To amend sections 122.17, 135.35, 301.27, 505.10, 2913.01, 5575.01, 5705.41, 5709.62, 5709.63, 5709.67, and 5709.82 and to enact sections 9.361 and 301.29 of the Revised Code to modify the authority of a county treasurer to invest public moneys in securities lending agreements, to authorize boards of county commissioners to approve the use of procurement cards for certain work-related purchases, to make changes pertaining to the exemption of county expenditures from the certification of available funds, to make changes to the County Credit Card Law, to allow counties to authorize a payroll deduction program to provide for certain employee transportation benefits, to extend the term of enterprise zone tax exemptions from ten to fifteen years for uranium-related projects under certain conditions, to authorize the reimbursement of taxing units for tax revenue foregone as a result of certain tax exemptions, to change the definition of "new employee" for purposes of the job creation tax credit, to permit the disposal of certain unneeded, obsolete, or unfit for use township property by sealed bid, and to exempt certain township road projects from the force account assessment form requirement.

SECTION 1 . That sections 122.17, 135.35, 301.27, 505.10, 2913.01, 5575.01, 5705.41, 5709.62, 5709.63, 5709.67, and 5709.82 be amended and sections 9.361 and 301.29 of the Revised Code be enacted to read as follows:

Sec. 9.361.  A board of county commissioners may authorize, by resolution, a payroll deduction benefit program to implement the qualified transportation fringe benefit provided for in section 132(f) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, 26 U.S.C. 132(f), as amended, for county employees, but only insofar as it applies to parking and transit passes. If the program includes a parking benefit for parking at a facility that is not owned by the county, the county shall require a third-party administrator to administer the program for the county, unless, on or before the effective date of this section, the county already is providing such a parking benefit for which it is acting as the administrator.

The resolution shall provide a process whereby any county officer or employee may participate in or withdraw from the program upon the filing of a written application. Upon appropriate written authorization, the county auditor shall make the appropriate payroll deductions and issue warrants as required by the program.

Sec. 122.17.  (A) As used in this section:

(1) "Full-time employee" means an individual who is employed for consideration for at least thirty-five hours a week, or who renders any other standard of service generally accepted by custom or specified by contract as full-time employment.

(2) "New employee" means one of the following:

(a) A full-time employee first employed by a taxpayer in the project that is the subject of the agreement after the taxpayer enters into a tax credit agreement with the tax credit authority under this section;

(b) A full-time employee first employed by a taxpayer in the project that is the subject of the tax credit after the tax credit authority approves a project for a tax credit under this section in a public meeting, as long as the taxpayer enters into the tax credit agreement prepared by the department of development after such meeting within sixty days after receiving the agreement from the department. If the taxpayer fails to enter into the agreement within sixty days, "new employee" has the same meaning as under division (A)(2)(a) of this section.

Under division (A)(2)(a) or (b) of this section, if the tax credit authority determines it appropriate, "new employee" also may include an employee re-hired or called back from lay-off to work in a new facility or on a new product or service established or produced by the taxpayer after entering into the agreement under this section or after the tax credit authority approves the tax credit in a public meeting. "New Except as otherwise provided in this paragraph, "new employee" does not include any employee of the taxpayer who was previously employed in this state by a related member of the taxpayer and whose employment was shifted to the taxpayer after the taxpayer entered into the tax credit agreement or after the tax credit authority approved the credit in a public meeting, or any employee of the taxpayer for which the taxpayer has been granted a certificate under division (B) of section 5709.66 of the Revised Code. However, if the taxpayer is engaged in the enrichment and commercialization of uranium or uranium products or is engaged in research and development activities related thereto and if the tax credit authority determines it appropriate, "new employee" may include an employee of the taxpayer who was previously employed in this state by a related member of the taxpayer and whose employment was shifted to the taxpayer after the taxpayer entered into the tax credit agreement or after the tax credit authority approved the credit in a public meeting. "New employee" also does not include an employee of the taxpayer who is employed in an employment position that was relocated to a project from other operations of the taxpayer in this state or from operations of a related member of the taxpayer in this state. In addition, "new employee" does not include a child, grandchild, parent, or spouse, other than a spouse who is legally separated from the individual, of any individual who is an employee of the taxpayer and who has a direct or indirect ownership interest of at least five per cent in the profits, capital, or value of the taxpayer. Such ownership interest shall be determined in accordance with section 1563 of the Internal Revenue Code and regulations prescribed thereunder.

(3) "New income tax revenue" means the total amount withheld under section 5747.06 of the Revised Code by the taxpayer during the taxable year from the compensation of new employees for the tax levied under Chapter 5747. of the Revised Code.

(4) "Related member" has the same meaning as under division (A)(6) of section 5733.042 of the Revised Code without regard to division (B) of that section.

(B) The tax credit authority may make grants under this section to foster job creation in this state. Such a grant shall take the form of a refundable credit allowed against the tax imposed by section 5733.06 or 5747.02 of the Revised Code. The credit shall be claimed for the taxable years specified in the taxpayer's agreement with the tax credit authority under division (D) of this section. The credit shall be claimed after the allowance of all other credits provided by Chapter 5733. or 5747. of the Revised Code. The amount of the credit equals the new income tax revenue for the taxable year multiplied by the percentage specified in the agreement with the tax credit authority.

(C) A taxpayer or potential taxpayer who proposes a project to create new jobs in this state may apply to the tax credit authority to enter into an agreement for a tax credit 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 taxpayer for a credit under this section if it determines all of the following:

(1) The taxpayer's project will create new jobs in this state;

(2) The taxpayer's 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 tax credit is a major factor in the taxpayer's decision to go forward with the project.

(D) An agreement under this section shall include all of the following:

(1) A detailed description of the project that is the subject of the agreement;

(2) The term of the tax credit, which shall not exceed fifteen years, and the first taxable year for which the credit may be claimed;

(3) A requirement that the taxpayer shall maintain operations at the project location for at least twice the number of years as the term of the tax credit;

(4) The percentage, as determined by the tax credit authority, of new income tax revenue that will be allowed as the amount of the credit for each taxable year;

(5) A specific method for determining how many new employees are employed during a taxable year;

(6) A requirement that the taxpayer annually shall 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 taxpayer stating that the amounts have been verified;

(8)(a) A provision requiring that the taxpayer, except as otherwise provided in division (D)(8)(b) of this section, shall not relocate employment positions from elsewhere in this state to the project site that is the subject of the agreement for the lesser of five years from the date the agreement is entered into or the number of years the taxpayer is entitled to claim the tax credit.

(b) The taxpayer may relocate employment positions from elsewhere in this state to the project site that is the subject of the agreement if the director of development determines both of the following:

(i) That the site from which the employment positions would be relocated is inadequate to meet market and industry conditions, expansion plans, consolidation plans, or other business considerations affecting the taxpayer;

(ii) That the legislative authority of the county, township, or municipal corporation from which the employment positions would be relocated has been notified of the relocation.

For purposes of this section, the movement of an employment position from one political subdivision to another political subdivision shall be considered a relocation of an employment position, but the transfer of an individual employee from one political subdivision to another political subdivision shall not be considered a relocation of an employment position as long as the individual's employment position in the first political subdivision is refilled.

(E) If a taxpayer fails to meet or comply with any condition or requirement set forth in a tax credit agreement, the tax credit authority may amend the agreement to reduce the percentage or term of the tax credit. The reduction of the percentage or term shall take effect in the taxable year immediately following the taxable year in which the authority amends the agreement. If the taxpayer relocates employment positions in violation of the provision required under division (D)(8)(a) of this section, the taxpayer shall not claim the tax credit under section 5733.0610 of the Revised Code for any tax years following the calendar year in which the relocation occurs, or shall not claim the tax credit under section 5747.058 of the Revised Code for the taxable year in which the relocation occurs and any subsequent taxable years.

(F) Projects that consist solely of point-of-final-purchase retail facilities are not eligible for a tax credit under this section. If a project consists of both point-of-final-purchase retail facilities and nonretail facilities, only the portion of the project consisting of the nonretail facilities is eligible for a tax credit and only the new income tax revenue from new employees of the nonretail facilities shall be considered when computing the amount of the tax credit. If a warehouse facility is part of a point-of-final-purchase retail facility and supplies only that facility, the warehouse facility is not eligible for a tax credit. Catalog distribution centers are not considered point-of-final-purchase retail facilities for the purposes of this division, and are eligible for tax credits under this section.

(G) Financial statements and other information submitted to the department of development or the tax credit authority by an applicant or recipient of a tax credit under this section, and any information taken for any purpose from such statements or information, are not public records subject to section 149.43 of the Revised Code. However, the chairperson of the authority may make use of the statements and other information for purposes of issuing public reports or in connection with court proceedings concerning tax credit agreements under this section. Upon the request of the tax commissioner, the chairperson of the authority shall provide to the commissioner any statement or information submitted by an applicant or recipient of a tax credit in connection with the credit. The commissioner shall preserve the confidentiality of the statement or information.

(H) A taxpayer claiming a credit under this section shall submit to the tax commissioner a copy of the director of development's certificate of verification under division (D)(7) of this section for the taxable year. However, failure to submit a copy of the certificate does not invalidate a claim for a credit.

