To amend sections 1.62, 135.35, 323.78, 1724.02, 1724.03, 1724.04, 1724.05, and 5722.22 and to enact section 321.343 of the Revised Code to authorize a county with a population greater than 100,000, or a population between 78,000 and 81,000, to organize a county land reutilization corporation, to authorize a county treasurer of a county with such a corporation to utilize the alternative redemption period in actions to foreclose abandoned lands, to immunize a county land reutilization corporation from liability for breach of a common law duty in connection with a parcel of land, and to make other changes regarding county land reutilization corporations.

Section 1.  That sections 1.62, 135.35, 323.78, 1724.02, 1724.03, 1724.04, 1724.05, and 5722.22 be amended and section 321.343 of the Revised Code be enacted to read as follows:

Sec. 1.62.  As used in the Revised Code, unless the context of a section does not permit the following or unless expressly provided otherwise in a section:

(A) References to particular county officers, boards, commissions, and authorities mean, in the case of a county that has adopted a charter under Article X, Ohio Constitution, the officer, board, commission, or authority of that county designated by or pursuant to the charter to exercise the same powers or perform the same acts, duties, or functions that are to be exercised or performed under the applicable section of the Revised Code by officers, boards, commissions, or authorities of counties that have not adopted a charter. If any section of the Revised Code requires county representation on a board, commission, or authority by more than one county officer, and the charter vests the powers, duties, or functions of each county officer representing the county on the board, commission, or authority in fewer officers or in only a single county officer, the county officers or officer shall succeed to the representation of only one of the county officers on the board, commission, or authority. If any vacancy in the representation of the county on the board, commission, or authority remains, the taxing authority of the county shall adopt a resolution to fill the vacancy.

(B) References to resolutions mean, in the case of a county that has adopted a charter under Article X, Ohio Constitution, the appropriate form of legislation permitted by or pursuant to the charter.

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 public library 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, any other obligation guaranteed as to principal or interest by the United States, or any book entry, zero-coupon United States treasury security that is a direct obligation of the United States.

Nothing in the classification of eligible securities and obligations set forth in divisions (A)(2) to (11) 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 similar securities or 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 public library 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 two hundred seventy 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.

(9) Up to fifteen per cent of the county's total average portfolio in notes issued by corporations that are incorporated under the laws of the United States and that are operating within the United States, or by depository institutions that are doing business under authority granted by the United States or any state and that are operating within the United States, provided both of the following apply:

(a) The notes are rated in the second highest or higher category by at least two nationally recognized standard rating services at the time of purchase.

(b) The notes mature not later than two years after purchase.

(10) No-load money market mutual funds rated in the highest category at the time of purchase by at least one nationally recognized standard rating service and consisting exclusively of obligations described in division (A)(1), (2), or (6) of section 135.143 of the Revised Code;

(11) Debt interests rated at the time of purchase in the three highest categories by two nationally recognized standard rating services and issued by foreign nations diplomatically recognized by the United States government. All interest and principal shall be denominated and payable in United States funds. The investments made under division (A)(11) of this section shall not exceed in the aggregate one per cent of a county's total average portfolio.

The investing authority shall invest under division (A)(11) of this section in a debt interest issued by a foreign nation only if the debt interest is backed by the full faith and credit of that foreign nation, there is no prior history of default, and the debt interest matures not later than five years after purchase. For purposes of division (A)(11) of this section, a debt interest is rated in the three highest categories by two nationally recognized standard rating services if either the debt interest itself or the issuer of the debt interest is rated, or is implicitly rated, at the time of purchase in the three highest categories by two nationally recognized standard rating services.

(12) A current unpaid or delinquent tax line of credit authorized under division (G) of section 135.341 of the Revised Code, provided that all of the conditions for entering into such a line of credit under that division are satisfied, or bonds and other obligations of a county land reutilization corporation organized under Chapter 1724. of the Revised Code, if the county land reutilization corporation is located wholly or partly within the same county as the investing authority.

