To amend sections 163.01, 163.02, 163.04, 163.05, 163.06, 163.09, 163.14, 163.15, 163.19, 163.21, 163.53, 163.62, 303.26, 719.012, 725.01, 1728.01, 2505.02, and 3735.40 and to enact sections 1.08, 163.021, 163.211, and 163.63 of the Revised Code to implement the recommendations of the Eminent Domain Task Force and to create other procedures to protect the rights of property owners.

Section 1. That sections 163.01, 163.02, 163.04, 163.05, 163.06, 163.09, 163.14, 163.15, 163.19, 163.21, 163.53, 163.62, 303.26, 719.012, 725.01, 1728.01, 2505.02, and 3735.40 be amended and sections 1.08, 163.021, 163.211, and 163.63 of the Revised Code be enacted to read as follows:

Sec. 1.08. As used in the Revised Code:

(A) "Blighted area" and "slum" mean an area in which at least fifty per cent of the parcels are blighted parcels and those blighted parcels substantially impair or arrest the sound growth of the state or a political subdivision of the state, retard the provision of housing accommodations, constitute an economic or social liability, or are a menace to the public health, safety, morals, or welfare in their present condition and use.

(B) "Blighted parcel" means either of the following:

(1) A parcel that has one or more of the following conditions:

(a) Conditions that constitute a nuisance;

(b) Environmental contamination;

(c) Vermin infestation;

(d) Tax or special assessment delinquencies exceeding the fair value of the land.

(2) A parcel that has two or more of the following conditions:

(a) Dilapidation and deterioration;

(b) Age and obsolescence;

(c) Inadequate provision for ventilation, light, air, sanitation, or open spaces;

(d) Unsafe and unsanitary conditions;

(e) Hazards that endanger lives or properties by fire or other causes;

(f) Noncompliance with building, housing, or other codes;

(g) Nonworking or disconnected utilities;

(h) Is vacant or contains an abandoned structure;

(i) Excessive dwelling unit density;

(j) Is located in an area of defective or inadequate street layout;

(k) Overcrowding of buildings on the land;

(l) Faulty lot layout in relation to size, adequacy, accessibility, or usefulness;

(m) An incompatible land use or a use that creates land use relationships that cannot be reasonably corrected through enforcement of existing zoning codes or other land use regulations;

(n) Extensive damage or destruction caused by a major disaster when the damage has not been remediated within a reasonable time;

(o) Identified hazards to health and safety that are conducive to ill health, transmission of disease, juvenile delinquency, or crime;

(p) Ownership or multiple ownership of a single parcel when the owner, or a majority of the owners of a parcel in the case of multiple ownership, cannot be located.

(C) When determining whether a property is a blighted parcel or whether an area is a blighted area or slum for the purposes of this section, no person shall consider whether there is a comparatively better use for any premises, property, structure, area, or portion of an area, or whether the property could generate more tax revenues if put to another use.

(D) Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, absent any environmental or public health hazard that cannot be corrected under its current use or ownership, a property is not a blighted parcel because of any condition listed in division (B) of this section if the condition is consistent with conditions that are normally incident to generally accepted agricultural practices and the land is used for agricultural purposes as defined in section 303.01 or 519.01 of the Revised Code, or the county auditor of the county in which the land is located has determined under section 5713.31 of the Revised Code that the land is "land devoted exclusively to agricultural use" as defined in section 5713.30 of the Revised Code.

Sec. 163.01.  As used in sections 163.01 to 163.22 of the Revised Code:

(A) "Public agency" means any governmental corporation, unit, organization, instrumentality, or officer authorized by law to appropriate property in the courts of this state. "Private

(B) "Private agency" means any other corporation, firm, partnership, voluntary association, joint-stock association, or company that is not a public agency and that is authorized by law to appropriate property in the courts of this state. "Agency" includes

(C) "Agency" means any public agency or private agency.

(B)(D) "Court" includes means the court of common pleas and or the probate court of any county in which the property sought to be appropriated is located in whole or in part.

(C)(E) "Owner" includes means any individual, partnership, association, or corporation having any estate, title, or interest in any real property sought to be appropriated.

(D)(F) "Real property," "land," or "property" includes any estate, title, or interest in any real property which that is authorized to be appropriated by the agency in question, unless the context otherwise requires.

(G) "Public utility" has the same meaning as in section 4905.02 of the Revised Code and also includes an electric cooperative.

(H)(1) "Public use" does not include any taking that is for conveyance to a private commercial enterprise, economic development, or solely for the purpose of increasing public revenue, unless the property is conveyed or leased to one of the following:

(a) A public utility, common carrier, or municipal power agency;

(b) A private entity that occupies an incidental area within a publicly owned and occupied project;

(c) A private entity that establishes by a preponderance of the evidence that the property is a blighted parcel or a blighted area.

(2) All of the following are presumed to be public uses: utility facilities, roads, sewers, water lines, public schools, public parks, government buildings, projects by an agency that is a public utility or an agency holding a certificate of public convenience and necessity granted by the federal energy regulatory commission, and similar facilities and uses of land.

(I) "Electric cooperative" has the same meaning as in section 4928.01 of the Revised Code.

(J) "Municipal power agency" has the same meaning as in section 3734.058 of the Revised Code.

Sec. 163.02.  (A) Except as provided in divisions (B), (C), (D), and (F) of this section, all All appropriations of real property shall be made pursuant to sections 163.01 to 163.22 of the Revised Code, except as otherwise provided in this section or as otherwise provided to abate a health nuisance or because of a public exigency as provided in division (B) of section 307.08, 6101.181, 6115.221, 6117.39, or 6119.11, or division (D) of section 504.19 of the Revised Code.

(B) Subject to division (E) of this section, the The director of transportation may appropriate real property pursuant to sections 163.01 to 163.22 of the Revised Code or as otherwise provided by law.

(C) Subject to division (E) of this section, a conservancy district may appropriate real property by procedures prescribed in Chapter 6101. of the Revised Code.

(D) Subject to division (E) of this section, a sanitary district may appropriate real property by procedures prescribed in Chapter 6115. of the Revised Code.

(E) When the director of transportation, a conservancy district, or a sanitary district proceeds Notwithstanding any authority to appropriate real property other than under sections 163.01 to 163.22 of the Revised Code, the proceedings are any proceeding to appropriate real property is subject to division (B) of section 163.21 of the Revised Code.

(F) A county, township that has adopted a limited home rule government, conservancy district, sanitary district, county sewer district, or a regional water and sewer district also may appropriate real property in the manner prescribed in division (B) of section 307.08, 6101.181, 6115.221, 6117.39, or 6119.11 or division (D) of section 504.19 of the Revised Code, as applicable.

(G)(D) Any instrument by which the state or an agency of the state acquires real property pursuant to this section shall identify include all of the following:

(1) The name of the agency of the state that has the use and benefit of the real property as specified in section 5301.012 of the Revised Code;

(2) A statement of the purpose of the appropriation as provided with the appropriation petition;

(3) A statement that the prior owner possesses a right of repurchase within five years after the property is appropriated if the agency decides not to use the property for the stated purpose, as provided in section 163.211 of the Revised Code.