(I) The director of development, after consultation with the tax commissioner and in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code, shall adopt rules necessary to implement this section. The rules may provide for recipients of tax credits under this section to be charged fees to cover administrative costs of the tax credit program. At the time the director gives public notice under division (A) of section 119.03 of the Revised Code of the adoption of the rules, the director shall submit copies of the proposed rules to the chairpersons of the standing committees on economic development in the senate and the house of representatives.

(J) For the purposes of this section, a taxpayer may include a partnership, a corporation that has made an election under subchapter S of chapter one of subtitle A of the Internal Revenue Code, or any other business entity through which income flows as a distributive share to its owners. A credit received under this section by a partnership, S-corporation, or other such business entity shall be apportioned among the persons to whom the income or profit of the partnership, S-corporation, or other entity is distributed, in the same proportions as those in which the income or profit is distributed.

(K) If the director of development determines that a taxpayer who has received a credit under this section is not complying with the requirement under division (D)(3) of this section, the director shall notify the tax credit authority of the noncompliance. After receiving such a notice, and after giving the taxpayer an opportunity to explain the noncompliance, the tax credit authority may require the taxpayer to refund to this state a portion of the credit in accordance with the following:

(1) If the taxpayer maintained operations at the project location for at least one and one-half times the number of years of the term of the tax credit, an amount not exceeding twenty-five per cent of the sum of any previously allowed credits under this section;

(2) If the taxpayer maintained operations at the project location for at least the number of years of the term of the tax credit, an amount not exceeding fifty per cent of the sum of any previously allowed credits under this section;

(3) If the taxpayer maintained operations at the project location for less than the number of years of the term of the tax credit, an amount not exceeding one hundred per cent of the sum of any previously allowed credits under this section.

In determining the portion of the tax credit to be refunded to this state, the tax credit authority shall consider the effect of market conditions on the taxpayer's project and whether the taxpayer continues to maintain other operations in this state. After making the determination, the authority shall certify the amount to be refunded to the tax commissioner. The commissioner shall make an assessment for that amount against the taxpayer under Chapter 5733. or 5747. of the Revised Code. The time limitations on assessments under Chapter 5733. or 5747. of the Revised Code do not apply to an assessment under this division, but the commissioner shall make the assessment within one year after the date the authority certifies to the commissioner the amount to be refunded.

(L) On or before the thirty-first day of March each year, the director of development shall submit a report to the governor, the president of the senate, and the speaker of the house of representatives on the tax credit program under this section. The report shall include information on the number of agreements that were entered into under this section during the preceding calendar year, a description of the project that is the subject of each such agreement, and an update on the status of projects under agreements entered into before the preceding calendar year.

During the fifth year of the tax credit program, the director of development in conjunction with the director of budget and management shall conduct an evaluation of it. The evaluation shall include assessments of the effectiveness of the program in creating new jobs in this state and of the revenue impact of the program, and may include a review of the practices and experiences of other states with similar programs. The director of development shall submit a report on the evaluation to the governor, the president of the senate, and the speaker of the house of representatives on or before January 1, 1998.

(M) There is hereby created the tax credit authority, which consists of the director of development and four other members appointed as follows: the governor, the president of the senate, and the speaker of the house of representatives each shall appoint one member who shall be a specialist in economic development; the governor also shall appoint a member who is a specialist in taxation. Of the initial appointees, the members appointed by the governor shall serve a term of two years; the members appointed by the president of the senate and the speaker of the house of representatives shall serve a term of four years. Thereafter, terms of office shall be for four years. Initial appointments to the authority shall be made within thirty days after January 13, 1993. Each member shall serve on the authority until the end of the term for which the member was appointed. Vacancies shall be filled in the same manner provided for original appointments. Any member appointed to fill a vacancy occurring prior to the expiration of the term for which the member's predecessor was appointed shall hold office for the remainder of that term. Members may be reappointed to the authority. Members of the authority shall receive their necessary and actual expenses while engaged in the business of the authority. The director of development shall serve as chairperson of the authority, and the members annually shall elect a vice-chairperson from among themselves. Three members of the authority constitute a quorum to transact and vote on the business of the authority. The majority vote of the membership of the authority is necessary to approve any such business, including the election of the vice-chairperson.

The director of development may appoint a professional employee of the department of development to serve as the director's substitute at a meeting of the authority. The director shall make the appointment in writing. In the absence of the director from a meeting of the authority, the appointed substitute shall serve as chairperson. In the absence of both the director and the director's substitute from a meeting, the vice-chairperson shall serve as chairperson.

Sec. 135.35.  (A) The investing authority shall deposit or invest any part or all of the county's inactive moneys and shall invest all of the money in the county library and local government support fund when required by section 135.352 of the Revised Code. The following classifications of securities and obligations are eligible for such deposit or investment:

(1) United States treasury bills, notes, bonds, or any other obligation or security issued by the United States treasury or any other obligation guaranteed as to principal or interest by the United States.

Nothing in the classification of eligible securities and obligations set forth in division (A)(1) of this section or in the classifications of eligible securities and obligations set forth in divisions (A)(2) to (8) of this section shall be construed to authorize any investment in stripped principal or interest obligations of such eligible securities and obligations.

(2) Bonds, notes, debentures, or any other obligations or securities issued by any federal government agency or instrumentality, including but not limited to, the federal national mortgage association, federal home loan bank, federal farm credit bank, federal home loan mortgage corporation, government national mortgage association, and student loan marketing association. All federal agency securities shall be direct issuances of federal government agencies or instrumentalities.

(3) Time certificates of deposit or savings or deposit accounts, including, but not limited to, passbook accounts, in any eligible institution mentioned in section 135.32 of the Revised Code;

(4) Bonds and other obligations of this state or the political subdivisions of this state, provided that such political subdivisions are located wholly or partly within the same county as the investing authority;

(5) No-load money market mutual funds consisting exclusively of obligations described in division (A)(1) or (2) of this section and repurchase agreements secured by such obligations, provided that investments in securities described in this division are made only through eligible institutions mentioned in section 135.32 of the Revised Code;

(6) The Ohio subdivision's fund as provided in section 135.45 of the Revised Code;

(7) Securities lending agreements with any eligible institution mentioned in section 135.32 of the Revised Code that is a member of the federal reserve system or federal home loan bank or with any recognized United States government securities dealer meeting the description in division (J)(1) of this section, under the terms of which agreements the investing authority lends securities and the eligible institution or dealer agrees to simultaneously exchange either similar securities described in division (A)(1) or (2) of this section or cash or both securities and cash, equal value for equal value;.

Securities and cash received as collateral for a securities lending agreement are not inactive moneys of the county or moneys of a county library and local government support fund. The investment of cash collateral received pursuant to a securities lending agreement may be invested only in instruments specified by the investing authority in the written investment policy described in division (K) of this section.

(8) Up to twenty-five per cent of the county's total average portfolio in either of the following investments:

(a) Commercial paper notes issued by an entity that is defined in division (D) of section 1705.01 of the Revised Code and that has assets exceeding five hundred million dollars, to which notes all of the following apply:

(i) The notes are rated at the time of purchase in the highest classification established by at least two nationally recognized standard rating services.

(ii) The aggregate value of the notes does not exceed ten per cent of the aggregate value of the outstanding commercial paper of the issuing corporation.

(iii) The notes mature not later than one hundred eighty days after purchase.

(b) Bankers acceptances of banks that are insured by the federal deposit insurance corporation and to which both of the following apply:

(i) The obligations are eligible for purchase by the federal reserve system.

(ii) The obligations mature not later than one hundred eighty days after purchase.

No investment shall be made pursuant to division (A)(8) of this section unless the investing authority has completed additional training for making the investments authorized by division (A)(8) of this section. The type and amount of additional training shall be approved by the auditor of state and may be conducted by or provided under the supervision of the auditor of state.

(B) Nothing in the classifications of eligible obligations and securities set forth in divisions (A)(1) to (8) of this section shall be construed to authorize investment in a derivative, and no investing authority shall invest any county inactive moneys or any moneys in a county library and local government support fund in a derivative. For purposes of this division, "derivative" means a financial instrument or contract or obligation whose value or return is based upon or linked to another asset or index, or both, separate from the financial instrument, contract, or obligation itself. Any security, obligation, trust account, or other instrument that is created from an issue of the United States treasury or is created from an obligation of a federal agency or instrumentality or is created from both is considered a derivative instrument. An eligible investment described in this section with a variable interest rate payment, based upon a single interest payment or single index comprised of other eligible investments provided for in division (A)(1) or (2) of this section, is not a derivative, provided that such variable rate investment has a maximum maturity of two years.

(C) Except as provided in division (D) of this section, any investment made pursuant to this section must mature within five years from the date of settlement, unless the investment is matched to a specific obligation or debt of the county or to a specific obligation or debt of a political subdivision of this state located wholly or partly within the county, and the investment is specifically approved by the investment advisory committee.