(B) Nothing in the classifications of eligible obligations and securities set forth in divisions (A)(1) to (11) 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 public library 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. A treasury inflation-protected security shall not be considered a derivative, provided the security matures not later than five years after purchase.

(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 public library 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, the officer shall be credited with, and the officer's successor shall be charged with, the amount of moneys evidenced by such documents.

(J)(1) All investments, except for investments in securities described in divisions (A)(5) and, (6), and (12) 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 investing authority shall sign the investment policy of that investing authority. All brokers, dealers, and financial institutions, described in division (J)(1) of this section, initiating transactions with the investing authority by giving advice or making investment recommendations shall sign the 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 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 public library 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 public library 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. 321.343. A county treasurer of a county in which a county land reutilization corporation has been organized under Chapter 1724. of the Revised Code may enter into an agreement with the county land reutilization corporation for the benefit of the holders of debt obligations of the corporation for the repayment of which will be pledged the penalties and interest on current year unpaid taxes and current year delinquent taxes, as defined in and available under section 321.341 of the Revised Code. The pledge agreement may include, without limitation, a pledge by the county treasurer of and a grant of a security interest in the penalties and interest deposited into the county land reutilization fund to the payment of debt service on the debt obligations and a covenant of the county treasurer to continue to make the special tax advances authorized under section 321.341 of the Revised Code when the debt obligations remain outstanding if necessary to generate from the penalties and interest at least the amount needed to pay the debt service on the debt obligations when due. The penalties and interest so pledged and so deposited are immediately subject to the pledge and security interest without any physical delivery thereof or further act. The pledge and security interest are valid, binding, and enforceable against all parties having claims of any kind against the county land reutilization corporation or the county treasurer, irrespective of notice thereof, and such pledge and grant of a security interest creates a perfected security interest for all purposes of Chapter 1309. of the Revised Code, without the necessity for separation or delivery or possession of the pledged penalties and interest, or for the filing or recording of the document by which the pledge and security interest are created. The penalties and interest so deposited may be applied to the purposes for which pledged without necessity for any act of appropriation. The performance under this pledge agreement is expressly determined and declared to be a duty specifically enjoined by law upon the county treasurer and each officer and employee having authority to perform the duty of the county treasurer resulting from an office, trust, or station, within the meaning of section 2731.01 of the Revised Code, enforceable by writ of mandamus.

Sec. 323.78.  Notwithstanding anything in Chapters 323., 5721., and 5723. of the Revised Code, if the county treasurer of a county having a population of more than one million two hundred thousand as of the most recent decennial census in which a county land reutilization operates, in any petition for foreclosure of abandoned lands, elects to invoke the alternative redemption period, then upon any adjudication of foreclosure by any court or the board of revision in any proceeding under section 323.25, sections 323.65 to 323.79, or section 5721.18 of the Revised Code, the following apply:

(A) Unless otherwise ordered by a motion of the court or board of revision, the petition shall assert, and any notice of final hearing shall include, that upon foreclosure of the parcel, the equity of redemption in any parcel by its owner shall be forever terminated after the expiration of the alternative redemption period, that the parcel thereafter may be sold at sheriff's sale either by itself or together with other parcels as permitted by law; or that the parcel may, by order of the court or board of revision, be transferred directly to a municipal corporation, township, county, school district, or county land reutilization corporation without appraisal and without a sale, free and clear of all impositions and any other liens on the property, which shall be deemed forever satisfied and discharged.

(B) After the expiration of the alternative redemption period following an adjudication of foreclosure, by order of the court or board of revision, any equity of redemption is forever extinguished, and the parcel may be transferred individually or in lots with other tax-foreclosed properties to a municipal corporation, township, county, school district, or county land reutilization corporation without appraisal and without a sale, upon which all impositions and any other liens subordinate to liens for impositions due at the time the deed to the property is conveyed to a purchaser or transferred to a community development organization, county land reutilization corporation, municipal corporation, county, township, or school district, shall be deemed satisfied and discharged. Other than the order of the court or board of revision so ordering the transfer of the parcel, no further act of confirmation or other order shall be required for such a transfer, or for the extinguishment of any right of redemption.