Sec. 163.021. (A) No agency shall appropriate real property except as necessary and for a public use. In any appropriation, the taking agency shall show by a preponderance of the evidence that the taking is necessary and for a public use.

(B) Before an agency appropriates property based on a finding that the area is a blighted area or a slum, the agency shall do both of the following:

(1) Adopt a comprehensive development plan that describes the public need for the property. The plan shall include at least two studies documenting the public need. All of the costs of developing the plan shall be publicly financed.

(2) If the agency is governed by a legislative body, obtain a resolution from that legislative body affirming the public need for the property.

(C) No park board, park district, board of directors of a conservancy district, incorporated association with a purpose of establishing or preserving public parks and memorial sites, or similar park authority shall exercise any power of eminent domain to appropriate real property outside the county or counties in which the park authority is located unless the appropriation has the written approval of the legislative authority of each county in which the property is located, other than the county or counties in which the park authority is located.

Sec. 163.04. Appropriations shall be made (A) A public agency may appropriate real property only after a reasonable public comment period. The public agency shall give notice of the proposed appropriation and the opportunity for public comment once a week for two consecutive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation in the county in which the appropriation is proposed. During the public comment period, the public agency shall, at a minimum, permit any person to submit a written statement addressing the proposed appropriation. This division does not apply to any appropriation to abate a health nuisance or because of a public exigency as provided in division (B) of section 307.08, 6101.181, 6115.221, 6117.39, or 6119.11 or division (D) of section 504.19 of the Revised Code, to any appropriation by a public utility owned by a municipal corporation, or to an agency that complies with section 5511.01 of the Revised Code.

(B) An agency may appropriate real property only after the agency obtains an appraisal of the property and provides a copy of the appraisal to the owner or, if more than one, each owner, or guardian or trustee of each owner. The agency need not provide an owner with a copy of the appraisal when that owner is incapable of contracting in person or by agent to convey the property and has no guardian or trustee, is unknown, or is not a resident of this state, or the residence of the owner cannot with reasonable diligence be ascertained. When the appraisal indicates that the property is worth less than ten thousand dollars, the agency need only provide an owner, guardian, or trustee with a summary of the appraisal. The agency shall provide the copy or summary of the appraisal to an owner, guardian, or trustee at or before the time the agency makes its first offer to purchase the property. A public utility or the head of a public agency may prescribe a procedure to waive the appraisal in cases involving the acquisition by sale or donation of property with a fair market value of ten thousand dollars or less.

(C) An agency may appropriate real property only after the agency is unable to agree on a conveyance or the terms of a conveyance, for any reason, with the any owner, or if more than one, any owner, or his the guardian or trustee, or when of any owner unless each owner is incapable of contracting in person or by agent to convey the property and has no guardian or trustee, or each owner is unknown, or is not a resident of this state, or his the residence of each owner is unknown to the agency and cannot the residence of no owner can with reasonable diligence be ascertained.

(D) An agency may appropriate real property for projects that will disrupt the flow of traffic or impede access to property only after the agency makes reasonable efforts to plan the project in a way that will limit those effects. This division does not apply to an agency if it initiated the project for which it appropriates the property under Title LV of the Revised Code.

Sec. 163.05.  An agency which that has met the requirements of section 163.04 of the Revised Code, may commence proceedings in a proper court by filing a petition for appropriation of each parcel or contiguous parcels in a single common ownership, or interest or right therein. The petition of a private agency shall be verified as in a civil action and all. All petitions shall contain:

(A) A description of each parcel of land or interest or right therein sought to be appropriated, such as will permit ready identification of the land involved;

(B) In the case of a private agency, a (1) A statement that such the appropriation is necessary, for a public use, and, in the case of a public agency, a copy of the resolution of the public agency to appropriate;

(2) If the property being appropriated is a blighted parcel that is being appropriated pursuant to a redevelopment plan, a statement that shows the basis for the finding of blight and that supports that the parcel is part of a blighted area pursuant to the definition in section 1.08 of the Revised Code.

(C) A statement of the purpose of the appropriation;

(D) A statement of the estate or interest sought to be appropriated;

(E) The names and addresses of the owners, so far as they can be ascertained;

(F) A statement showing requirements of section 163.04 of the Revised Code have been met;

(G) A prayer for the appropriation;.

(H) In the event of an appropriation where the agency would require less than the whole of any parcel containing a residence structure and the required portion would remove a garage and sufficient land that a replacement garage could not be lawfully or practically attached, the appropriation shall be for the whole parcel and all structures, unless the owner agrees to a partial appropriation.

In the event of the appropriation of less than the fee of any parcel or of a fee in less than the whole of any parcel of property, the agency shall either make available to the owner or shall file in the office of the county engineer, a description of the nature of the improvement or use which requires the appropriation, including any specifications, elevations, and grade changes already determined at the time of the filing of the petition, in sufficient detail to permit a determination of the nature, extent, and effect of the taking and improvement. A set of highway construction plans shall be acceptable in providing such description for the purposes of the preceding sentence in the appropriation of land for highway purposes.

Sec. 163.06.  (A) A public agency, other than an agency appropriating property for the purposes described in division (B) of this section, which that qualifies pursuant to Section 19 of Article I, Ohio Constitution, may deposit with the court at the time of filing the petition the value of such property appropriated together with the damages, if any, to the residue, as determined by the public agency, and thereupon take possession of and enter upon the property appropriated. The right of possession upon deposit as provided in this division shall not extend to structures.

(B) A public agency appropriating property for the purpose of making or repairing roads which shall be open to the public, without charge, or for the purpose of implementing rail service under Chapter 4981. of the Revised Code, may deposit with the court at the time of filing the petition the value of such property appropriated together with the damages, if any, to the residue, as determined by the public agency, and stated in an attached declaration of intention to obtain possession and thereupon take possession of and enter upon the property appropriated, including structures situated upon the land appropriated for such purpose or situated partly upon the land appropriated therefor and partly upon adjoining land, so that such structures cannot be divided upon the line between such lands without manifest injury thereto. The jury, in assessing compensation to any owner of land appropriated under this division shall assess the value thereof in accordance with section 163.14 of the Revised Code. The owner or occupant of such structures shall vacate the same within sixty days after service of summons as required under section 163.07 of the Revised Code, at no cost to the appropriating agency, after which time the agency may remove said structures. In the event such structures are to be removed before the jury has fixed the value of the same, the court, upon motion of the agency, shall:

(1) Order appraisals to be made by three persons, one to be named by the owner, one by the county auditor, and one by the agency. Such appraisals may be used as evidence by the owner or the agency in the trial of said case but shall not be binding on said owner, agency, or the jury, and the expense of said appraisals shall be approved by the court and charged as costs in said case.

(2) Cause pictures to be taken of all sides of said structures;

(3) Compile a complete description of said structures, which shall be preserved as evidence in said case to which the owner or occupants shall have access.

