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Am. S. B. No. 112 As Passed by the HouseAs Passed by the House
130th General Assembly | Regular Session | 2013-2014 |
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Cosponsors:
Senators LaRose, Lehner, Seitz, Uecker, Schaffer, Coley, Eklund, Hite, Oelslager, Patton, Peterson, Widener
Representatives Adams, R., Anielski, Antonio, Ashford, Barborak, Barnes, Beck, Bishoff, Blessing, Brown, Budish, Burkley, Carney, Celebrezze, Conditt, Dovilla, Driehaus, Fedor, Gerberry, Green, Grossman, Hackett, Hagan, C., Hall, Hayes, Heard, Henne, Huffman, Johnson, Letson, McClain, McGregor, Milkovich, O'Brien, Pelanda, Pillich, Reece, Rogers, Romanchuk, Ruhl, Scherer, Smith, Sprague, Stinziano, Terhar, Winburn Speaker Batchelder
A BILL
To amend sections 5709.62, 5709.63, and 5709.632 of
the Revised Code to extend the authority of
municipal corporations and counties to enter into
enterprise zone agreements with businesses until
October 15, 2015, and to establish an enterprise
zone program review council to evaluate the
effectiveness of the enterprise zone program and
make recommendations as to its renewal.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF OHIO:
Section 1. That sections 5709.62, 5709.63, and 5709.632 of
the Revised Code be amended to read as follows:
Sec. 5709.62. (A) In any municipal corporation that is
defined by the United States office of management and budget as a
principal city of a metropolitan statistical area, the legislative
authority of the municipal corporation may designate one or more
areas within its municipal corporation as proposed enterprise
zones. Upon designating an area, the legislative authority shall
petition the director of development services for certification of
the area as having the characteristics set forth in division
(A)(1) of section 5709.61 of the Revised Code as amended by
Substitute Senate Bill No. 19 of the 120th general assembly.
Except as otherwise provided in division (E) of this section, on
and after July 1, 1994, legislative authorities shall not enter
into agreements under this section unless the legislative
authority has petitioned the director and the director has
certified the zone under this section as amended by that act;
however, all agreements entered into under this section as it
existed prior to July 1, 1994, and the incentives granted under
those agreements shall remain in effect for the period agreed to
under those agreements. Within sixty days after receiving such a
petition, the director shall determine whether the area has the
characteristics set forth in division (A)(1) of section 5709.61 of
the Revised Code, and shall forward the findings to the
legislative authority of the municipal corporation. If the
director certifies the area as having those characteristics, and
thereby certifies it as a zone, the legislative authority may
enter into an agreement with an enterprise under division (C) of
this section.
(B) Any enterprise that wishes to enter into an agreement
with a municipal corporation under division (C) of this section
shall submit a proposal to the legislative authority of the
municipal corporation on a form prescribed by the director of
development services, together with the application fee
established under section 5709.68 of the Revised Code. The form
shall require the following information:
(1) An estimate of the number of new employees whom the
enterprise intends to hire, or of the number of employees whom the
enterprise intends to retain, within the zone at a facility that
is a project site, and an estimate of the amount of payroll of the
enterprise attributable to these employees;
(2) An estimate of the amount to be invested by the
enterprise to establish, expand, renovate, or occupy a facility,
including investment in new buildings, additions or improvements
to existing buildings, machinery, equipment, furniture, fixtures,
and inventory;
(3) A listing of the enterprise's current investment, if any,
in a facility as of the date of the proposal's submission.
The enterprise shall review and update the listings required
under this division to reflect material changes, and any agreement
entered into under division (C) of this section shall set forth
final estimates and listings as of the time the agreement is
entered into. The legislative authority may, on a separate form
and at any time, require any additional information necessary to
determine whether an enterprise is in compliance with an agreement
and to collect the information required to be reported under
section 5709.68 of the Revised Code.