(C) Upon the expiration of the alternative redemption period in cases to which the alternative redemption period has been ordered, if no community development organization, county land reutilization corporation, municipal corporation, county, township, or school district has requested title to the parcel, the court or board of revision may order the property sold as otherwise provided in Chapters 323. and 5721. of the Revised Code, and, failing any bid at any such sale, the parcel shall be forfeited to the state and otherwise disposed of pursuant to Chapter 5723. of the Revised Code.

Sec. 1724.02.  In furtherance of the purposes set forth in section 1724.01 of the Revised Code, a community improvement corporation shall have the following powers:

(A)(1) To borrow money for any of the purposes of the community improvement corporation by means of loans, lines of credit, or any other financial instruments or securities, including the issuance of its bonds, debentures, notes, or other evidences of indebtedness, whether secured or unsecured, and to secure the same by mortgage, pledge, deed of trust, or other lien on its property, franchises, rights, and privileges of every kind and nature or any part thereof or interest therein; and

(2) If the community improvement corporation is a county land reutilization corporation, the corporation may request, by resolution:

(a) That the board of county commissioners of the county served by the corporation pledge a specifically identified source or sources of revenue pursuant to division (C) of section 307.78 of the Revised Code as security for such borrowing by the corporation; and

(b)(i) If the land subject to reutilization is located within an unincorporated area of the county, that the board of county commissioners issue notes under section 307.082 of the Revised Code for the purpose of constructing public infrastructure improvements and take other actions as the board determines are in the interest of the county and are authorized under sections 5709.78 to 5709.81 of the Revised Code or bonds or notes under section 5709.81 of the Revised Code for the refunding purposes set forth in that section; or

(ii) If the land subject to reutilization is located within the corporate boundaries of a municipal corporation, that the municipal corporation issue bonds for the purpose of constructing public infrastructure improvements and take such other actions as the municipal corporation determines are in its interest and are authorized under sections 5709.40 to 5709.43 of the Revised Code.

(B) To make loans to any person, firm, partnership, corporation, joint stock company, association, or trust, and to establish and regulate the terms and conditions with respect to any such loans; provided that an economic development corporation shall not approve any application for a loan unless and until the person applying for said loan shows that the person has applied for the loan through ordinary banking or commercial channels and that the loan has been refused by at least one bank or other financial institution. Nothing in this division shall preclude a county land reutilization corporation from making revolving loans to community development corporations, private entities, or groups any person for the purposes contained in the corporation's plan under section 1724.10 of the Revised Code.

(C) To purchase, receive, hold, manage, lease, lease-purchase, or otherwise acquire and to sell, convey, transfer, lease, sublease, or otherwise dispose of real and personal property, together with such rights and privileges as may be incidental and appurtenant thereto and the use thereof, including but not restricted to, any real or personal property acquired by the community improvement corporation from time to time in the satisfaction of debts or enforcement of obligations, and to enter into contracts with third parties, including the federal government, the state, any political subdivision, or any other entity. A county land reutilization corporation shall not acquire an interest in real property if such acquisition causes the percentage of unoccupied real property held by the corporation to become less than seventy-five per cent of all real property held by the corporation for reutilization, reclamation, or rehabilitation. For the purposes of this division, "unoccupied" has the same meaning as in section 323.65 of the Revised Code.

(D) To acquire the good will, business, rights, real and personal property, and other assets, or any part thereof, or interest therein, of any persons, firms, partnerships, corporations, joint stock companies, associations, or trusts, and to assume, undertake, or pay the obligations, debts, and liabilities of any such person, firm, partnership, corporation, joint stock company, association, or trust; to acquire, reclaim, manage, or contract for the management of improved or unimproved and underutilized real estate for the purpose of constructing industrial plants, other business establishments, or housing thereon, or causing the same to occur, for the purpose of assembling and enhancing utilization of the real estate, or for the purpose of disposing of such real estate to others in whole or in part for the construction of industrial plants, other business establishments, or housing; and to acquire, reclaim, manage, contract for the management of, construct or reconstruct, alter, repair, maintain, operate, sell, convey, transfer, lease, sublease, or otherwise dispose of industrial plants, business establishments, or housing.