(C) Any time after the deposit is made by the public agency under division (A) or (B) of this section, the owner may apply to the court to withdraw the deposit, and such withdrawal shall in no way interfere with the action except that the sum so withdrawn shall be deducted from the sum of the final verdict or award. Upon such application being made the court shall direct that the sum be paid to such owner subject to the rights of other parties in interest provided such parties make timely application as provided in section 163.18 of the Revised Code. Interest shall not accrue on any sums withdrawable as provided in this division.

Sec. 163.09.  (A) If no answer is filed pursuant to section 163.08 of the Revised Code, and no approval ordered by the court to a settlement of the rights of all necessary parties, the court, on motion of a public agency, shall declare the value of the property taken and the damages, if any, to the residue to be as set forth in any document properly filed with the clerk of the court of common pleas by the public agency. In all other cases, the court shall fix a time, within twenty days from the last date that the answer could have been filed, for the assessment of compensation by a jury.

(B)(1) When an answer is filed pursuant to section 163.08 of the Revised Code and any of the matters relating to the right to make the appropriation, the inability of the parties to agree, or the necessity for the appropriation are specifically denied in the manner provided in that section, the court shall set a day, not less than five or more than fifteen days from the date the answer was filed, to hear those matters. Upon those matters, the burden of proof is upon the owner. A agency by a preponderance of the evidence except as follows:

(a) A resolution or ordinance of the governing or controlling body, council, or board of the agency declaring the necessity for the appropriation shall be prima-facie evidence creates a rebuttable presumption of that the necessity in the absence of proof showing an abuse of discretion by the agency in determining that necessity for the appropriation.

(b) The presentation by a public utility of evidence of the necessity for the appropriation creates a rebuttable presumption of the necessity for the appropriation.

(c) Approval by a state regulatory authority of an appropriation by a public utility creates an irrebuttable presumption of the necessity for the appropriation.

(2) Subject to the irrebuttable presumption in division (B)(1)(c) of this section, only the judge may determine the necessity of the appropriation. If, as to any or all of the property or other interests sought to be appropriated, the court determines the matters in favor of the agency, the court shall set a time for the assessment of compensation by the jury within twenty days from the date of the journalization of that determination. An Except as provided in division (B)(3) of this section, an order of the court in favor of the agency on any of the matters or on qualification under section 163.06 of the Revised Code shall not be a final order for purposes of appeal. An order of the court against the agency on any of the matters or on the question of qualification under section 163.06 of the Revised Code shall be a final order for purposes of appeal. If a public agency has taken possession prior to such an order and such an order, after any appeal, is against the agency on any of the matters, the agency shall restore the property to the owner in its original condition or respond in damages, which may include the items set forth in division (A)(2) of section 163.21 of the Revised Code, recoverable by civil action, to which the state consents.

(3) An owner has a right to an immediate appeal if the order of the court is in favor of the agency in any of the matters the owner denied in the answer, unless the agency is appropriating property in time of war or other public exigency imperatively requiring its immediate seizure, for the purpose of making or repairing roads which shall be open to the public without charge, for the purpose of implementing rail service under Chapter 4981. of the Revised Code, or under section 307.08, 504.19, 6101.181, 6115.221, 6117.39, or 6119.11 of the Revised Code as the result of a public exigency.

(C) When an answer is filed pursuant to section 163.08 of the Revised Code, and none of the matters set forth in division (B) of this section is specifically denied, the court shall fix a time within twenty days from the date the answer was filed for the assessment of compensation by a jury.

(D) If answers are filed pursuant to divisions (B) and (C) of this section, or an answer is filed on behalf of fewer than all the named owners, the court shall set the hearing or hearings at such times as are reasonable under all the circumstances, but in no event later than twenty days after the issues are joined as to all necessary parties or twenty days after rule therefor, whichever is earlier.

(E) The court, with the consent of the parties, may order two or more cases to be consolidated and tried together, but the rights of each owner to compensation, damages, or both shall be separately determined by the jury in its verdict.

(F) If an answer is filed under section 163.08 of the Revised Code with respect to the value of property appropriated under section 307.08, 504.19, 6101.181, 6115.221, 6117.39, or 6119.11 of the Revised Code as the result of a public exigency, the burden of proof with respect to that value is on the party or parties to the appropriation other than the property owners.

(G) If the court determines the matter in the favor of the owner as to the necessity of the appropriation, in a final, unappealable order, the court shall award the owner reasonable attorney's fees and costs.

Sec. 163.14.  In appropriation proceedings the jury shall be sworn to impartially assess the compensation and damages, if any, without deductions for general benefits as to the property of the owner.

The jury, in its verdict, shall assess the compensation for the property appropriated and damages, if any, to the residue, to be paid to the owners. When a building or other structure is on the property appropriated or when a building or other structure is situated partly upon the land appropriated and partly upon adjoining land so that the structure cannot be divided upon the line between such lands without manifest injury thereto, the jury, in assessing compensation to any owner of the land, shall assess the value thereof, as part of the compensation. The title to said structure shall vest in the agency which shall have the right to enter upon the adjoining land upon which any part of the structure is located for the purpose of removing said structure therefrom, after deposit in accordance with the verdict. Such removal shall be made within ninety days after taking title to the property appropriated; provided, that the court may extend removal time upon such conditions as the court requires. When the property appropriated was being used for a business, the jury shall assess compensation for any lost business and any loss of goodwill up to five thousand dollars.

The verdict shall be signed by at least three-fourths of the members of the jury.

If a jury is discharged without rendering a verdict, another shall be impaneled at the earliest convenient time and shall make the inquiry and assessment.

Sec. 163.15. (A) As soon as the agency pays to the party entitled thereto or deposits with the court the amount of the award and the costs assessed against the agency, it may take possession; provided, that this shall not be construed to limit the right of a public agency to enter and take possession, as provided in section 163.06 of the Revised Code. When the agency is entitled to possession the court shall enter an order to such effect upon the record and, if necessary, process shall be issued to place the agency in possession. Whenever a final journal entry in an appropriation proceeding, granting to this state a fee title or any lesser estate or interest in real property is filed and journalized by the clerk of courts, the clerk of courts shall forthwith transmit to the county auditor a certified copy of said final journal entry who shall transfer the property on his the auditor's books and transmit said entry with proper endorsement to the county recorder for recording. The costs of filing such final journal entry with the county auditor and the county recorder shall be taxed as costs in the appropriation proceedings the same as other costs are taxed under section 163.16 of the Revised Code.

(B) Whenever the appropriation of real property requires a person to move or relocate, the agency shall make a payment to that person, upon proper application as approved by the agency, for all of the following:

(1) Actual reasonable expenses in moving the person and the person's family, business, farm operation, or other personal property;

(2) Actual direct losses of tangible personal property as a result of moving or discontinuing a business or farm operation, but not to exceed an amount equal to the reasonable expenses that would have been required to relocate such property, as determined by the agency;

(3) Actual reasonable expenses in searching for a replacement business or farm, but not to exceed two thousand five hundred dollars;

(4) Actual and reasonable expenses necessary to reestablish a farm, nonprofit organization, or small business at its new site, but not to exceed ten thousand dollars.