(C) Upon receipt and investigation of a proposal under
division (B) of this section, if the legislative authority finds
that the enterprise submitting the proposal is qualified by
financial responsibility and business experience to create and
preserve employment opportunities in the zone and improve the
economic climate of the municipal corporation, the legislative
authority, on or before October 15, 2013 2015, may do one of the
following:
(1) Enter into an agreement with the enterprise under which
the enterprise agrees to establish, expand, renovate, or occupy a
facility and hire new employees, or preserve employment
opportunities for existing employees, in return for one or more of
the following incentives:
(a) Exemption for a specified number of years, not to exceed
fifteen, of a specified portion, up to seventy-five per cent, of
the assessed value of tangible personal property first used in
business at the project site as a result of the agreement. If an
exemption for inventory is specifically granted in the agreement
pursuant to this division, the exemption applies to inventory
required to be listed pursuant to sections 5711.15 and 5711.16 of
the Revised Code, except that, in the instance of an expansion or
other situations in which an enterprise was in business at the
facility prior to the establishment of the zone, the inventory
that is exempt is that amount or value of inventory in excess of
the amount or value of inventory required to be listed in the
personal property tax return of the enterprise in the return for
the tax year in which the agreement is entered into.
(b) Exemption for a specified number of years, not to exceed
fifteen, of a specified portion, up to seventy-five per cent, of
the increase in the assessed valuation of real property
constituting the project site subsequent to formal approval of the
agreement by the legislative authority;
(c) Provision for a specified number of years, not to exceed
fifteen, of any optional services or assistance that the municipal
corporation is authorized to provide with regard to the project
site.
(2) Enter into an agreement under which the enterprise agrees
to remediate an environmentally contaminated facility, to spend an
amount equal to at least two hundred fifty per cent of the true
value in money of the real property of the facility prior to
remediation as determined for the purposes of property taxation to
establish, expand, renovate, or occupy the remediated facility,
and to hire new employees or preserve employment opportunities for
existing employees at the remediated facility, in return for one
or more of the following incentives:
(a) Exemption for a specified number of years, not to exceed
fifteen, of a specified portion, not to exceed fifty per cent, of
the assessed valuation of the real property of the facility prior
to remediation;
(b) Exemption for a specified number of years, not to exceed
fifteen, of a specified portion, not to exceed one hundred per
cent, of the increase in the assessed valuation of the real
property of the facility during or after remediation;
(c) The incentive under division (C)(1)(a) of this section,
except that the percentage of the assessed value of such property
exempted from taxation shall not exceed one hundred per cent;
(d) The incentive under division (C)(1)(c) of this section.
(3) Enter into an agreement with an enterprise that plans to
purchase and operate a large manufacturing facility that has
ceased operation or announced its intention to cease operation, in
return for exemption for a specified number of years, not to
exceed fifteen, of a specified portion, up to one hundred per
cent, of the assessed value of tangible personal property used in
business at the project site as a result of the agreement, or of
the assessed valuation of real property constituting the project
site, or both.
(D)(1) Notwithstanding divisions (C)(1)(a) and (b) of this
section, the portion of the assessed value of tangible personal
property or of the increase in the assessed valuation of real
property exempted from taxation under those divisions may exceed
seventy-five per cent in any year for which that portion is
exempted if the average percentage exempted for all years in which
the agreement is in effect does not exceed sixty per cent, or if
the board of education of the city, local, or exempted village
school district within the territory of which the property is or
will be located approves a percentage in excess of seventy-five
per cent.
(2) Notwithstanding any provision of the Revised Code to the
contrary, the exemptions described in divisions (C)(1)(a), (b),
and (c), (C)(2)(a), (b), and (c), and (C)(3) of this section may
be for up to fifteen years if the board of education of the city,
local, or exempted village school district within the territory of
which the property is or will be located approves a number of
years in excess of ten.