(D) The investing authority may also enter into a written repurchase agreement with any eligible institution mentioned in section 135.32 of the Revised Code or any eligible securities dealer pursuant to division (J) of this section, under the terms of which agreement the investing authority purchases and the eligible institution or dealer agrees unconditionally to repurchase any of the securities listed in divisions (B)(1) to (5), except letters of credit described in division (B)(2), of section 135.18 of the Revised Code. The market value of securities subject to an overnight written repurchase agreement must exceed the principal value of the overnight written repurchase agreement by at least two per cent. A written repurchase agreement must exceed the principal value of the overnight written repurchase agreement, by at least two per cent. A written repurchase agreement shall not exceed thirty days, and the market value of securities subject to a written repurchase agreement must exceed the principal value of the written repurchase agreement by at least two per cent and be marked to market daily. All securities purchased pursuant to this division shall be delivered into the custody of the investing authority or the qualified custodian of the investing authority or an agent designated by the investing authority. A written repurchase agreement with an eligible securities dealer shall be transacted on a delivery versus payment basis. The agreement shall contain the requirement that for each transaction pursuant to the agreement the participating institution shall provide all of the following information:

(1) The par value of the securities;

(2) The type, rate, and maturity date of the securities;

(3) A numerical identifier generally accepted in the securities industry that designates the securities.

No investing authority shall enter into a written repurchase agreement under the terms of which the investing authority agrees to sell securities owned by the county to a purchaser and agrees with that purchaser to unconditionally repurchase those securities.

(E) No investing authority shall make an investment under this section, unless the investing authority, at the time of making the investment, reasonably expects that the investment can be held until its maturity. The investing authority's written investment policy shall specify the conditions under which an investment may be redeemed or sold prior to maturity.

(F) No investing authority shall pay a county's inactive moneys or moneys of a county library and local government support fund into a fund established by another subdivision, treasurer, governing board, or investing authority, if that fund was established by the subdivision, treasurer, governing board, or investing authority for the purpose of investing or depositing the public moneys of other subdivisions. This division does not apply to the payment of public moneys into either of the following:

(1) The Ohio subdivision's fund pursuant to division (A)(6) of this section;

(2) A fund created solely for the purpose of acquiring, constructing, owning, leasing, or operating municipal utilities pursuant to the authority provided under section 715.02 of the Revised Code or Section 4 of Article XVIII, Ohio Constitution.

For purposes of division (F) of this section, "subdivision" includes a county.

(G) The use of leverage, in which the county uses its current investment assets as collateral for the purpose of purchasing other assets, is prohibited. The issuance of taxable notes for the purpose of arbitrage is prohibited. Contracting to sell securities not owned by the county, for the purpose of purchasing such securities on the speculation that bond prices will decline, is prohibited.

(H) Any securities, certificates of deposit, deposit accounts, or any other documents evidencing deposits or investments made under authority of this section shall be issued in the name of the county with the county treasurer or investing authority as the designated payee. If any such deposits or investments are registrable either as to principal or interest, or both, they shall be registered in the name of the treasurer.

(I) The investing authority shall be responsible for the safekeeping of all documents evidencing a deposit or investment acquired under this section, including, but not limited to, safekeeping receipts evidencing securities deposited with a qualified trustee, as provided in section 135.37 of the Revised Code, and documents confirming the purchase of securities under any repurchase agreement under this section shall be deposited with a qualified trustee, provided, however, that the qualified trustee shall be required to report to the investing authority, auditor of state, or an authorized outside auditor at any time upon request as to the identity, market value, and location of the document evidencing each security, and that if the participating institution is a designated depository of the county for the current period of designation, the securities that are the subject of the repurchase agreement may be delivered to the treasurer or held in trust by the participating institution on behalf of the investing authority.

Upon the expiration of the term of office of an investing authority or in the event of a vacancy in the office for any reason, the officer or the officer's legal representative shall transfer and deliver to the officer's successor all documents mentioned in this division for which the officer has been responsible for safekeeping. For all such documents transferred and delivered, such the officer shall be credited with, and the officer's successor shall be charged with, the amount of moneys so evidenced by such documents.

(J)(1) All investments, except for investments in securities described in divisions (A)(5) and (6) of this section, shall be made only through a member of the national association of securities dealers, through a bank, savings bank, or savings and loan association regulated by the superintendent of financial institutions, or through an institution regulated by the comptroller of the currency, federal deposit insurance corporation, or board of governors of the federal reserve system.

(2) Payment for investments shall be made only upon the delivery of securities representing such investments to the treasurer, investing authority, or qualified trustee. If the securities transferred are not represented by a certificate, payment shall be made only upon receipt of confirmation of transfer from the custodian by the treasurer, governing board, or qualified trustee.

(K)(1) Except as otherwise provided in division (K)(2) of this section, no investing authority shall make an investment or deposit under this section, unless there is on file with the auditor of state a written investment policy approved by the investing authority. The policy shall require that all entities conducting investment business with the investment investing authority shall sign the investment policy of that investment investing authority. All brokers, dealers, and financial institutions, described in division (J)(1) of this section, initiating transactions with the investment investing authority by giving advice or making investment recommendations shall sign the investment investing authority's investment policy thereby acknowledging their agreement to abide by the policy's contents. All brokers, dealers, and financial institutions, described in division (J)(1) of this section, executing transactions initiated by the investment investing authority, having read the policy's contents, shall sign the investment policy thereby acknowledging their comprehension and receipt.

(2) If a written investment policy described in division (K)(1) of this section is not filed on behalf of the county with the auditor of state, the investing authority of that county shall invest the county's inactive moneys and moneys of the county library and local government support fund only in time certificates of deposits or savings or deposit accounts pursuant to division (A)(3) of this section, no-load money market mutual funds pursuant to division (A)(5) of this section, or the Ohio subdivision's fund pursuant to division (A)(6) of this section.

(L)(1) The investing authority shall establish and maintain an inventory of all obligations and securities acquired by the investing authority pursuant to this section. The inventory shall include a description of each obligation or security, including type, cost, par value, maturity date, settlement date, and any coupon rate.

(2) The investing authority shall also keep a complete record of all purchases and sales of the obligations and securities made pursuant to this section.

(3) The investing authority shall maintain a monthly portfolio report and issue a copy of the monthly portfolio report describing such investments to the county investment advisory committee, detailing the current inventory of all obligations and securities, all transactions during the month that affected the inventory, any income received from the obligations and securities, and any investment expenses paid, and stating the names of any persons effecting transactions on behalf of the investing authority.

(4) The monthly portfolio report shall be a public record and available for inspection under section 149.43 of the Revised Code.

(5) The inventory and the monthly portfolio report shall be filed with the board of county commissioners.

(M) An investing authority may enter into a written investment or deposit agreement that includes a provision under which the parties agree to submit to nonbinding arbitration to settle any controversy that may arise out of the agreement, including any controversy pertaining to losses of public moneys resulting from investment or deposit. The arbitration provision shall be set forth entirely in the agreement, and the agreement shall include a conspicuous notice to the parties that any party to the arbitration may apply to the court of common pleas of the county in which the arbitration was held for an order to vacate, modify, or correct the award. Any such party may also apply to the court for an order to change venue to a court of common pleas located more than one hundred miles from the county in which the investing authority is located.

For purposes of this division, "investment or deposit agreement" means any agreement between an investing authority and a person, under which agreement the person agrees to invest, deposit, or otherwise manage, on behalf of the investing authority, a county's inactive moneys or moneys in a county library and local government support fund, or agrees to provide investment advice to the investing authority.

(N) An investment held in the county portfolio on September 27, 1996, that was a legal investment under the law as it existed before September 27, 1996, may be held until maturity, or if the investment does not have a maturity date the investment may be held until five years from September 27, 1996, regardless of whether the investment would qualify as a legal investment under the terms of this section as amended.

Sec. 301.27.  (A) As used in this section:

(1) "Credit card" includes a gasoline and telephone credit card and a telephone credit card cards but excludes any procurement card authorized under section 301.29 of the Revised Code.

(2) "Officer" includes an individual who also is an appointing authority.

(3) "Gasoline and oil expenses," and "minor motor vehicle repair and maintenance expenses," and "emergency motor vehicle repair expenses" refer to only those expenses incurred for motor vehicles owned or leased by the county.

(B)(1) A credit card held by a board of county commissioners or the office of any other county appointing authority shall be used only to pay the following work-related expenses, limited to the following:

(1)(a) Food expenses;

(2)(b) Transportation expenses;

(3)(c) Gasoline and oil expenses;

(4) Minor motor (d) Motor vehicle repair and maintenance expenses;

(5) Emergency motor vehicle repair expenses;

(6)(e) Telephone expenses;

(7)(f) Lodging expenses;

(8)(g) Internet service provider expenses;

(9)(h) In the case of a public children services agency, expenses for purchases for children for whom the agency is providing temporary emergency care pursuant to section 5153.16 of the Revised Code, children in the temporary or permanent custody of the agency, and children in a planned permanent living arrangement.

(2) No late charges or finance charges shall be allowed as an allowable expense unless authorized by the board of county commissioners.

(C) A county appointing authority may apply to the board of county commissioners for authorization to have an officer or employee of the appointing authority use a credit card held by that appointing authority. The authorization request shall state whether the card is to be issued only in the name of the office of the appointing authority itself or whether the issued card also shall also include the name of a specified officer or employee.