(E) To acquire, subscribe for, own, hold, sell, assign, transfer, mortgage, pledge, or otherwise dispose of the stock, shares, bonds, debentures, notes, or other securities and evidences of interest in, or indebtedness of, any person, firm, corporation, joint stock company, association, or trust, and while the owner or holder thereof, to exercise all the rights, powers, and privileges of ownership, including the right to vote therein, provided that no tax revenue, if any, received by a community improvement corporation shall be used for such acquisition or subscription.

(F) To mortgage, pledge, or otherwise encumber any property acquired pursuant to the powers contained in divisions (C), (D), or (E) of this section.

(G) Nothing in this section shall limit the right of a community improvement corporation to become a member of or a stockholder in a corporation formed under Chapter 1726. of the Revised Code.

(H) To serve as an agent for grant applications and for the administration of grants, or to make applications as principal for grants for county land reutilization corporations.

(I) To exercise the powers enumerated under Chapter 5722. of the Revised Code on behalf of a county that organizes or contracts with a county land reutilization corporation.

(J) To engage in code enforcement and nuisance abatement, including, but not limited to, cutting grass and weeds, boarding up vacant or abandoned structures, and demolishing condemned structures on properties that are subject to a delinquent tax or assessment lien, or property for which a municipal corporation or township has contracted with a county land reutilization corporation to provide code enforcement or nuisance abatement assistance.

(K) To charge fees or exchange in-kind goods or services for services rendered to political subdivisions and other persons or entities for whom services are rendered.

(L) To employ and provide compensation for an executive director who shall manage the operations of a county land reutilization corporation and employ others for the benefit of the corporation as approved and funded by the board of directors. No employee of the corporation is or shall be deemed to be an employee of the political subdivision for whose benefit the corporation is organized solely because the employee is employed by the corporation;

(M) To purchase tax certificates at auction, negotiated sale, or from a third party who purchased and is a holder of one or more tax certificates issued pursuant to sections 5721.30 to 5721.43 of the Revised Code;

(N) To be assigned a mortgage on real property from a mortgagee in lieu of acquiring such real property subject to a mortgage.

(O) To do all acts and things necessary or convenient to carry out the purposes of section 1724.01 of the Revised Code and the powers especially created for a community improvement corporation in Chapter 1724. of the Revised Code, including, but not limited to, contracting with the federal government, the state or any political subdivision, and any other party, whether nonprofit or for-profit.

The powers enumerated in this chapter shall not be construed to limit the general powers of a community improvement corporation. The powers granted under this chapter are in addition to those powers granted by any other chapter of the Revised Code, but, as to a county land reutilization corporation, shall be used only for the purposes enumerated under division (B)(2) of section 1724.01 of the Revised Code.

Sec. 1724.03. (A) After the articles of incorporation have been filed, and at the first meeting of the board of directors of a county land reutilization corporation, the board shall adopt regulations for the government of the corporation, the conduct of its affairs, and the management of its property, consistent with law and the articles. The content of the regulations shall be governed by section 1702.11 of the Revised Code to the extent not inconsistent with this chapter.