(3) For the purpose of obtaining the approval of a city,
local, or exempted village school district under division (D)(1)
or (2) of this section, the legislative authority shall deliver to
the board of education a notice not later than forty-five days
prior to approving the agreement, excluding Saturdays, Sundays,
and legal holidays as defined in section 1.14 of the Revised Code.
The notice shall state the percentage to be exempted, an estimate
of the true value of the property to be exempted, and the number
of years the property is to be exempted. The board of education,
by resolution adopted by a majority of the board, shall approve or
disapprove the agreement and certify a copy of the resolution to
the legislative authority not later than fourteen days prior to
the date stipulated by the legislative authority as the date upon
which approval of the agreement is to be formally considered by
the legislative authority. The board of education may include in
the resolution conditions under which the board would approve the
agreement, including the execution of an agreement to compensate
the school district under division (B) of section 5709.82 of the
Revised Code. The legislative authority may approve the agreement
at any time after the board of education certifies its resolution
approving the agreement to the legislative authority, or, if the
board approves the agreement conditionally, at any time after the
conditions are agreed to by the board and the legislative
authority.
If a board of education has adopted a resolution waiving its
right to approve agreements and the resolution remains in effect,
approval of an agreement by the board is not required under this
division. If a board of education has adopted a resolution
allowing a legislative authority to deliver the notice required
under this division fewer than forty-five business days prior to
the legislative authority's approval of the agreement, the
legislative authority shall deliver the notice to the board not
later than the number of days prior to such approval as prescribed
by the board in its resolution. If a board of education adopts a
resolution waiving its right to approve agreements or shortening
the notification period, the board shall certify a copy of the
resolution to the legislative authority. If the board of education
rescinds such a resolution, it shall certify notice of the
rescission to the legislative authority.
(4) The legislative authority shall comply with section
5709.83 of the Revised Code unless the board of education has
adopted a resolution under that section waiving its right to
receive such notice.
(E) This division applies to zones certified by the director
of development services under this section prior to July 22, 1994.
On or before October 15, 2013 2015, the legislative authority
that designated a zone to which this division applies may enter
into an agreement with an enterprise if the legislative authority
finds that the enterprise satisfies one of the criteria described
in divisions (E)(1) to (5) of this section:
(1) The enterprise currently has no operations in this state
and, subject to approval of the agreement, intends to establish
operations in the zone;
(2) The enterprise currently has operations in this state
and, subject to approval of the agreement, intends to establish
operations at a new location in the zone that would not result in
a reduction in the number of employee positions at any of the
enterprise's other locations in this state;
(3) The enterprise, subject to approval of the agreement,
intends to relocate operations, currently located in another
state, to the zone;
(4) The enterprise, subject to approval of the agreement,
intends to expand operations at an existing site in the zone that
the enterprise currently operates;
(5) The enterprise, subject to approval of the agreement,
intends to relocate operations, currently located in this state,
to the zone, and the director of development services has issued a
waiver for the enterprise under division (B) of section 5709.633
of the Revised Code.
The agreement shall require the enterprise to agree to
establish, expand, renovate, or occupy a facility in the zone and
hire new employees, or preserve employment opportunities for
existing employees, in return for one or more of the incentives
described in division (C) of this section.
(F) All agreements entered into under this section shall be
in the form prescribed under section 5709.631 of the Revised Code.
After an agreement is entered into under this section, if the
legislative authority revokes its designation of a zone, or if the
director of development services revokes a zone's certification,
any entitlements granted under the agreement shall continue for
the number of years specified in the agreement.