Sec. 163.19.  Subject to sections 163.07 and 163.09 of the Revised Code, any party may prosecute appeals as in other civil actions from the judgment of the court. The trial court upon proper terms may suspend the execution of any order; but in all cases where the agency pays or deposits the amount of the award assessed and gives adequate security for any further compensation and costs, as required by the court, the right to take and use the property appropriated shall not be affected by such review by the appellate courts.

Sec. 163.21.  (A)(1) If it has not taken possession of property that is appropriated, an agency may abandon appropriation proceedings under sections 163.01 to 163.22 of the Revised Code at any time after the proceedings are commenced but not later than ninety days after the final determination of the cause.

(2) In all cases of abandonment as described in division (A)(1) of this section, the court shall enter a judgment against the agency for costs, including jury fees, and shall enter a judgment in favor of each affected owner, in amounts that the court considers to be just, for each of the following that the owner incurred:

(a) Witness fees, including expert witness fees;

(b) Attorney's fees;

(c) Other actual expenses.

(B)(1) Except as provided in division (B)(2) of this section, if in In appropriation proceedings under sections 163.01 to 163.22 of the Revised Code or, as authorized by divisions (A) and (B), (C), and (D) of section 163.02 of the Revised Code, in for appropriation proceedings in time of a public exigency under other sections of the Revised Code, if the court determines that an agency is not entitled to appropriate particular property, the court shall enter both of the following:

(a) A judgment against the agency for costs, including jury fees;

(b) A judgment in favor of each affected owner, in amounts that the court considers to be just, for the owner's reasonable costs, disbursements, and expenses, to include witness fees, including expert witness fees, for attorney's fees, appraisal and engineering fees, and for other actual expenses that the owner incurred in connection with the proceedings.

(2) This division does not apply to a state agency that is subject to section 163.62 of the Revised Code in connection with condemnation proceedings Any award to an owner pursuant to this section shall be paid by the head of the agency for whose benefit the appropriation proceedings were initiated.

(C)(1) Except as otherwise provided in division (C)(2) or (3) of this section, when an agency appropriates property and the final award of compensation is greater than one hundred twenty-five per cent of the agency's first offer for the property or, if before commencing the appropriation proceeding the agency made a revised offer based on conditions indigenous to the property that could not reasonably have been discovered at the time of the first offer, one hundred twenty-five per cent of the revised offer, the court shall enter judgment in favor of the owner, in amounts the court considers just, for all costs and expenses, including attorney's and appraisal fees, that the owner actually incurred.

(2) When an agency has negotiated in good faith with the owner or the owner's representative before and after filing an action to appropriate property or when the nature of the property interest to be appropriated is inordinately complex or unique or of such a nature that expert appraisers may reasonably disagree, the court shall not enter judgment in favor of the owner for attorney's fees or costs unless the final award of compensation is more than one hundred fifty per cent of the agency's first or revised offer. If the final award of compensation is more than one hundred fifty per cent of the agency's first or revised offer, the court shall enter judgment in favor of the owner for attorney's fees or costs or both in amounts that the court considers just.

(3) Divisions (C)(1) and (2) of this section do not apply in either of the following circumstances:

(a) The agency is appropriating property in time of war or other public exigency imperatively requiring its immediate seizure, for the purpose of making or repairing roads which shall be open to the public without charge, for the purpose of implementing rail service under Chapter 4981. of the Revised Code, or under section 307.08, 504.19, 6101.181, 6115.221, 6117.39, or 6119.11 of the Revised Code as the result of a public exigency, or the agency is a municipal corporation that is appropriating property as a result of a public health exigency.

(b) The owner and the agency exchanged appraisals prior to the filing of the petition and the final award of compensation was not more than one hundred twenty-five per cent of the agency's first offer for the property made subsequent to the exchange of appraisals and at least thirty days before the filing of the petition.

Sec. 163.211. If an agency decides not to use appropriated property for the purpose stated in the appropriation petition, the prior owner from whom the property was appropriated may repurchase the property for its fair market value as determined by an independent appraisal. The right of repurchase shall be extinguished if any of the following occur:

(A) The prior owner declines to repurchase the property.

(B) The prior owner fails to repurchase the property within sixty days after the public agency offers the property for repurchase.

(C) A plan, contract, or arrangement is authorized that commences an urban renewal project that includes the property.

(D) The agency grants or transfers the property to any other person or agency.

(E) Five years have passed since the property was appropriated.

(F) Prior to the filing of the petition for appropriation, the appropriated property was a blighted parcel, and the prior owner contributed to the blight.

Sec. 163.53.  (A) Whenever the acquisition of real property for a program or project undertaken by a displacing agency will result in the displacement of any person, the head of the agency shall make a payment to any displaced person, upon proper application as approved by such agency head, for all of the following:

(1) Actual reasonable expenses in moving himself the person, his the person's family, business, farm operation, or other personal property;

(2) Actual direct losses of tangible personal property as a result of moving or discontinuing a business or farm operation, but not to exceed an amount equal to the reasonable expenses that would have been required to relocate such property, as determined by the head of the displacing agency;

(3) Actual reasonable expenses in searching for a replacement business or farm, but not to exceed two thousand five hundred dollars;

(4) Actual and reasonable expenses necessary to reestablish a displaced farm, nonprofit organization, or small business at its new site, but not to exceed ten thousand dollars.

(B) Any displaced person eligible for payments under division (A) of this section who is displaced from a dwelling and who elects to accept the payments authorized by this division in lieu of the payments authorized by division (A) of this section may receive an expense and dislocation allowance, determined according to a schedule established by the head of the displacing agency.

(C) Any displaced person eligible for payments under division (A) of this section who is displaced from his the person's place of business or from his the person's farm operation may qualify for the payment authorized by this division in lieu of the payment authorized by division (A) of this section. The payment authorized by this division shall consist of a fixed payment in an amount to be determined according to criteria established by the head of the lead agency, except that such payment shall be not less than one thousand dollars nor more than twenty thousand dollars. A person whose sole business at the displacement dwelling is the rental of such property to others does not qualify for a payment under this division.

(D)(1) Except as provided in section 5501.51 of the Revised Code, if a program or project undertaken by a displacing agency results in the relocation of a utility facility, and the purpose of the program or project was not to relocate or reconstruct any utility facility; and if the owner of the utility facility which is being relocated under such program or project has entered into a franchise or similar agreement with the state or local government on whose property, easement, or right-of-way such facility is located with respect to the use of such property, easement, or right-of-way; and if the relocation of such facility results in such owner incurring an extraordinary cost in connection with such relocation; then the displacing agency may, in accordance with such rules as the head of the lead agency may adopt, provide to such owner a relocation payment which may not exceed the amount of such extraordinary cost, less any increase in the value of the new utility facility above the value of the old utility facility, and less any salvage value derived from the old utility facility.

