To amend sections 323.78 and 1724.04 of the Revised Code to authorize in certain counties the creation of a land reutilization corporation to facilitate the reclamation, rehabilitation, and reutilization of vacant, abandoned, tax-foreclosed, or other real property and to authorize in those counties the use of the expedited, nonjudicial foreclosure procedure for abandoned lands.

Section 1. That sections 323.78 and 1724.04 of the Revised Code be amended to read as follows:

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 or of a county having a population of more than two hundred fifty thousand, but less than two hundred seventy-five thousand as of the most recent decennial census, 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. No such parcel shall be transferred to a county land reutilization corporation after two years following the filing of its articles of incorporation by the secretary of state.

(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. 1724.04.  A county having a population of more than one million two hundred thousand or a county having a population of more than two hundred fifty thousand, but less than two hundred seventy-five 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. A county land reutilization corporation may not be organized under this chapter after the day that is one year after the effective date of the amendment of this section by S.B. 353 of the 127th General Assembly April 7, 2009.

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.

Section 2.  That existing sections 323.78 and 1724.04 of the Revised Code are hereby repealed.