(G) Except as otherwise provided in this division, an
agreement entered into under this section shall require that the
enterprise pay an annual fee equal to the greater of one per cent
of the dollar value of incentives offered under the agreement or
five hundred dollars; provided, however, that if the value of the
incentives exceeds two hundred fifty thousand dollars, the fee
shall not exceed two thousand five hundred dollars. The fee shall
be payable to the legislative authority once per year for each
year the agreement is effective on the days and in the form
specified in the agreement. Fees paid shall be deposited in a
special fund created for such purpose by the legislative authority
and shall be used by the legislative authority exclusively for the
purpose of complying with section 5709.68 of the Revised Code and
by the tax incentive review council created under section 5709.85
of the Revised Code exclusively for the purposes of performing the
duties prescribed under that section. The legislative authority
may waive or reduce the amount of the fee charged against an
enterprise, but such a waiver or reduction does not affect the
obligations of the legislative authority or the tax incentive
review council to comply with section 5709.68 or 5709.85 of the
Revised Code.
(H) When an agreement is entered into pursuant to this
section, the legislative authority authorizing the agreement shall
forward a copy of the agreement to the director of development
services and to the tax commissioner within fifteen days after the
agreement is entered into. If any agreement includes terms not
provided for in section 5709.631 of the Revised Code affecting the
revenue of a city, local, or exempted village school district or
causing revenue to be forgone by the district, including any
compensation to be paid to the school district pursuant to section
5709.82 of the Revised Code, those terms also shall be forwarded
in writing to the director of development services along with the
copy of the agreement forwarded under this division.
(I) After an agreement is entered into, the enterprise shall
file with each personal property tax return required to be filed,
or annual report required to be filed under section 5727.08 of the
Revised Code, while the agreement is in effect, an informational
return, on a form prescribed by the tax commissioner for that
purpose, setting forth separately the property, and related costs
and values, exempted from taxation under the agreement.
(J) Enterprises may agree to give preference to residents of
the zone within which the agreement applies relative to residents
of this state who do not reside in the zone when hiring new
employees under the agreement.
(K) An agreement entered into under this section may include
a provision requiring the enterprise to create one or more
temporary internship positions for students enrolled in a course
of study at a school or other educational institution in the
vicinity, and to create a scholarship or provide another form of
educational financial assistance for students holding such a
position in exchange for the student's commitment to work for the
enterprise at the completion of the internship.
(L) The tax commissioner's authority in determining the
accuracy of any exemption granted by an agreement entered into
under this section is limited to divisions (C)(1)(a) and (b),
(C)(2)(a), (b), and (c), (C)(3), (D), and (I) of this section and
divisions (B)(1) to (10) of section 5709.631 of the Revised Code
and, as authorized by law, to enforcing any modification to, or
revocation of, that agreement by the legislative authority of a
municipal corporation or the director of development services.
Sec. 5709.63. (A) With the consent of the legislative
authority of each affected municipal corporation or of a board of
township trustees, a board of county commissioners may, in the
manner set forth in section 5709.62 of the Revised Code, designate
one or more areas in one or more municipal corporations or in
unincorporated areas of the county as proposed enterprise zones. A
board of county commissioners may designate no more than one area
within a township, or within adjacent townships, as a proposed
enterprise zone. The board shall petition the director of
development services for certification of the area as having the
characteristics set forth in division (A)(1) or (2) of section
5709.61 of the Revised Code as amended by Substitute Senate Bill
No. 19 of the 120th general assembly. Except as otherwise provided
in division (D) of this section, on and after July 1, 1994, boards
of county commissioners shall not enter into agreements under this
section unless the board has petitioned the director and the
director has certified the zone under this section as amended by
that act; however, all agreements entered into under this section
as it existed prior to July 1, 1994, and the incentives granted
under those agreements shall remain in effect for the period
agreed to under those agreements. The director shall make the
determination in the manner provided under section 5709.62 of the
Revised Code.
Any enterprise wishing to enter into an agreement with the
board under division (B) or (D) of this section shall submit a
proposal to the board on the form and accompanied by the
application fee prescribed under division (B) of section 5709.62
of the Revised Code. The enterprise shall review and update the
estimates and listings required by the form in the manner required
under that division. The board may, on a separate form and at any
time, require any additional information necessary to determine
whether an enterprise is in compliance with an agreement and to
collect the information required to be reported under section
5709.68 of the Revised Code.