(2) As used in division (D) of this section:

(a) "Extraordinary cost in connection with a relocation" means any cost incurred by the owner of a utility facility in connection with relocation of such facility that is determined by the head of the displacing agency, under such rules as the head of the lead agency shall adopt, to be a nonroutine relocation expense, to be a cost that owner ordinarily does not include in its annual budget as an expense of operation, and to meet such other requirements as the lead agency may prescribe in such rules.

(b) "Utility facility" means any electric, gas, water, steam power, or materials transmission or distribution system; any transportation system; any communications system, including cable television; and any fixture, equipment, or other property associated with the operation, maintenance, or repair of any such system; which is located on property owned by a state or local government or over which a state or local government has an easement or right-of-way. A utility facility may be publicly, privately, or cooperatively owned.

Sec. 163.62.  (A) The court having jurisdiction of a proceeding instituted by a state agency to acquire real property by condemnation shall award the owner of any right, or title to, or interest in, such real property such sum as will in the opinion of the court reimburse such owner for his the owner's reasonable costs, disbursements, and expenses, including reasonable attorney, appraisal, and engineering fees, actually incurred because of the condemnation proceeding, if either any of the following occurs:

(1) The final judgment is that the agency cannot acquire the real property by condemnation; or .

(2) The proceeding is abandoned by the state agency.

(3) The state agency is a public agency as defined in division (A) of section 163.01 of the Revised Code and the final award of compensation is greater than one hundred twenty-five per cent of the state agency's first offer for the property or, if before commencing the appropriation proceeding the public agency made a revised offer based on conditions indigenous to the property that could not reasonably have been discovered at the time of the first offer, one hundred twenty-five per cent of the revised offer, unless the agency is appropriating property in time of war or other public exigency imperatively requiring its immediate seizure, for the purpose of making or repairing roads which shall be open to the public without charge, for the purpose of implementing rail service under Chapter 4981. of the Revised Code, or under section 307.08, 504.19, 6101.181, 6115.221, 6117.39, or 6119.11 of the Revised Code as the result of a public exigency.

(B) Any award made pursuant to division (A) of this section shall be paid by the head of the agency for whose benefit the condemnation proceeding was instituted.

Sec. 163.63. Any reference in the Revised Code to any authority to acquire real property by "condemnation" or to take real property pursuant to a power of eminent domain is deemed to be an appropriation of real property pursuant to this chapter and any such taking or acquisition shall be made pursuant to this chapter.

Sec. 303.26.  As used in sections 303.26 to 303.56, inclusive, of the Revised Code, unless a different meaning is clearly indicated by the context:

(A) "Municipality" means any incorporated city or village of the state.

(B) "Public body" means the state, any county, municipality, township, board, commission, authority, district, or other subdivision.

(C) "Federal government" means the United States or any agency or instrumentality, corporate or otherwise thereof.

(D) "Slum area" means an area within a county but outside the corporate limits of any municipality, in which area there is a predominance of buildings or improvements, whether residential or nonresidential, which by reason of dilapidation, deterioration, age or obsolescence, inadequate provision for ventilation, light, air, sanitation, or open spaces, high density of population and overcrowding, or the existence of conditions which endanger life or property, by fire and other causes, or any combination of such factors is conducive to ill health, transmission of disease, infant mortality, juvenile delinquency, or crime, and is detrimental to the public health, safety, morals, or welfare has the meaning defined in section 1.08 of the Revised Code.

(E) "Blighted area" means an area within a county but outside the corporate limits of any municipality, which area by reason of the presence of a substantial number of slum, deteriorated, or deteriorating structures, predominance of defective or inadequate street layout, faulty lot layout in relation to size, adequacy, accessibility, or usefulness, insanitary or unsafe conditions, deterioration of site or other improvements, diversity of ownership, tax or special assessment delinquency exceeding the fair value of the land, defective or unusual conditions to title, or the existence of conditions which endanger life or property by fire and other causes, or any combination of such factors, substantially impairs or arrests the sound growth of a county, retards the provision of housing accommodations, or constitutes an economic or social liability and is a menace to the public health, safety, morals, or welfare in its present condition and use has the meaning defined in section 1.08 of the Revised Code.

If such blighted area consists of open land, the provisions of section 303.34 of the Revised Code shall apply.

Any disaster area referred to in section 303.36 of the Revised Code shall constitute a "blighted area".

(F) "County renewal project" may include undertakings and activities of a county in a county renewal area for the elimination and for the prevention of the development or spread of slums and blight, and may involve slum clearance and redevelopment in a county renewal area, or rehabilitation or conservation in a county renewal area, or any combination or part thereof, in accordance with a county renewal plan, and such aforesaid undertakings and activities may include acquisition of a slum area or a blighted area, or portion thereof; demolition and removal of buildings and improvements; installation, construction, or reconstruction of streets, utilities, parks, playgrounds, and other improvements necessary for carrying out in the county renewal area the county renewal objectives of sections 303.26 to 303.56, inclusive, of the Revised Code in accordance with the county renewal plan; disposition of any property acquired in the county renewal area, including sale, initial leasing, or retention by the county itself, at its fair value for uses in accordance with the county renewal plan; carrying out plans for a program of voluntary or compulsory repair and rehabilitation of buildings or other improvements in accordance with the county renewal plan; and acquisition of any other real property in the county renewal area where necessary to eliminate unhealthful, insanitary, or unsafe conditions; lessen density, eliminate obsolete, or other uses detrimental to the public welfare, or otherwise to remove or prevent the spread of blight or deterioration, or to provide land for needed public facilities.

(G) "County renewal area" means a slum area or a blighted area or a combination thereof which the board of county commissioners designates as appropriate for a county renewal project.

(H) "County renewal plan" means a plan, as it exists from time to time, for a county renewal project, which plan shall conform to the general plan for the county, except as provided in section 303.36 of the Revised Code, and shall be sufficiently complete to indicate such land acquisition, demolition, and removal of structures, redevelopment, improvements, and rehabilitation as may be proposed to be carried out in the county renewal area, zoning, and planning changes, if any, land uses, maximum densities, building requirements, and the plan's relationship to definite local objectives respecting appropriate land uses, improved traffic, public transportation, public utilities, recreational and community facilities, and other public improvements.

(I) "Redevelopment" and derivatives thereof, when used with respect to a county renewal area, mean development as well as redevelopment.

(J) "Real property" includes all lands, including improvements and fixtures thereon, and property of any nature appurtenant thereto, or used in connection therewith, and every estate, interest, right, and use, legal or equitable, therein, including terms for years and liens by way of judgment, mortgage, or otherwise.

(K) "Person" means any individual, firm, partnership, corporation, company, association, joint stock association, or body politic, and includes any trustee, receiver, assignee, or other person acting in a similar representative capacity.

(L) "Obligee" includes any bondholder, agents, or trustees for any bondholders, or lessor demising to the county property used in connection with a county renewal project, or any assignee or assignees of such lessor's interest or any part thereof, and the federal government when it is a party to any contract with the county.