(D) The debt incurred as a result of the use of a credit card pursuant to this section shall be paid from moneys appropriated to specific appropriation line items of the appointing authority for work-related expenses listed in division (B)(1) of this section.

(E)(1) Except as otherwise provided in division (E)(2) of this section, every officer or employee authorized to use a credit card held by the board or appointing authority shall submit to the board by the first day of each month an estimate of the officer's or employee's work-related expenses listed in division (B)(1) of this section for that month along with the specific appropriation line items from which those expenditures are to be made, unless the board authorizes, by resolution, the officer or employee to submit to the board such an estimate for a period longer than one month. The board may revise the estimate and determine the amount it approves, if any, not to exceed the estimated amount. The board shall certify the amount of its determination to the county auditor along with the necessary information for the auditor to determine the appropriate specific appropriation line item items from which such the expenditures are to be made. After receiving certification from the county auditor that the determined sum of money is in the treasury or in the process of collection to the credit of the appropriate specific appropriation line item items for which the credit card is approved for use, and is free from previous and then-outstanding obligations or certifications, the board shall authorize the officer or employee to incur debt for such the expenses against the county's credit up to the authorized amount.

(2) In lieu of following the procedure set forth in division (E)(1) of this section, a board of county commissioners may adopt a resolution authorizing an officer or employee of an appointing authority to use a county credit card to pay for specific classes of the work-related expenses listed in division (B)(1) of this section, or use a specific credit card for any of those work-related expenses listed in division (B)(1) of this section, without submitting an estimate of those expenses to the board as required by division (E)(1) of this section. Prior to adopting the resolution, the board shall notify the county auditor. The resolution shall specify whether the officer's or employee's exemption extends to the use of a specific credit card, which card shall be identified by its number, or to one or more specific work-related uses from the classes of uses permitted under division (B)(1) of this section. Before any credit card exempted for specific uses may be used to make purchases for uses other than those specific uses listed in the resolution, the procedures outlined in division (E)(1) of this section must be followed or the use shall be considered an unauthorized use. Use of any credit card under division (E)(2) of this section shall be limited to the amount appropriated and encumbered in a specific appropriation line item for the permitted use or uses designated in the authorizing resolution, or, in the case of a resolution that authorizes use of a specific credit card, for each of the permitted uses listed in division (B) of this section, but only to the extent the moneys in such appropriations those specific appropriation line items are not otherwise encumber encumbered.

(F)(1) Any time a county credit card approved for use for an authorized amount under division (E)(1) of this section is used for more than that authorized amount, the appointing authority may request the board of county commissioners to authorize after the fact the expenditure of any amount charged beyond the originally authorized amount if, upon the board's request, the county auditor certifies that sum of money is in the treasury or in the process of collection to the credit of the appropriate appropriation line item for which the credit card was used, and is free from previous and then-outstanding obligations or certifications. If the card is used for more than the amount originally authorized and if for any reason that amount is not authorized after the fact, then the county treasury shall be reimbursed for any amount spent beyond the originally authorized amount in the following manner:

(a) If the card is issued in the name of a specific officer or employee, then that officer or employee is liable in person and upon any official bond the officer or employee has given to the county to reimburse the county treasury for the amount charged to the county beyond the originally authorized amount.

(b) If the card was is issued to the office of the appointing authority, then the appointing authority is liable in person and upon any official bond the appointing authority has given to the county for the amount charged to the county beyond the originally authorized amount.

(2) Any time a county credit card authorized for use under division (E)(2) of this section is used for more than the amount appropriated under that division, the appointing authority may request the board of county commissioners to issue a supplemental appropriation or make a transfer to the proper line item account as permitted in section 5705.40 of the Revised Code, to cover the amount charged beyond the originally appropriated amount. If the card is used for more than the amount originally appropriated and if for any reason that amount is not appropriated or transferred as permitted by this section, then the county treasury shall be reimbursed for any amount spent beyond the originally appropriated amount in the following manner:

(a) If the card is issued in the name of a specific officer or employee, then that officer or employee is liable in person and upon any official bond the officer or employee has given to the county for reimbursing the county treasury for any amount charged on the card beyond the originally appropriated amount.

(b) If the card is issued in the name of the office of the appointing authority, then the appointing authority is liable in person and upon any official bond the appointing authority has given to the county for reimbursement for any amount charged on the card beyond the originally appropriated amount.

(3) Whenever any officer or employee who is authorized to use a credit card held by the board or the office of any other county appointing authority suspects the loss, theft, or possibility of unauthorized use of the county credit card the officer or employee is authorized to use, the officer or employee shall so notify the county auditor and either the officer's or employee's appointing authority or the board immediately and in writing.

(4) If the county auditor determines there has been a credit card expenditure beyond the appropriated or authorized amount as provided in division (E) of this section, the auditor immediately shall notify the board of county commissioners of this fact. When the board of county commissioners determines, on its own or after notification from the county auditor, that the county treasury should be reimbursed for credit card expenditures beyond the appropriated or authorized amount as provided in divisions (F)(1) and (2) of this section, it shall give written notice to the county auditor and to the officer or employee or appointing authority liable to the treasury as provided in those divisions (F)(1) and (2) of this section. If, within thirty days after issuance of this the written notice, the county treasury is not reimbursed for the amount shown on the written notice, the prosecuting attorney of the county shall recover that amount from the officer or employee or appointing authority who is liable under this section by civil action in any court of appropriate jurisdiction.

(G) Use of a county credit card for any use other than those permitted under division (B)(1) of this section is a violation of law for the purposes of section 2913.21 of the Revised Code.

Sec. 301.29. (A) As used in this section:

(1) "Officer" includes an individual who also is an appointing authority.

(2) "Procurement card" means a financial transaction device as defined in section 301.28 of the Revised Code and as authorized under this section, but excludes any credit card authorized under section 301.27 of the Revised Code.

(B) A procurement card held by a board of county commissioners or the office of any other county appointing authority shall be used only to pay work-related expenses. No late charges or finance charges shall be allowed as an allowable expense unless authorized by the board of county commissioners.

(C)(1) In any county that chooses to use procurement cards, the board of county commissioners shall, by resolution, adopt a policy with the advice of the county auditor, for the county's use of those cards. The resolution shall include provisions that limit the use of a procurement card to payment for one or more specific work-related or specific classes of work-related expenses, and limit procurement card transactions to a specific number of transactions per day, month, quarter, or other specified period as authorized in division (F)(2) of this section, by supplier or work-related expense. In addition, the resolution shall limit a procurement card to daily and monthly spending limits.

The resolution also shall contain a list of administrative controls that the board determines, after consulting with the county auditor, will be sufficient for use of a procurement card. Those administrative controls shall include at a minimum the following:

(a) An aggregate amount that may be incurred through use of each card within a day, week, or month;

(b) Classes of permissible goods and services that may be purchased with a procurement card;

(c) In case a procurement card is misused, a procedure for revocation of the card.

(2) The county auditor shall develop internal accounting controls in consultation with the auditor of state for the implementation of this section.

(3) If a board of county commissioners adopts a policy under division (C)(1) of this section, it shall advertise a request for proposals from issuers of procurement cards in a newspaper of general circulation within the county at least once a week for two consecutive weeks. The advertisement shall specify the purpose of the request, the type of procurement card or cards sought, and the date by which proposals must be received. That date shall not be less than ten days after the last day of the second week in which the request is advertised.

The board also may post the advertisement by electronic means, including posting the advertisement on the county's internet site on the world wide web. If the advertisement is posted on the county web site, the board may eliminate the second newspaper publication otherwise required by this division if the first notice published in a newspaper of general circulation meets all of the following:

(a) It is published at least two weeks before the date required for the receipt of the proposals.

(b) It includes a statement that the notice is posted on the county's internet site on the world wide web.

(c) It includes the county's internet address on the world wide web.

(d) It provides instruction for accessing the advertisement on the county web site.

The board shall determine upon the advice of the county auditor and county treasurer whether to contract with any one or more issuers that submit a timely proposal. Before entering into a contract, the board shall adopt a resolution stating the contract's intent and guidelines consistent with divisions (C)(1) and (2) of this section for the use of each procurement card.

(D) A county appointing authority may apply to the board of county commissioners for authorization to have an officer or employee of the appointing authority use a procurement card held by that appointing authority. The authorization request shall state whether the card is to be issued only in the name of the office of the appointing authority or whether the issued card also shall include the name of a specified officer or employee.

(E) The debt incurred as a result of the use of a procurement card under this section shall be paid from moneys appropriated to specific appropriation line items of the appointing authority.

(F)(1) Except as otherwise provided in division (F)(2) of this section, every officer or employee authorized to use a procurement card held by the board or appointing authority shall submit to the board by the first day of each month an estimate of the officer's or employee's work-related expenses for that month, unless the board authorizes, by resolution, the officer or employee to submit to the board such an estimate for a period longer than one month. The board may revise the estimate and determine the amount it approves, if any, not to exceed the estimated amount. The board shall certify the amount of its determination to the county auditor along with the specific appropriation line items from which the expenditures are to be made. After receiving certification pursuant to division (D) of section 5705.41 of the Revised Code that the specific appropriation line item for which the procurement card is approved for use is free from previous and then-outstanding obligations or certifications, the board shall authorize the officer or employee to incur debt for the expenses against the county's credit up to the authorized amount.