(B) If the board of county commissioners finds that an
enterprise submitting a proposal is qualified by financial
responsibility and business experience to create and preserve
employment opportunities in the zone and to improve the economic
climate of the municipal corporation or municipal corporations or
the unincorporated areas in which the zone is located and to which
the proposal applies, the board, on or before October 15, 2013
2015, and with the consent of the legislative authority of each
affected municipal corporation or of the board of township
trustees may do either of the following:
(1) Enter into an agreement with the enterprise under which
the enterprise agrees to establish, expand, renovate, or occupy a
facility in the zone and hire new employees, or preserve
employment opportunities for existing employees, in return for the
following incentives:
(a) When the facility is located in a municipal corporation,
the board may enter into an agreement for one or more of the
incentives provided in division (C) of section 5709.62 of the
Revised Code, subject to division (D) of that section;
(b) When the facility is located in an unincorporated area,
the board may enter into an agreement for one or more of the
following incentives:
(i) Exemption for a specified number of years, not to exceed
fifteen, of a specified portion, up to sixty per cent, of the
assessed value of tangible personal property first used in
business at a project site as a result of the agreement. If an
exemption for inventory is specifically granted in the agreement
pursuant to this division, the exemption applies to inventory
required to be listed pursuant to sections 5711.15 and 5711.16 of
the Revised Code, except, in the instance of an expansion or other
situations in which an enterprise was in business at the facility
prior to the establishment of the zone, the inventory that is
exempt is that amount or value of inventory in excess of the
amount or value of inventory required to be listed in the personal
property tax return of the enterprise in the return for the tax
year in which the agreement is entered into.
(ii) Exemption for a specified number of years, not to exceed
fifteen, of a specified portion, up to sixty per cent, of the
increase in the assessed valuation of real property constituting
the project site subsequent to formal approval of the agreement by
the board;
(iii) Provision for a specified number of years, not to
exceed fifteen, of any optional services or assistance the board
is authorized to provide with regard to the project site;
(iv) The incentive described in division (C)(2) of section
5709.62 of the Revised Code.
(2) Enter into an agreement with an enterprise that plans to
purchase and operate a large manufacturing facility that has
ceased operation or has announced its intention to cease
operation, in return for exemption for a specified number of
years, not to exceed fifteen, of a specified portion, up to one
hundred per cent, of tangible personal property used in business
at the project site as a result of the agreement, or of real
property constituting the project site, or both.
(C)(1)(a) Notwithstanding divisions (B)(1)(b)(i) and (ii) of
this section, the portion of the assessed value of tangible
personal property or of the increase in the assessed valuation of
real property exempted from taxation under those divisions may
exceed sixty per cent in any year for which that portion is
exempted if the average percentage exempted for all years in which
the agreement is in effect does not exceed fifty per cent, or if
the board of education of the city, local, or exempted village
school district within the territory of which the property is or
will be located approves a percentage in excess of sixty per cent.
(b) Notwithstanding any provision of the Revised Code to the
contrary, the exemptions described in divisions (B)(1)(b)(i),
(ii), (iii), and (iv) and (B)(2) of this section may be for up to
fifteen years if the board of education of the city, local, or
exempted village school district within the territory of which the
property is or will be located approves a number of years in
excess of ten.
(c) For the purpose of obtaining the approval of a city,
local, or exempted village school district under division
(C)(1)(a) or (b) of this section, the board of county
commissioners shall deliver to the board of education a notice not
later than forty-five days prior to approving the agreement,
excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays as defined in
section 1.14 of the Revised Code. The notice shall state the
percentage to be exempted, an estimate of the true value of the
property to be exempted, and the number of years the property is
to be exempted. The board of education, by resolution adopted by a
majority of the board, shall approve or disapprove the agreement
and certify a copy of the resolution to the board of county
commissioners not later than fourteen days prior to the date
stipulated by the board of county commissioners as the date upon
which approval of the agreement is to be formally considered by
the board of county commissioners. The board of education may
include in the resolution conditions under which the board would
approve the agreement, including the execution of an agreement to
compensate the school district under division (B) of section
5709.82 of the Revised Code. The board of county commissioners may
approve the agreement at any time after the board of education
certifies its resolution approving the agreement to the board of
county commissioners, or, if the board of education approves the
agreement conditionally, at any time after the conditions are
agreed to by the board of education and the board of county
commissioners.