(M) "Bond," as used in section 303.46 of the Revised Code, means bonds, including refunding bonds, notes, interim certificates of special indebtedness, debentures, or other obligations of a county, payable and secured as authorized by section 303.46 of the Revised Code.

Sec. 719.012.  In order to rehabilitate a building or structure that a municipal corporation determines to be a threat to the public health, safety, or welfare; that has been declared to be a public nuisance under Chapter 3707., 3709., or 3781. of the Revised Code; and that either has been found to be insecure, unsafe, structurally defective, unhealthful, or unsanitary under sections 715.26 to 715.30 of the Revised Code or violates a building code or ordinance adopted under section 731.231 blighted property as defined in section 1.08 of the Revised Code, a municipal corporation may appropriate, in the manner provided in sections 163.01 to 163.22 of the Revised Code, any such building or structure and the real property of which it is a part. The municipal corporation shall rehabilitate the building or structure or cause it to be rehabilitated within two years after the appropriation, so that the building or structure is no longer a public nuisance, insecure, unsafe, structurally defective, unhealthful, or unsanitary, or a threat to the public health, safety, or welfare, or in violation of a building code or ordinance adopted under section 731.231 of the Revised Code. Any building or structure appropriated pursuant to this section which is not rehabilitated within two years shall be demolished.

If during the rehabilitation process the municipal corporation retains title to the building or structure and the real property of which it is a part, then within one hundred eighty days after the rehabilitation is complete, the municipal corporation shall appraise the rehabilitated building or structure and the real property of which it is a part, and shall sell the building or structure and property at public auction. The municipal corporation shall advertise the public auction in a newspaper of general circulation in the municipal corporation once a week for three consecutive weeks prior to the date of sale. The municipal corporation shall sell the building or structure and real property to the highest and best bidder. No property that a municipal corporation acquires pursuant to this section shall be leased.

Sec. 725.01.  As used in sections 725.01 to 725.11 of the Revised Code:

(A) "Slum area" means an area within a municipal corporation, in which area there is a predominance of buildings or improvements, whether residential or nonresidential, which by reason of dilapidation, deterioration, age or obsolescence, inadequate provision for ventilation, light, air, sanitation, or open spaces, high density of population and overcrowding, or the existence of conditions which endanger life or property, by fire and other causes, or any combination of such factors, is conducive to ill health, transmission of disease, infant mortality, juvenile delinquency, or crime, and is detrimental to public health, safety, morals, or welfare has the meaning defined in section 1.08 of the Revised Code.

(B) "Blighted area" means an area within a municipal corporation, which area by reason of the presence of a substantial number of slums, deteriorated or deteriorating structures, predominance of defective or inadequate street layout, faulty lot layout in relation to size, adequacy, accessibility, or usefulness, unsanitary or unsafe conditions, deterioration of site or other improvements, diversity of ownership, tax or special assessment delinquency exceeding the fair value of the land, defective or unusual conditions to title, or the existence of conditions which endanger life or property by fire and other causes, or any combination of such factors, substantially impairs or arrests the sound growth of a municipal corporation, retards the provision of housing accommodations, or constitutes an economic or social liability and is a menace to the public health, safety, morals, or welfare in its present condition and use has the meaning defined in section 1.08 of the Revised Code.

(C)(1) "Development agreement" means an agreement that includes as a minimum all of the following agreements between a municipal corporation as obligee and the following parties as obligors:

(a) An agreement to construct or rehabilitate the structures and facilities described in the development agreement on real property described in the agreement situated in an urban renewal area, the obligor of such agreement to be a party determined by the legislative authority of the municipal corporation to have the ability to perform or cause the performance of the agreement;

(b) The agreement required by section 725.04 of the Revised Code, the obligor of the agreement to be the owner or owners of the improvements to be constructed or rehabilitated;

(c) An agreement of the owner or owners of the fee simple of the real property to which the development agreement pertains, as obligor, that the owner or owners and their successors and assigns shall use, develop, and redevelop the real property in accordance with, and for the period of, the urban renewal plan and shall so bind their successors and assigns by appropriate agreements and covenants running with the land enforceable by the municipal corporation.

(2) A municipal corporation on behalf of the holders of urban renewal bonds may be the obligor of any of the agreements described in division (C)(1) of this section.

(D) "Revenues" means all rentals received under leases made by the municipal corporation in any part or all of one or more urban renewal areas; all proceeds of the sale or other disposition of property of the municipal corporation in any part or all of one or more urban renewal areas; and all urban renewal service payments collected from any part or all of one or more urban renewal areas.

(E) "Urban renewal area" means a slum area or a blighted area or a combination thereof which the legislative authority of the municipal corporation designates as appropriate for an urban renewal project.

(F) "Urban renewal bonds" means, unless the context indicates a different meaning, definitive bonds, interim receipts, temporary bonds, and urban renewal refunding bonds issued pursuant to sections 725.01 to 725.11 of the Revised Code, and bonds issued pursuant to Article XVIII, Section 3, Ohio Constitution, for the uses specified in section 725.07 of the Revised Code.

(G) "Urban renewal refunding bonds" means the refunding bonds authorized by section 725.07 of the Revised Code.

(H) "Urban renewal plan" means a plan, as it exists from time to time, for an urban renewal project, which plan shall conform to the general plan for the municipal corporation, if any, and shall be sufficiently complete to indicate such land acquisition, demolition, and removal of structures, redevelopment, improvements, and rehabilitation as may be proposed to be carried out in the urban renewal area, zoning, and planning changes, if any, land uses, maximum densities, and building requirements.

(I) "Urban renewal project" may include undertakings and activities of a municipal corporation in an urban renewal area for the elimination and for the prevention of the development or spread of slums and blight, and may involve slum clearance and redevelopment in an urban renewal area, or rehabilitation or conservation in an urban renewal area, or any combination or part thereof, in accordance with an urban renewal plan, and such aforesaid undertakings and activities may include acquisition of a slum area or a blighted area, or portion thereof, demolition and removal of buildings and improvements; installation, construction, or reconstruction of streets, utilities, parks, playgrounds, public buildings and facilities, and other improvements necessary for carrying out in the urban renewal area the urban renewal objectives in accordance with the urban renewal plan, disposition of any property acquired in the urban renewal area, including sale, leasing, or retention by the municipal corporation itself, at its fair value for uses in accordance with the urban renewal plan; carrying out plans for a program of voluntary or compulsory repair and rehabilitation of buildings or other improvements in accordance with the urban renewal plan; the acquisition, construction, enlargement, improvement, or equipment of property, structures, equipment, or facilities for industry, commerce, distribution, or research from the proceeds of urban renewal bonds issued pursuant to division (C) of section 725.05 of the Revised Code; and acquisition of any other real property in the urban renewal area where necessary to eliminate unhealthful, unsanitary, or unsafe conditions, lessen density, eliminate obsolete, or other uses detrimental to the public welfare, or otherwise to remove or prevent the spread of blight or deterioration, or to provide land for needed public facilities.