(B) The board of directors of a county land reutilization corporation shall be composed of at least five, seven, or nine members, including the county treasurer, at least two of the members of the board of county commissioners, one representative of the largest municipal corporation, based on the population according to the most recent federal decennial census, that is located in the county, one representative of a township with a population of at least ten thousand in the unincorporated area of the township according to the most recent federal decennial census, if such a township exists in the county, and two any remaining members selected by the treasurer and the county commissioners who are members of the corporation's board and approved by a majority of the chief executive officers of all municipal corporations the majority of the territory of which is located in the county. The treasurer and county commissioners who are members of the board of directors shall establish the process by which such approval shall be obtained. The failure, refusal, or inability of any chief executive officer to respond in writing to any request for approval of the members selected by the treasurer and county commissioners within fourteen days shall be deemed an approval by the chief executive officer. Any such failure, refusal, or inability to respond shall not prevent the corporation from exercising its powers and authority under this chapter. At least one board member shall have private sector or nonprofit experience in rehabilitation or real estate acquisitions. A county treasurer and the county commissioners each may appoint a representative, as a director of the corporation, to act for the officer at any of the meetings of the corporation. Except as may otherwise be authorized by the regulations of the corporation, all members of the board of directors shall serve without compensation, but shall be reimbursed for actual and necessary expenses.

Sec. 1724.04.  A county having a population of more than one million two hundred thousand, or between seventy-eight thousand and eighty-one thousand, as of the most recent decennial census that elects under section 5722.02 of the Revised Code to adopt and implement the procedures set forth in sections 5722.02 to 5722.15 of the Revised Code may organize a county land reutilization corporation under this chapter and Chapter 1702. of the Revised Code for the purpose of exercising the powers granted to a county under Chapter 5722. of the Revised Code. The county treasurer of the county for the benefit of which the corporation is being organized shall be the incorporator of the county land reutilization corporation. The form of the articles of incorporation of the corporation shall be approved by resolution of the board of county commissioners of the county.

When the articles of incorporation of any community improvement corporation, or any amendment, amended articles, merger, or consolidation which provides for the creation of such a corporation, are deposited for filing and recording in the office of the secretary of state, the secretary of state shall submit them to the attorney general for examination. If such articles, amendment, amended articles, merger, or consolidation, are found by the attorney general to be in accordance with Chapter 1724. of the Revised Code, and not inconsistent with the constitution and laws of the United States and of this state, the attorney general shall endorse thereon the attorney general's approval and deliver them to the secretary of state, who shall file and record them pursuant to section 1702.07 of the Revised Code.

Sec. 1724.05.  Each community improvement corporation shall prepare an annual financial report that conforms to rules prescribed by the auditor of state pursuant to section 117.20 of the Revised Code, that is prepared according to generally accepted accounting principles, and that is certified by the board of directors of the corporation or its treasurer or other chief fiscal officer to the best knowledge and belief of those persons certifying the report. The financial report shall be filed with the auditor of state within one hundred twenty days following the last day of the corporation's fiscal year, unless the auditor of state extends that deadline. The auditor of state may establish terms and conditions for granting any extension of that deadline. The financial report shall be published on the corporation's web site, or if the corporation does not have a web site, on the web site of the county in which the corporation is located.

Each community improvement corporation shall submit to audits by the auditor of state, the scope and frequency of which shall be in accordance with section 117.11 of the Revised Code as if the corporation were a public office subject to that section. However, a community improvement corporation may request in accordance with section 115.56 of the Revised Code, as if the corporation were a public office subject to that section, the performance of any of those audits by an independent certified public accountant or firm of certified public accountants.

The auditor of state is authorized to receive and file the annual financial reports required by this section and the reports of all audits performed in accordance with this section. The auditor of state shall analyze those annual financial reports and the reports of those audits to determine whether the activities of a community improvement corporation involved are in accordance with this chapter.

Sec. 5722.22.  A county land reutilization corporation shall is not be liable for damages arising from a, or subject to equitable remedies, for breach of a common law duty, or for violation of sections 3737.87 to 3737.891 of the Revised Code or Chapter 3704., 3734., 3745., 3746., 3750., 3751., 3752., 6101., or 6111. of the Revised Code or any rule adopted or order, permit, license, variance, or plan approval issued under any of those chapters that is or was committed by another person in connection with a parcel of land acquired by the county land reutilization corporation.

Section 2.  That existing sections 1.62, 135.35, 323.78, 1724.02, 1724.03, 1724.04, 1724.05, and 5722.22 of the Revised Code are hereby repealed.