If a board of education has adopted a resolution waiving its
right to approve agreements and the resolution remains in effect,
approval of an agreement by the board of education is not required
under division (C) of this section. If a board of education has
adopted a resolution allowing a board of county commissioners to
deliver the notice required under this division fewer than
forty-five business days prior to approval of the agreement by the
board of county commissioners, the board of county commissioners
shall deliver the notice to the board of education not later than
the number of days prior to such approval as prescribed by the
board of education in its resolution. If a board of education
adopts a resolution waiving its right to approve agreements or
shortening the notification period, the board of education shall
certify a copy of the resolution to the board of county
commissioners. If the board of education rescinds such a
resolution, it shall certify notice of the rescission to the board
of county commissioners.
(2) The board of county commissioners shall comply with
section 5709.83 of the Revised Code unless the board of education
has adopted a resolution under that section waiving its right to
receive such notice.
(D) This division applies to zones certified by the director
of development services under this section prior to July 22, 1994.
On or before October 15, 2013 2015, and with the consent of
the legislative authority of each affected municipal corporation
or board of township trustees of each affected township, the board
of county commissioners that designated a zone to which this
division applies may enter into an agreement with an enterprise if
the board finds that the enterprise satisfies one of the criteria
described in divisions (D)(1) to (5) of this section:
(1) The enterprise currently has no operations in this state
and, subject to approval of the agreement, intends to establish
operations in the zone;
(2) The enterprise currently has operations in this state
and, subject to approval of the agreement, intends to establish
operations at a new location in the zone that would not result in
a reduction in the number of employee positions at any of the
enterprise's other locations in this state;
(3) The enterprise, subject to approval of the agreement,
intends to relocate operations, currently located in another
state, to the zone;
(4) The enterprise, subject to approval of the agreement,
intends to expand operations at an existing site in the zone that
the enterprise currently operates;
(5) The enterprise, subject to approval of the agreement,
intends to relocate operations, currently located in this state,
to the zone, and the director of development services has issued a
waiver for the enterprise under division (B) of section 5709.633
of the Revised Code.
The agreement shall require the enterprise to agree to
establish, expand, renovate, or occupy a facility in the zone and
hire new employees, or preserve employment opportunities for
existing employees, in return for one or more of the incentives
described in division (B) of this section.
(E) All agreements entered into under this section shall be
in the form prescribed under section 5709.631 of the Revised Code.
After an agreement under this section is entered into, if the
board of county commissioners revokes its designation of a zone,
or if the director of development services revokes a zone's
certification, any entitlements granted under the agreement shall
continue for the number of years specified in the agreement.
(F) Except as otherwise provided in this division, an
agreement entered into under this section shall require that the
enterprise pay an annual fee equal to the greater of one per cent
of the dollar value of incentives offered under the agreement or
five hundred dollars; provided, however, that if the value of the
incentives exceeds two hundred fifty thousand dollars, the fee
shall not exceed two thousand five hundred dollars. The fee shall
be payable to the board of county commissioners once per year for
each year the agreement is effective on the days and in the form
specified in the agreement. Fees paid shall be deposited in a
special fund created for such purpose by the board and shall be
used by the board exclusively for the purpose of complying with
section 5709.68 of the Revised Code and by the tax incentive
review council created under section 5709.85 of the Revised Code
exclusively for the purposes of performing the duties prescribed
under that section. The board may waive or reduce the amount of
the fee charged against an enterprise, but such waiver or
reduction does not affect the obligations of the board or the tax
incentive review council to comply with section 5709.68 or 5709.85
of the Revised Code, respectively.