(J) "Urban renewal debt retirement fund" means a fund, created pursuant to section 725.03 of the Revised Code by the legislative authority of a municipal corporation when authorizing a single issue or a series of urban renewal bonds, to be used for payment of the principal of and interest and redemption premium on such urban renewal bonds, trustee's fees, and costs and expenses of providing credit facilities, put arrangements, and interest rate hedges, and for fees and expenses of agents, and other fees, costs, and expenses, in connection with arrangements under sections 9.98 to 9.983 of the Revised Code; or when authorizing the repayment of loans from the state issued pursuant to Chapter 164. of the Revised Code and used for urban renewal projects, to be used to repay the principal and interest on such loans. When so authorized by the legislative authority of a municipal corporation, such a fund may be used for both purposes permitted under this division.

(K) "Urban renewal service payments" means the urban renewal service payments, in lieu of taxes, provided for in section 725.04 of the Revised Code.

(L) "Improvements" means the structures and facilities constructed or rehabilitated pursuant to a development agreement.

(M) "Exemption period" means that period during which all or a portion of the assessed valuation of the improvements has been exempted from real property taxation pursuant to section 725.02 of the Revised Code.

Sec. 1728.01.  As used in sections 1728.01 to 1728.13 of the Revised Code:

(A) "Governing body" means, in the case of a municipal corporation, the city council or legislative authority.

(B) "Community urban redevelopment corporation" means a corporation qualified under Chapter 1728. of the Revised Code, to acquire, construct, operate, and maintain a project hereunder, or to acquire, operate, and maintain a project constructed by a corporation so qualified under Chapter 1728. of the Revised Code, and the term "corporation" when used within Chapter 1728. of the Revised Code, shall be understood to be a contraction of the term "community urban redevelopment corporation" except when the context indicates otherwise.

(C) "Impacted city" means a municipal corporation that meets the requirements of either division (C) (1) or (2) of this section:

(1) In attempting to cope with the problems of urbanization, to create or preserve jobs and employment opportunities, and to improve the economic welfare of the people of the municipal corporation, the municipal corporation has at some time:

(a) Taken affirmative action by its legislative body to permit the construction of housing by a metropolitan housing authority organized pursuant to sections 3735.27 to 3735.39 of the Revised Code within its corporate boundaries or to permit such a metropolitan housing authority to lease dwelling units within its corporate boundaries; and

(b) Been certified by the director of the department of development that a workable program for community improvement (which shall include an official plan of action for effectively dealing with the problem of urban slums and blight within the community and for the establishment and preservation of a well-planned community with well-organized residential neighborhoods of decent homes and suitable living environment for adequate family life) for utilizing appropriate private and public resources to eliminate, and to prevent the development or spread of, slums and urban blight, to encourage needed urban rehabilitation, to provide for the redevelopment of blighted, deteriorated, or slum areas, to undertake such activities or other feasible community activities as may be suitably employed to achieve the objectives of such a program has been adopted. A determination by the United States that the impacted city's workable program meets the federal workable program requirements shall be sufficient for the director's certification.

(2) Been declared a major disaster area, or part of a major disaster area, pursuant to the "Disaster Relief Act of 1970," 84 Stat. 1744, 42 U.S.C.A. 4401, as now or hereafter amended, and has been extensively damaged or destroyed by a major disaster, provided that impacted city status obtained pursuant to division (C) (2) of this section lasts for only a limited period from the date of the declaration, as determined by the rules promulgated pursuant to division (G) of section 122.06 of the Revised Code, but in the event that an impacted city, while qualified under such division, enters into a financial agreement with a community urban redevelopment corporation pursuant to section 1728.07 of the Revised Code, a loss of certification under such rules shall not affect that agreement or the project to which it relates.

(D) "Community development plan" means a plan, as it exists from time to time, for the redevelopment and renewal of a blighted area, which plan shall conform to the general plan for the municipality, and shall be sufficiently complete to indicate such land acquisition, demolition, and removal of structures, redevelopment, improvements, and rehabilitation as may be proposed to be carried out in such blighted area, zoning, and any planning changes, land uses, maximum densities, and building requirements.

(E) "Blighted area" means an area within a municipality containing a majority of structures that have been extensively damaged or destroyed by a major disaster, or that, by reason of dilapidation, deterioration, age or obsolescence, inadequate provision for ventilation, light, air, sanitation, or open spaces, unsafe and unsanitary conditions or the existence of conditions which endanger lives or properties by fire or other hazards and causes, or that, by reason of location in an area with inadequate street layout, incompatible land uses or land use relationships, overcrowding of buildings on the land, excessive dwelling unit density, or other identified hazards to health and safety, are conducive to ill health, transmission of disease, juvenile delinquency and crime and are detrimental to the public health, safety, morals and general welfare has the meaning defined in section 1.08 of the Revised Code.

(F) "Project" means:

(1) As to blighted areas within all municipal corporations, the undertaking and execution of the redevelopment of a blighted area by a community urban redevelopment corporation, in whole or in part, pursuant to a community development plan approved by the governing body of the municipal corporation in which such blighted area is situated and in accordance with an agreement for the sale or lease of all or a portion of the land concerned in such redevelopment to the corporation by a municipal corporation, or agency, or authority including the work to be done in reference thereto, the designation of the particular proposed buildings to be constructed and their uses and purposes, the landscaping of the premises, the streets and access roads, recreational facilities, if any, the furnishing of the public utilities, the financial arrangements, and the terms and conditions of the proposed municipal corporation and approval; and

(2) In addition as to blighted areas within impacted cities, the undertaking and activities of a community urban redevelopment corporation in a blighted area for the elimination and for the prevention of the development or spread of blight pursuant to a community development plan approved by the governing body of the impacted city and to the extent agreed to by the governing body of the impacted city in the financial agreement provided for in section 1728.07 of the Revised Code and may involve clearance and redevelopment, or rehabilitation or conservation or any combination or part thereof, in accordance with such community development plan, and such aforesaid undertakings and activities may include acquisition of a blighted area or portion by purchase or otherwise, and demolition and removal of buildings and improvements.

(G) "Total project unit cost" or "total project cost" means the aggregate of the following items as related to any unit of a project if the project is to be undertaken in units or to the total project if the project is not to be undertaken in units:

(1) Cost of the land to the community urban redevelopment corporation;

(2) Architects', engineers', and attorneys' fees paid or payable by the corporation in connection with the planning, construction, and financing of the project;

(3) Surveying and testing charges in connection therewith;

(4) Actual construction cost as certified by the architect, including the cost of any preparation of the site undertaken at the corporation's expense;

(5) Insurance, interest, and finance costs during construction;

(6) Cost of obtaining initial permanent financing;

(7) Commissions and other expenses paid or payable in connection with initial leasing;

(8) Real estate taxes and assessments during the construction period;

(9) Developer's overhead based on a percentage of division (G) (4) of this section, to be computed in accordance with the following schedule:

(H) "Annual gross revenue" means the total annual gross rental and other income of a community urban redevelopment corporation from the project. If in any leasing, any real estate taxes or assessments on property included in the project, any premiums for fire or other insurance on or concerning property included in the project, or any operating or maintenance expenses ordinarily paid by a landlord are to be paid by the tenant, such payments shall be computed and deemed to be part of the rent and shall be included in the annual gross revenue. The financial agreement provided for in section 1728.07 of the Revised Code shall establish the method of computing such additional revenue, and may establish a method of arbitration where either the landlord or the tenant disputes the amount of such payments so included in the annual gross revenue.