(2) In lieu of following the procedure set forth in division (F)(1) of this section, a board of county commissioners may adopt a resolution authorizing an officer or employee of an appointing authority to use a county procurement card to pay for specific classes of work-related expenses, or to use a specific procurement card for any work-related expenses, without submitting an estimate of those expenses to the board as required by division (F)(1) of this section. Prior to adopting the resolution, the board shall notify the county auditor. The resolution shall specify whether the officer's or employee's exemption extends to the use of a specific procurement card, which card shall be identified by its number, or to one or more specific work-related uses. Before any procurement card issued for specific uses may be used to make purchases for uses other than those specific uses listed in the resolution, the procedures outlined in division (F)(1) of this section must be followed or the use shall be considered an unauthorized use. Use of any procurement card under division (F)(2) of this section shall be limited to the amount appropriated and encumbered in a specific appropriation line item for the permitted use or uses designated in the authorizing resolution, or, in the case of a resolution that authorizes use of a specific procurement card, for any work-related expense, but only to the extent the moneys in those specific appropriation line items are not otherwise encumbered.

(3) A procurement card shall not be used in any manner that circumvents the competitive bidding requirements of section 307.86 of the Revised Code.

(G)(1) Any time a county procurement card approved for use for an authorized amount under division (F)(1) of this section is used for more than that authorized amount, the appointing authority may request the board of county commissioners to authorize after the fact the expenditure of any amount charged beyond the originally authorized amount if, upon the board's request, the county auditor certifies that sum of money is in the treasury or in the process of collection to the credit of the appropriate appropriation line item for which the procurement card was used, and is free from previous and then-outstanding obligations or certifications. If the card is used for more than the amount originally authorized and if for any reason that amount is not authorized after the fact, the county treasury shall be reimbursed for any amount spent beyond the originally authorized amount in the following manner:

(a) If the card is issued in the name of a specific officer or employee, the officer or employee is liable in person and upon any official bond the officer or employee has given to the county to reimburse the county treasury for the amount charged to the county beyond the originally authorized amount.

(b) If the card is issued to the office of the appointing authority, the appointing authority is liable in person and upon any official bond the appointing authority has given to the county for the amount charged to the county beyond the originally authorized amount.

(2) No user of a county procurement card authorized for use under division (F)(2) of this section shall use the card for any expenditure that is more than the amount appropriated under that division. If at any time a county procurement card authorized for use under division (F)(2) of this section is used for more than the amount appropriated under that division, the appointing authority may request the board of county commissioners to issue a supplemental appropriation or make a transfer to the specific appropriation line items as permitted in section 5705.40 of the Revised Code, to cover the amount charged beyond the originally appropriated amount. If the card is used for more than the amount originally appropriated and if for any reason that amount is not appropriated or transferred as permitted by this division, the county treasury shall be reimbursed for any amount spent beyond the originally appropriated amount in the following manner:

(a) If the card is issued in the name of a specific officer or employee, the officer or employee is liable in person and upon any official bond the officer or employee has given to the county for reimbursing the county treasury for any amount charged on the card beyond the originally appropriated amount.

(b) If the card is issued in the name of the office of the appointing authority, the appointing authority is liable in person and upon any official bond the appointing authority has given to the county for reimbursement for any amount charged on the card beyond the originally appropriated amount.

(3) Whenever any officer or employee who is authorized to use a procurement card held by the board or the office of any other county appointing authority suspects the loss, theft, or possibility of unauthorized or unlawful use of the card, the officer or employee shall notify the county auditor and the officer's or employee's appointing authority or the board immediately and in writing.

(4) If the county auditor determines there has been a procurement card expenditure beyond the appropriated or authorized amount as provided in division (F) of this section, or for an unlawful purpose, the auditor immediately shall notify the board of county commissioners. When the board determines, on its own or after notification from the county auditor, that the county treasury should be reimbursed for procurement card expenditures beyond the appropriated or authorized amount as provided in divisions (G)(1) and (2) of this section, it shall give written notice to the county auditor and to the officer or employee or appointing authority liable to the treasury as provided in those divisions. If, within thirty days after issuance of this written notice, the county treasury is not reimbursed for the amount shown on the written notice, the prosecuting attorney of the county shall recover that amount from the officer or employee or appointing authority who is liable under this section by civil action in any court of appropriate jurisdiction.

(H) Use of a county procurement card for any use other than those permitted under division (B) of this section is a violation of law for the purposes of section 2913.21 of the Revised Code.

Sec. 505.10.  The board of township trustees may accept, on behalf of the township, the donation by bequest, devise, deed of gift, or otherwise, of any real or personal property for any township use. When the township has property, including motor vehicles, road machinery, equipment, and tools, which the board, by resolution, finds it does is not need needed for public use, is obsolete, or is unfit for the use for which it was acquired, the board may sell and convey that property or otherwise dispose of it in accordance with this section. Except as otherwise provided in sections 505.08, 505.101, and 505.102 of the Revised Code, the sale or other disposition of unneeded, obsolete, or unfit for use property shall be made in accordance with one of the following:

(A)(1) If the fair market value of property to be sold is, in the opinion of the board, in excess of two thousand five hundred dollars, the sale shall be by public auction, and the or by sealed bid to the highest bidder. The board shall publish notice of the time, place, and manner of the sale once a week for three weeks in a newspaper published, or of general circulation, in the township, the last of those publications to be at least five days before the date of sale, and shall post a typewritten or printed notice of the time, place, and manner of the sale in the office of the board for at least ten days prior to the sale.

If the board conducts the sale of the property by sealed bid, the form of the bid shall be as prescribed by the board, and each bid shall contain the name of the person submitting it. Bids received shall be opened and tabulated at the time stated in the published and posted notices. The property shall be sold to the highest bidder, except that the board may reject all bids and hold another sale, by public auction or sealed bid, in the manner prescribed by this section.

(2) If the fair market value of property to be sold is, in the opinion of the board, two thousand five hundred dollars or less, the board may sell the property by private sale, without advertisement or public notification.

(3) If the board finds, by resolution, that the township has motor vehicles, road machinery, equipment, or tools which are not needed or are unfit for public use, and the board wishes to sell the motor vehicles, road machinery, equipment, or tools to the person or firm from which it proposes to purchase other motor vehicles, road machinery, equipment, or tools, the board may offer to sell the motor vehicles, road machinery, equipment, or tools to that person or firm, and to have the selling price credited to the person or firm against the purchase price of other motor vehicles, road machinery, equipment, or tools.

(4) If the board advertises for bids for the sale of new motor vehicles, road machinery, equipment, or tools to the township, it may include in the same advertisement a notice of the willingness of the board to accept bids for the purchase of township-owned motor vehicles, road machinery, equipment, or tools which are obsolete or not needed for public use, and to have the amount of those bids subtracted from the selling price of the new motor vehicles, road machinery, equipment, or tools, as a means of determining the lowest responsible bidder.

(5) When a township has title to real property, the board of township trustees, by resolution, may authorize the transfer and conveyance of that property to any other political subdivision of the state upon such terms as are agreed to between the board and the legislative authority of that political subdivision.

(6) When a township has title to real property and the board of township trustees wishes to sell or otherwise transfer the property, the board, upon a unanimous vote of its members and by resolution, may authorize the transfer and conveyance of that real property to any person upon whatever terms are agreed to between the board and that person.

(7) If the board of township trustees determines that township personal property is not needed for public use, or is obsolete or unfit for the use for which it was acquired, and that the property has no value, the board may discard or salvage that property.

(B) When the board has offered property at public auction under this section and has not received an acceptable offer, the board, by resolution, may enter into a contract, without advertising or bidding, for the sale of that property. The resolution shall specify a minimum acceptable price and the minimum acceptable terms for the contract. The minimum acceptable price shall not be lower than the minimum price established for the public auction.

(C) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in division (A) or (B) of this section and regardless of the property's value, the board of township trustees may sell personal property, including motor vehicles, road machinery, equipment, tools, or supplies, which is not needed for public use, or is obsolete or unfit for the use for which it was acquired, by internet auction. The board shall adopt, during each calendar year, a resolution expressing its intent to sell that property by internet auction. The resolution shall include a description of how the auctions will be conducted and shall specify the number of days for bidding on the property, which shall be no less than fifteen days, including Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays. The resolution shall indicate whether the township will conduct the auction or the board will contract with a representative to conduct the auction and shall establish the general terms and conditions of sale. If a representative is known when the resolution is adopted, the resolution shall provide contact information such as the representative's name, address, and telephone number.

After adoption of the resolution, the board shall publish, in a newspaper of general circulation in the township, notice of its intent to sell unneeded, obsolete, or unfit for use township personal property by internet auction. The notice shall include a summary of the information provided in the resolution and shall be published at least twice. The second and any subsequent notice shall be published not less than ten nor more than twenty days after the previous notice. A clerk also shall post a similar notice throughout the calendar year in a conspicuous place in the board's office, and, if the township maintains a website web site on the internet, the notice shall be posted continually throughout the calendar year at that website web site.

