall be used to provide support to the nonbioscience-oriented Wright Centers and Wright Capital Projects funded by the Board of Regents appropriation item CAP-068, Third Frontier, created by Am. Sub. S.B. 261 of the 124th General Assembly. Funding shall be awarded based on criteria established by the Department of Development consistent with the intent of the program. Prior to release of funds from appropriation item 195-669, Wright Operating Grants, each grant award shall have been recommended for funding by the Third Frontier Commission and shall have obtained approval from the Controlling Board.
Section 6. That existing Sections 38, 38.18, and 38.20 of Am. Sub. H.B. 95 of the 125th General Assembly are hereby repealed.
Section 7. Notwithstanding division (A) of section 169.05 of the Revised Code, upon the request of the Director of Budget and Management, the Director of Commerce, prior to June 30, 2005, shall transfer to the Job Development Initiatives Fund (Fund 5AD) up to $25,800,000 of the unclaimed funds that have been reported by the holders of unclaimed funds as provided by section 169.05 of the Revised Code, irrespective of the allocation of the unclaimed funds under that section.
Section 8. (A) The Governor is hereby authorized to execute a deed in the name of the state, conveying to the Board of County Commissioners of Hamilton County and its successors and assigns all of the state's right, title, and interest in the following described real estate:
1916 Central Parkway, Cincinnati, Ohio.
(B) Consideration for the conveyance of the real estate described in division (A) of this section is the purchase price of three hundred thousand dollars.
(C) Upon payment of the purchase price, the Auditor of State, with the assistance of the Attorney General, shall prepare a deed to the real estate described in division (A) of this section. The deed shall state the consideration. The deed shall be executed by the Governor in the name of the state, countersigned by the Secretary of State, sealed with the Great Seal of the State, presented in the Office of the Auditor of State for recording, and delivered to the Board of County Commissioners of Hamilton County. The Board of Commissioners of Hamilton County shall present the deed for recording in the office of the Hamilton County Recorder.
(D) Notwithstanding sections 4141.11 and 4141.31 of the Revised Code, the net proceeds of the conveyance of the real estate described in division (A) of this section shall be deposited to the credit of the Unemployment Compensation Fund created by division (A) of section 4141.09 of the Revised Code.
(E) The Hamilton County Board of County Commissioners shall pay the costs of the conveyance of the real estate described in division (A) of this section.
(F) This section shall expire one year after its effective date.
Section 9. The amendment made to section 122.18 of the Revised Code by this act is in support of Ohio's effort to attract the NASA Shared Services Facility to this state. It is expected that appropriations in support of the payments to be made under division (D)(3) of section 122.18 of the Revised Code, as amended by this act, with respect to that facility will be necessary commencing in state fiscal year 2006 and will be made from moneys of this state that were not raised by taxation, including profits on the sale of spirituous liquor.
Section 10. Sections 122.18, 4928.62, 4928.64, 4928.641, 4928.642, 4928.643, 4928.644, 4928.65, 4928.651, 4928.652, 5709.62, 5709.63, 5709.631, and 5709.632 of the Revised Code, as amended enacted by this act, and the items of law of which such sections as amended by this act are composed, are subject to the referendum. Therefore, under Ohio Constitution, Article II, Section 1c and section 1.471 of the Revised Code, such sections as amended by this act, and the items of law of which such sections as amended by this act are composed, take effect on the ninety-first day after this act is filed with the Secretary of State. If, however, a referendum petition is filed against any such section as amended by this act, or against any item of law of which any such section as amended by this act is composed, the section as amended by this act, or item of law, unless rejected at the referendum, takes effect at the earliest time permitted by law.
Section 11. The uncodified sections of law amended or enacted in this act, and the items of law of which the uncodified sections of law amended or enacted in this act are composed, are not subject to the referendum. Therefore, under Ohio Constitution, Article II, Section 1d and section 1.471 of the Revised Code, the uncodified sections of law amended or enacted in this act, and the items of law of which the uncodified sections of law amended or enacted in this act are composed, go into immediate effect when this act becomes law.
This section does not apply to Sections 1, 2, 3, 4, 9, 10 and 12 of this act.
Section 12.  Sections 5709.62 and 5709.63 of the Revised Code are presented in this act as a composite of those sections as amended by both Sub. H.B. 127 and Am. Sub. S.B. 82 of the 125th General Assembly. The General Assembly, applying the principle stated in division (B) of section 1.52 of the Revised Code that amendments are to be harmonized if reasonably capable of simultaneous operation, finds that the composites are the resulting versions of the sections in effect prior to the effective date of the sections as presented in this act.
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