(I) "Major disaster" means any tornado, storm, flood, high water, wind-driven water, tidal wave, earthquake, fire, or other catastrophe.

Sec. 2505.02.  (A) As used in this section:

(1) "Substantial right" means a right that the United States Constitution, the Ohio Constitution, a statute, the common law, or a rule of procedure entitles a person to enforce or protect.

(2) "Special proceeding" means an action or proceeding that is specially created by statute and that prior to 1853 was not denoted as an action at law or a suit in equity.

(3) "Provisional remedy" means a proceeding ancillary to an action, including, but not limited to, a proceeding for a preliminary injunction, attachment, discovery of privileged matter, suppression of evidence, a prima-facie showing pursuant to section 2307.85 or 2307.86 of the Revised Code, a prima-facie showing pursuant to section 2307.92 of the Revised Code, or a finding made pursuant to division (A)(3) of section 2307.93 of the Revised Code.

(B) An order is a final order that may be reviewed, affirmed, modified, or reversed, with or without retrial, when it is one of the following:

(1) An order that affects a substantial right in an action that in effect determines the action and prevents a judgment;

(2) An order that affects a substantial right made in a special proceeding or upon a summary application in an action after judgment;

(3) An order that vacates or sets aside a judgment or grants a new trial;

(4) An order that grants or denies a provisional remedy and to which both of the following apply:

(a) The order in effect determines the action with respect to the provisional remedy and prevents a judgment in the action in favor of the appealing party with respect to the provisional remedy.

(b) The appealing party would not be afforded a meaningful or effective remedy by an appeal following final judgment as to all proceedings, issues, claims, and parties in the action.

(5) An order that determines that an action may or may not be maintained as a class action;

(6) An order determining the constitutionality of any changes to the Revised Code made by Am. Sub. S.B. 281 of the 124th general assembly, including the amendment of sections 1751.67, 2117.06, 2305.11, 2305.15, 2305.234, 2317.02, 2317.54, 2323.56, 2711.21, 2711.22, 2711.23, 2711.24, 2743.02, 2743.43, 2919.16, 3923.63, 3923.64, 4705.15, and 5111.018, and the enactment of sections 2305.113, 2323.41, 2323.43, and 2323.55 of the Revised Code or any changes made by Sub. S.B. 80 of the 125th general assembly, including the amendment of sections 2125.02, 2305.10, 2305.131, 2315.18, 2315.19, and 2315.21 of the Revised Code;

(7) An order in an appropriation proceeding that may be appealed pursuant to division (B)(3) of section 163.09 of the Revised Code.

(C) When a court issues an order that vacates or sets aside a judgment or grants a new trial, the court, upon the request of either party, shall state in the order the grounds upon which the new trial is granted or the judgment vacated or set aside.

(D) This section applies to and governs any action, including an appeal, that is pending in any court on July 22, 1998, and all claims filed or actions commenced on or after July 22, 1998, notwithstanding any provision of any prior statute or rule of law of this state.

Sec. 3735.40.  As used in sections 3735.27, 3735.31, and 3735.40 to 3735.50 of the Revised Code:

(A) "Federal government" includes the United States, the federal works administrator, or any other agency or instrumentality, corporate or otherwise, of the United States.

(B) "Slum area" means any area where dwellings predominate which, by reason of dilapidation, overcrowding, faulty arrangement or design, lack of ventilation, light, or sanitary facilities, or any combination of these factors, are detrimental to safety, health, or morals has the meaning defined in section 1.08 of the Revised Code.

(C) "Housing project" or "project" means any of the following works or undertakings:

(1) Demolish, clear, or remove buildings from any slum area. Such work or undertaking may embrace the adaptation of such area to public purposes, including parks or other recreational or community purposes.

(2) Provide decent, safe, and sanitary urban or rural dwellings, apartments, or other living accommodations for persons of low income. Such work or undertaking may include buildings, land, equipment, facilities, and other real or personal property for necessary, convenient, or desirable appurtenances, streets, sewers, water service, parks, site preparation, gardening, administrative, community, health, recreational, educational, welfare, or other purposes.

(3) Accomplish a combination of the foregoing. "Housing project" also may be applied to the planning of the buildings and improvements, the acquisition of property, the demolition of existing structures, the construction, reconstruction, alteration, and repair of the improvements, and all other work in connection therewith.

(D) "Families of low income" means persons or families who lack the amount of income which is necessary, as determined by the metropolitan housing authority undertaking the housing project, to enable them, without financial assistance, to live in decent, safe, and sanitary dwellings, without overcrowding.

(E) "Families" means families consisting of two or more persons, a single person who has attained the age at which an individual may elect to receive an old age benefit under Title II of the "Social Security Act" or is under disability as defined in section 223 of that act, 49 Stat. 622 (1935), 42 U. S. C. A. 401, as amended, or the remaining member of a tenant family.

(F) "Families" also means a single person discharged by the head of a hospital pursuant to section 5122.21 of the Revised Code after March 10, 1964.

Section 2. That existing sections 163.01, 163.02, 163.04, 163.05, 163.06, 163.09, 163.14, 163.15, 163.19, 163.21, 163.53, 163.62, 303.26, 719.012, 725.01, 1728.01, 2505.02, and 3735.40 of the Revised Code are hereby repealed.

Section 3. The General Assembly finds that in order to adequately protect property rights and ensure that vital public improvements are completed in a timely manner, it is necessary to provide for prompt appeals from adverse judgments in appropriation actions. As a result, the General Assembly encourages the Supreme Court of Ohio to exercise its constitutional authority under Section 5 of Article IV, Ohio Constitution, to adopt a procedural rule requiring expedited appeals in appropriation actions.

Section 4. The General Assembly finds that to ensure the fairness of appropriation proceedings under Chapter 163. and other provisions of the Revised Code, persons who testify in such proceedings as to the value of property should be licensed appraisers who are required to follow the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice. Therefore, the General Assembly respectfully requests the Supreme Court to adopt rules to require that a witness who testifies in an appropriation proceeding as to the value of property hold a professional license as a real estate appraiser and to adhere to professional standards of practice.

Section 5.  Section 2505.02 of the Revised Code is presented in this act as a composite of the section as amended by both Am. Sub. H.B. 516 and Am. Sub. S.B. 80 of the 125th General Assembly. The General Assembly, applying the principle stated in division (B) of section 1.52 of the Revised Code that amendments are to be harmonized if reasonably capable of simultaneous operation, finds that the composite is the resulting version of the section in effect prior to the effective date of the section as presented in this act.