When property is to be sold by internet auction, the board or its representative may establish a minimum price that will be accepted for specific items and may establish any other terms and conditions for the particular sale, including requirements for pick-up or delivery, method of payment, and sales tax. This type of information shall be provided on the internet at the time of the auction and may be provided before that time upon request after the terms and conditions have been determined by the board or its representative.

As used in this section, "internet" means the international computer network of both federal and nonfederal interoperable packet switched data networks, including the graphical subnetwork called the world wide web.

Sec. 2913.01.  As used in this chapter, unless the context requires that a term be given a different meaning:

(A) "Deception" means knowingly deceiving another or causing another to be deceived by any false or misleading representation, by withholding information, by preventing another from acquiring information, or by any other conduct, act, or omission that creates, confirms, or perpetuates a false impression in another, including a false impression as to law, value, state of mind, or other objective or subjective fact.

(B) "Defraud" means to knowingly obtain, by deception, some benefit for oneself or another, or to knowingly cause, by deception, some detriment to another.

(C) "Deprive" means to do any of the following:

(1) Withhold property of another permanently, or for a period that appropriates a substantial portion of its value or use, or with purpose to restore it only upon payment of a reward or other consideration;

(2) Dispose of property so as to make it unlikely that the owner will recover it;

(3) Accept, use, or appropriate money, property, or services, with purpose not to give proper consideration in return for the money, property, or services, and without reasonable justification or excuse for not giving proper consideration.

(D) "Owner" means, unless the context requires a different meaning, any person, other than the actor, who is the owner of, who has possession or control of, or who has any license or interest in property or services, even though the ownership, possession, control, license, or interest is unlawful.

(E) "Services" include labor, personal services, professional services, public utility services, common carrier services, and food, drink, transportation, entertainment, and cable television services and, for purposes of section 2913.04 of the Revised Code, include cable services as defined in that section.

(F) "Writing" means any computer software, document, letter, memorandum, note, paper, plate, data, film, or other thing having in or upon it any written, typewritten, or printed matter, and any token, stamp, seal, credit card, badge, trademark, label, or other symbol of value, right, privilege, license, or identification.

(G) "Forge" means to fabricate or create, in whole or in part and by any means, any spurious writing, or to make, execute, alter, complete, reproduce, or otherwise purport to authenticate any writing, when the writing in fact is not authenticated by that conduct.

(H) "Utter" means to issue, publish, transfer, use, put or send into circulation, deliver, or display.

(I) "Coin machine" means any mechanical or electronic device designed to do both of the following:

(1) Receive a coin, bill, or token made for that purpose;

(2) In return for the insertion or deposit of a coin, bill, or token, automatically dispense property, provide a service, or grant a license.

(J) "Slug" means an object that, by virtue of its size, shape, composition, or other quality, is capable of being inserted or deposited in a coin machine as an improper substitute for a genuine coin, bill, or token made for that purpose.

(K) "Theft offense" means any of the following:

(1) A violation of section 2911.01, 2911.02, 2911.11, 2911.12, 2911.13, 2911.31, 2911.32, 2913.02, 2913.03, 2913.04, 2913.041, 2913.05, 2913.06, 2913.11, 2913.21, 2913.31, 2913.32, 2913.33, 2913.34, 2913.40, 2913.42, 2913.43, 2913.44, 2913.45, 2913.47, former section 2913.47 or 2913.48, or section 2913.51, 2915.05, or 2921.41 of the Revised Code;

(2) A violation of an existing or former municipal ordinance or law of this or any other state, or of the United States, substantially equivalent to any section listed in division (K)(1) of this section or a violation of section 2913.41, 2913.81, or 2915.06 of the Revised Code as it existed prior to July 1, 1996;

(3) An offense under an existing or former municipal ordinance or law of this or any other state, or of the United States, involving robbery, burglary, breaking and entering, theft, embezzlement, wrongful conversion, forgery, counterfeiting, deceit, or fraud;

(4) A conspiracy or attempt to commit, or complicity in committing, any offense under division (K)(1), (2), or (3) of this section.

(L) "Computer services" includes, but is not limited to, the use of a computer system, computer network, computer program, data that is prepared for computer use, or data that is contained within a computer system or computer network.

(M) "Computer" means an electronic device that performs logical, arithmetic, and memory functions by the manipulation of electronic or magnetic impulses. "Computer" includes, but is not limited to, all input, output, processing, storage, computer program, or communication facilities that are connected, or related, in a computer system or network to an electronic device of that nature.

(N) "Computer system" means a computer and related devices, whether connected or unconnected, including, but not limited to, data input, output, and storage devices, data communications links, and computer programs and data that make the system capable of performing specified special purpose data processing tasks.

(O) "Computer network" means a set of related and remotely connected computers and communication facilities that includes more than one computer system that has the capability to transmit among the connected computers and communication facilities through the use of computer facilities.

(P) "Computer program" means an ordered set of data representing coded instructions or statements that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to process data.

(Q) "Computer software" means computer programs, procedures, and other documentation associated with the operation of a computer system.

(R) "Data" means a representation of information, knowledge, facts, concepts, or instructions that are being or have been prepared in a formalized manner and that are intended for use in a computer, computer system, or computer network. For purposes of section 2913.47 of the Revised Code, "data" has the additional meaning set forth in division (A) of that section.

(S) "Cable television service" means any services provided by or through the facilities of any cable television system or other similar closed circuit coaxial cable communications system, or any microwave or similar transmission service used in connection with any cable television system or other similar closed circuit coaxial cable communications system.

(T) "Gain access" means to approach, instruct, communicate with, store data in, retrieve data from, or otherwise make use of any resources of a computer, computer system, or computer network, or any cable service or cable system both as defined in section 2913.04 of the Revised Code.

(U) "Credit card" includes, but is not limited to, a card, code, device, or other means of access to a customer's account for the purpose of obtaining money, property, labor, or services on credit, or for initiating an electronic fund transfer at a point-of-sale terminal, an automated teller machine, or a cash dispensing machine. It also includes a county procurement card issued under section 301.29 of the Revised Code.

(V) "Electronic fund transfer" has the same meaning as in 92 Stat. 3728, 15 U.S.C.A. 1693a, as amended.

(W) "Rented property" means personal property in which the right of possession and use of the property is for a short and possibly indeterminate term in return for consideration; the rentee generally controls the duration of possession of the property, within any applicable minimum or maximum term; and the amount of consideration generally is determined by the duration of possession of the property.

(X) "Telecommunication" means the origination, emission, dissemination, transmission, or reception of data, images, signals, sounds, or other intelligence or equivalence of intelligence of any nature over any communications system by any method, including, but not limited to, a fiber optic, electronic, magnetic, optical, digital, or analog method.

(Y) "Telecommunications device" means any instrument, equipment, machine, or other device that facilitates telecommunication, including, but not limited to, a computer, computer network, computer chip, computer circuit, scanner, telephone, cellular telephone, pager, personal communications device, transponder, receiver, radio, modem, or device that enables the use of a modem.

(Z) "Telecommunications service" means the providing, allowing, facilitating, or generating of any form of telecommunication through the use of a telecommunications device over a telecommunications system.

(AA) "Counterfeit telecommunications device" means a telecommunications device that, alone or with another telecommunications device, has been altered, constructed, manufactured, or programmed to acquire, intercept, receive, or otherwise facilitate the use of a telecommunications service or information service without the authority or consent of the provider of the telecommunications service or information service. "Counterfeit telecommunications device" includes, but is not limited to, a clone telephone, clone microchip, tumbler telephone, or tumbler microchip; a wireless scanning device capable of acquiring, intercepting, receiving, or otherwise facilitating the use of telecommunications service or information service without immediate detection; or a device, equipment, hardware, or software designed for, or capable of, altering or changing the electronic serial number in a wireless telephone.

(BB)(1) "Information service" means, subject to division (BB)(2) of this section, the offering of a capability for generating, acquiring, storing, transforming, processing, retrieving, utilizing, or making available information via telecommunications, including, but not limited to, electronic publishing.

(2) "Information service" does not include any use of a capability of a type described in division (BB)(1) of this section for the management, control, or operation of a telecommunications system or the management of a telecommunications service.

(CC) "Elderly person" means a person who is sixty-five years of age or older.

(DD) "Disabled adult" means a person who is eighteen years of age or older and has some impairment of body or mind that makes the person unfit to work at any substantially remunerative employment that the person otherwise would be able to perform and that will, with reasonable probability, continue for a period of at least twelve months without any present indication of recovery from the impairment, or who is eighteen years of age or older and has been certified as permanently and totally disabled by an agency of this state or the United States that has the function of so classifying persons.

(EE) "Firearm" and "dangerous ordnance" have the same meanings as in section 2923.11 of the Revised Code.

(FF) "Motor vehicle" has the same meaning as in section 4501.01 of the Revised Code.

(GG) "Dangerous drug" has the same meaning as in section 4729.01 of the Revised Code.

(HH) "Drug abuse offense" has the same meaning as in section 2925.01 of the Revised Code.

Sec. 5575.01.  (A) In the maintenance and repair of roads, the board of township trustees may proceed either by contract or force account, provided the board has but, unless the exemption specified in division (C) of this section applies, if the board wishes to proceed by force account, it first caused shall cause the county engineer to complete the force account assessment form developed by the auditor of state under section 117.16 of the Revised Code. Except as otherwise provided in sections 505.08 and 505.101 of the Revised Code, when the board proceeds by contract, the contract shall, if the amount involved exceeds forty-five thousand dollars, be let by the board to the lowest responsible bidder after advertisement for bids once, not later than two weeks, prior to the date fixed for the letting of such the contract, in a newspaper published in the county and of general circulation within the township, but or, if there is no such paper newspaper is published in the county, then in one a newspaper having general circulation in the township. If the amount involved is forty-five thousand dollars or less, a contract may be let without competitive bidding, or the work may be done by force account. Such a contract shall be performed under the supervision of a member of the board or the township road superintendent.

(B) Before undertaking the construction or reconstruction of a township road, the board shall cause to be made by the county engineer an estimate of the cost of such the work, which estimate shall include labor, material, freight, fuel, hauling, use of machinery and equipment, and all other items of cost. If the board finds it in the best interest of the public, it may, in lieu of constructing the road by contract, proceed to construct the road by force account. Except as otherwise provided under sections 505.08 and 505.101 of the Revised Code, where the total estimate cost of the work exceeds fifteen thousand dollars per mile, the board shall invite and receive competitive bids for furnishing all the labor, materials, and equipment and doing the work, as provided in section 5575.02 of the Revised Code, and shall consider and reject them before ordering the work done by force account. When such bids are received, considered, and rejected, and the work is done by force account, such the work shall be performed in compliance with the plans and specifications upon which the bids were based.

(C) Force account assessment forms are not required under division (A) of this section for road maintenance or repair projects of less than fifteen thousand dollars, or under division (B) of this section for road construction or reconstruction projects of less than five thousand dollars per mile.

(D) All force account work under this section shall be done under the direction of a member of the board or the township road superintendent.

Sec. 5705.41.  No subdivision or taxing unit shall:

(A) Make any appropriation of money except as provided in Chapter 5705. of the Revised Code; provided, that the authorization of a bond issue shall be deemed to be an appropriation of the proceeds of the bond issue for the purpose for which such bonds were issued, but no expenditure shall be made from any bond fund until first authorized by the taxing authority;

(B) Make any expenditure of money unless it has been appropriated as provided in such chapter;

(C) Make any expenditure of money except by a proper warrant drawn against an appropriate fund;

(D)(1) Except as otherwise provided in division (D)(2) of this section and section 5705.44 of the Revised Code, make any contract or give any order involving the expenditure of money unless there is attached thereto a certificate of the fiscal officer of the subdivision that the amount required to meet the obligation or, in the case of a continuing contract to be performed in whole or in part in an ensuing fiscal year, the amount required to meet the obligation in the fiscal year in which the contract is made, has been lawfully appropriated for such purpose and is in the treasury or in process of collection to the credit of an appropriate fund free from any previous encumbrances. This certificate need be signed only by the subdivision's fiscal officer. Every such contract made without such a certificate shall be void, and no warrant shall be issued in payment of any amount due thereon. If no certificate is furnished as required, upon receipt by the taxing authority of the subdivision or taxing unit of a certificate of the fiscal officer stating that there was at the time of the making of such contract or order and at the time of the execution of such certificate a sufficient sum appropriated for the purpose of such contract and in the treasury or in process of collection to the credit of an appropriate fund free from any previous encumbrances, such taxing authority may authorize the drawing of a warrant in payment of amounts due upon such contract, but such resolution or ordinance shall be passed within thirty days after the taxing authority receives such certificate; provided that, if the amount involved is less than one hundred dollars in the case of counties or three thousand dollars in the case of all other subdivisions or taxing units, the fiscal officer may authorize it to be paid without such affirmation of the taxing authority of the subdivision or taxing unit, if such expenditure is otherwise valid.

(2) Annually, the board of county commissioners may adopt a resolution exempting for the current fiscal year county purchases of seven hundred fifty one thousand dollars or less from the requirement of division (D)(1) of this section that a certificate be attached to any contract or order involving the expenditure of money. The resolution shall state the dollar amount that is exempted from the certificate requirement and whether the exemption applies to all purchases, to one or more specific classes of purchases, or to the purchase of one or more specific items. Prior to the adoption of the resolution, the board shall give written notice to the county auditor that it intends to adopt the resolution. The notice shall state the dollar amount that is proposed to be exempted and whether the exemption would apply to all purchases, to one or more specific classes of purchases, or to the purchase of one or more specific items. The county auditor may review and comment on the proposal, and shall send any comments to the board within fifteen days after receiving the notice. The board shall wait at least fifteen days after giving the notice to the auditor before adopting the resolution. A person authorized to make a county purchase in a county that has adopted such a resolution shall prepare and file with the county auditor, within three business days after incurring an obligation not requiring a certificate, or within any other period of time the board of county commissioners specifies in the resolution, a written or electronically transferred document specifying the purpose and amount of the expenditure, the date of the purchase, the name of the vendor, the specific appropriation items from which the expenditures are to be made, and such any additional information as the auditor of state may prescribe.

(3) Upon certification by the auditor or other chief fiscal officer that a certain sum of money, not in excess of an amount established by resolution or ordinance adopted by a majority of the members of the legislative authority of the subdivision or taxing unit, has been lawfully appropriated, authorized, or directed for a certain purpose and is in the treasury or in the process of collection to the credit of a specific line-item appropriation account in a certain fund free from previous and then outstanding obligations or certifications, then for such purpose and from such line-item appropriation account in such fund, over a period not extending beyond the end of the fiscal year, expenditures may be made, orders for payment issued, and contracts or obligations calling for or requiring the payment of money made and assumed; provided, that the aggregate sum of money included in and called for by such expenditures, orders, contracts, and obligations shall not exceed the sum so certified. Such a certification need be signed only by the fiscal officer of the subdivision or the taxing district and may, but need not, be limited to a specific vendor. An itemized statement of obligations incurred and expenditures made under such certificate shall be rendered to the auditor or other chief fiscal officer before another such certificate may be issued, and not more than one such certificate shall be outstanding at a time.

In addition to providing the certification for expenditures as specified in this division, a subdivision also may make expenditures, issue orders for payment, and make contracts or obligations calling for or requiring the payment of money made and assumed for specified permitted purposes from a specific line-item appropriation account in a specified fund for a sum of money upon the certification by the fiscal officer of the subdivision that this sum of money has been lawfully appropriated, authorized, or directed for a permitted purpose and is in the treasury or in the process of collection to the credit of the specific line-item appropriation account in the specified fund free from previous and then-outstanding obligations or certifications; provided that the aggregate sum of money included in and called for by the expenditures, orders, and obligations shall not exceed the certified sum. The purposes for which a subdivision may lawfully appropriate, authorize, or issue such a certificate are the services of an accountant, architect, attorney at law, physician, professional engineer, construction project manager, consultant, surveyor, or appraiser by or on behalf of the subdivision or contracting authority; fuel oil, gasoline, food items, roadway materials, and utilities; and any purchases exempt from competitive bidding under section 125.04 of the Revised Code and any other specific expenditure that is a recurring and reasonably predictable operating expense. Such a certification shall not extend beyond the end of the fiscal year or, in the case of a board of county commissioners that has established a quarterly spending plan under section 5705.392 of the Revised Code, beyond the quarter to which the plan applies. Such a certificate shall be signed by the fiscal officer and may, but need not, be limited to a specific vendor. An itemized statement of obligations incurred and expenditures made under such a certificate shall be rendered to the fiscal officer for each certificate issued. More than one such certificate may be outstanding at any time.

In any case in which a contract is entered into upon a per unit basis, the head of the department, board, or commission for the benefit of which the contract is made shall make an estimate of the total amount to become due upon such contract, which estimate shall be certified in writing to the fiscal officer of the subdivision. Such a contract may be entered into if the appropriation covers such estimate, or so much thereof as may be due during the current year. In such a case the certificate of the fiscal officer based upon the estimate shall be a sufficient compliance with the law requiring a certificate.

Any certificate of the fiscal officer attached to a contract shall be binding upon the political subdivision as to the facts set forth therein. Upon request of any person receiving an order or entering into a contract with any political subdivision, the certificate of the fiscal officer shall be attached to such order or contract. "Contract" as used in this section excludes current payrolls of regular employees and officers.

(E) Taxes and other revenue in process of collection, or the proceeds to be derived from authorized bonds, notes, or certificates of indebtedness sold and in process of delivery, shall for the purpose of this section be deemed in the treasury or in process of collection and in the appropriate fund. This section applies neither to the investment of sinking funds by the trustees of such funds, nor to investments made under sections 731.56 to 731.59 of the Revised Code.

No district authority shall, in transacting its own affairs, do any of the things prohibited to a subdivision by this section, but the appropriation referred to shall become the appropriation by the district authority, and the fiscal officer referred to shall mean the fiscal officer of the district authority.

Sec. 5709.62.  (A) In any municipal corporation that is defined by the United States office of management and budget as a central 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, 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. An exemption granted pursuant to this division 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, 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, 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, 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, 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, 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 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. For

(3) For the purpose of obtaining such approval 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.

(2)(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 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, if the legislative authority revokes its designation of a 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.

(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.

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 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, 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. An exemption granted pursuant to this division 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, 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, 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, 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 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. For

(c) For the purpose of obtaining such approval the approval of a city, local, or exempted village school district under division (C)(1)(a) or (b) of this section, the board of 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 commissioners not later than fourteen days prior to the date stipulated by the board of commissioners as the date upon which approval of the agreement is to be formally considered by the board of 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 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 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 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.

(F) Except as otherwise provided in this paragraph, 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 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 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 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 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.

Sec. 5709.67.  (A) Except as otherwise provided in sections 5709.61 to 5709.69 of the Revised Code, the director of development shall administer those sections and shall adopt such rules as are necessary to ensure that no zone is certified or remains certified unless it meets any applicable requirements of division (A) of section 5709.61 of the Revised Code, and to determine the number of positions attributable to an enterprise for the purposes of division (A)(3) of section 5709.64 of the Revised Code implement and administer the enterprise zone program. The director shall assign to each zone currently certified a unique designation by which the zone shall be identified for purposes of administering sections 5709.61 to 5709.69 of the Revised Code. The tax commissioner shall administer all other tax incentives provided under sections 5709.61 to 5709.69 of the Revised Code and shall adopt such rules as are necessary to carry out that duty. No tax incentive qualification certificate or employee tax credit certificate shall be issued or remain in effect unless the enterprise applying for or holding the certificate complies with all such rules. The director of job and family services shall administer the incentive provided under division (B)(1) of section 5709.66 of the Revised Code and shall adopt such rules as are necessary to carry out that duty. No extension of benefits certificate shall be issued or remain in effect unless the enterprise applying for or holding the certificate complies with all such rules.

(B) Not later than the first day of August each year, the director of development shall report to the general assembly on all of the following for the preceding calendar year:

(1) The cost to the state of the tax and other incentives provided under sections 5709.61 to 5709.69 of the Revised Code;

(2) The number of tax incentive qualification certificates, employee tax credit certificates, and extension of benefits certificates issued;

(3) The names of the municipal corporations and counties that have entered agreements under sections 5709.62, 5709.63, and 5709.632 of the Revised Code;

(4) The number of new employees hired as a result of the tax and other incentives provided under sections 5709.61 to 5709.69 of the Revised Code;

(5) Information on agreement terms concerning school district revenue that are not provided for in section 5709.631 of the Revised Code and that are forwarded to the director under division (H) of section 5709.62, division (H) of section 5709.63, or division (G) of section 5709.632 of the Revised Code.

The report shall include a finding by the director as to whether the incentives provided under sections 5709.61 to 5709.69 of the Revised Code have resulted in the creation of more positions in the state than would have been created without the incentives. The director shall send a copy of the report to each member of the general assembly and to the director of the legislative service commission.

(C) All forms used in connection with the administration of sections 5709.61 to 5709.69 of the Revised Code, except forms administered directly by the tax commissioner, by the director of job and family services, or by a county or municipal corporation, are subject to review and approval by the state forms management control center under sections 125.91 to 125.98 of the Revised Code.

Sec. 5709.82.  (A) As used in this section:

(1) "New employee" means both of the following:

(a) Persons employed in the construction of real property exempted from taxation under the chapters or sections of the Revised Code enumerated in division (B) of this section;

(b) Persons not described by division (A)(1)(a) of this section who are first employed at the site of such property and who within the two previous years have not been subject, prior to being employed at that site, to income taxation by the municipal corporation within whose territory the site is located on income derived from employment for the person's current employer. "New employee" does not include any person who replaces a person who is not a new employee under division (A)(1) of this section.

(2) "Infrastructure costs" means costs incurred by a municipal corporation in a calendar year to acquire, construct, reconstruct, improve, plan, or equip real or tangible personal property that directly benefits or will directly benefit the exempted property. If the municipal corporation finances the acquisition, construction, reconstruction, improvement, planning, or equipping of real or tangible personal property that directly benefits the exempted property by issuing debt, "infrastructure costs" means the annual debt charges incurred by the municipal corporation from the issuance of such debt. Real or tangible personal property directly benefits exempted property only if the exempted property places or will place direct, additional demand on the real or tangible personal property for which such costs were or will be incurred.

(3) "Taxing unit" has the same meaning as in division (H) of section 5705.01 of the Revised Code.

(B)(1) Except as otherwise provided under division (C) of this section, the legislative authority of any political subdivision that has acted under the authority of Chapter 725. or 1728., sections 3735.65 to 3735.70, or section 5709.40, 5709.41, 5709.62, 5709.63, 5709.632, 5709.73, 5709.78, 5709.84, or 5709.88 of the Revised Code to grant an exemption from taxation for real or tangible personal property may negotiate with the board of education of each city, local, exempted village, or joint vocational school district or other taxing unit within the territory of which the exempted property is located, and enter into an agreement whereby the school district or taxing unit is compensated for tax revenue that foregone by the school district would have received had the property not been exempted from taxation or taxing unit as a result of the exemption. Except as otherwise provided in division (B)(1) of this section, if a political subdivision enters into more than one agreement under this section with respect to a tax exemption, the political subdivision shall provide to each school district or taxing unit with which it contracts the same percentage of tax revenue foregone by the school district or taxing unit, which may be based on a good faith projection made at the time the exemption is granted. Such percentage shall be calculated on the basis of amounts paid by the political subdivision and any amounts paid by an owner under division (B)(2) of this section. A political subdivision may provide a school district or other taxing unit with a smaller percentage of foregone tax revenue than that provided to other school districts or taxing units only if the school district or taxing unit expressly consents in the agreement to receiving a smaller percentage.

(2) An owner of property exempted from taxation under the authority described in division (B)(1) of this section may, by becoming a party to an agreement described in division (B)(1) of this section or by entering into a separate agreement with a school district or other taxing unit, agree to compensate the school district or taxing unit by paying cash or by providing property or services by gift, loan, or otherwise.

(C) This division does not apply to the following:

(1) The legislative authority of a municipal corporation that has acted under the authority of division (H) of section 715.70 or section 715.81 of the Revised Code to consent to the granting of an exemption from taxation for real or tangible personal property in a joint economic development district.

(2) The legislative authority of a municipal corporation that has specified in an ordinance adopted under section 5709.40 or 5709.41 of the Revised Code that payments in lieu of taxes provided for under section 5709.42 of the Revised Code shall be paid to the city, local, or exempted village school district in which the improvements are located in the amount of taxes that would have been payable to the school district if the improvements had not been exempted from taxation, as directed in the ordinance.

If the legislative authority of any municipal corporation has acted under the authority of Chapter 725. or 1728. or section 3735.671, 5709.40, 5709.41, 5709.62, 5709.63, 5709.632, or 5709.88, or a housing officer under section 3735.67 of the Revised Code, to grant or consent to the granting of an exemption from taxation for real or tangible personal property on or after July 1, 1994, the municipal corporation imposes a tax on incomes, and the payroll of new employees resulting from the exercise of that authority equals or exceeds one million dollars in any tax year for which such property is exempted, the legislative authority and the board of education of each city, local, or exempted village school district within the territory of which the exempted property is located shall attempt to negotiate an agreement providing for compensation to the school district for all or a portion of the tax revenue the school district would have received had the property not been exempted from taxation. The agreement may include as a party the owner of the property exempted or to be exempted from taxation and may include provisions obligating the owner to compensate the school district by paying cash or providing property or services by gift, loan, or otherwise. Such an obligation is enforceable by the board of education of the school district pursuant to the terms of the agreement.

If the legislative authority and board of education fail to negotiate an agreement that is mutually acceptable within six months of formal approval by the legislative authority of the instrument granting the exemption, the legislative authority shall compensate the school district in the amount and manner prescribed by division (D) of this section.

(D) Annually, the legislative authority of a municipal corporation subject to this division shall pay to the city, local, or exempted village school district within the territory of which the exempted property is located an amount equal to fifty per cent of the difference between the amount of taxes levied and collected by the municipal corporation on the incomes of new employees in the calendar year ending on the day the payment is required to be made, and the amount of any infrastructure costs incurred in that calendar year. For purposes of such computation, the amount of infrastructure costs shall not exceed thirty-five per cent of the amount of those taxes unless the board of education of the school district, by resolution adopted by a majority of the board, approves an amount in excess of that percentage. If the amount of those taxes or infrastructure costs must be estimated at the time the payment is made, payments in subsequent years shall be adjusted to compensate for any departure of those estimates from the actual amount of those taxes.

A municipal corporation required to make a payment under this section shall make the payment from its general fund or a special fund established for the purpose. The payment is payable on the thirty-first day of December of the tax year for or in which the exemption from taxation commences and on that day for each subsequent tax year property is exempted and the legislative authority and board fail to negotiate an acceptable agreement under division (C) of this section.

SECTION 2 . That existing sections 122.17, 135.35, 301.27, 505.10, 2913.01, 5575.01, 5705.41, 5709.62, 5709.63, 5709.67, and 5709.82 of the Revised Code are hereby repealed.