(G) With the approval of the legislative authority of a
municipal corporation or the board of township trustees of a
township in which a zone is designated under division (A) of this
section, the board of county commissioners may delegate to that
legislative authority or board any powers and duties of the board
of county commissioners to negotiate and administer agreements
with regard to that zone under this section.
(H) When an agreement is entered into pursuant to this
section, the board of county commissioners authorizing the
agreement or the legislative authority or board of township
trustees that negotiates and administers the agreement shall
forward a copy of the agreement to the director of development
services and to the tax commissioner within fifteen days after the
agreement is entered into. If any agreement includes terms not
provided for in section 5709.631 of the Revised Code affecting the
revenue of a city, local, or exempted village school district or
causing revenue to be foregone by the district, including any
compensation to be paid to the school district pursuant to section
5709.82 of the Revised Code, those terms also shall be forwarded
in writing to the director of development services along with the
copy of the agreement forwarded under this division.
(I) After an agreement is entered into, the enterprise shall
file with each personal property tax return required to be filed,
or annual report that is required to be filed under section
5727.08 of the Revised Code, while the agreement is in effect, an
informational return, on a form prescribed by the tax commissioner
for that purpose, setting forth separately the property, and
related costs and values, exempted from taxation under the
agreement.
(J) Enterprises may agree to give preference to residents of
the zone within which the agreement applies relative to residents
of this state who do not reside in the zone when hiring new
employees under the agreement.
(K) An agreement entered into under this section may include
a provision requiring the enterprise to create one or more
temporary internship positions for students enrolled in a course
of study at a school or other educational institution in the
vicinity, and to create a scholarship or provide another form of
educational financial assistance for students holding such a
position in exchange for the student's commitment to work for the
enterprise at the completion of the internship.
(L) The tax commissioner's authority in determining the
accuracy of any exemption granted by an agreement entered into
under this section is limited to divisions (B)(1)(b)(i) and (ii),
(B)(2), (C), and (I) of this section, division (B)(1)(b)(iv) of
this section as it pertains to divisions (C)(2)(a), (b), and (c)
of section 5709.62 of the Revised Code, and divisions (B)(1) to
(10) of section 5709.631 of the Revised Code and, as authorized by
law, to enforcing any modification to, or revocation of, that
agreement by the board of county commissioners or the director of
development services or, if the board's powers and duties are
delegated under division (G) of this section, by the legislative
authority of a municipal corporation or board of township
trustees.
Sec. 5709.632. (A)(1) The legislative authority of a
municipal corporation defined by the United States office of
management and budget as a principal city of a metropolitan
statistical area may, in the manner set forth in section 5709.62
of the Revised Code, designate one or more areas in the municipal
corporation as a proposed enterprise zone.
(2) With the consent of the legislative authority of each
affected municipal corporation or of a board of township trustees,
a board of county commissioners may, in the manner set forth in
section 5709.62 of the Revised Code, designate one or more areas
in one or more municipal corporations or in unincorporated areas
of the county as proposed urban jobs and enterprise zones, except
that a board of county commissioners may designate no more than
one area within a township, or within adjacent townships, as a
proposed urban jobs and enterprise zone.
(3) The legislative authority or board of county
commissioners may petition the director of development services
for certification of the area as having the characteristics set
forth in division (A)(3) of section 5709.61 of the Revised Code.
Within sixty days after receiving such a petition, the director
shall determine whether the area has the characteristics set forth
in that division and forward the findings to the legislative
authority or board of county commissioners. If the director
certifies the area as having those characteristics and thereby
certifies it as a zone, the legislative authority or board may
enter into agreements with enterprises under division (B) of this
section. Any enterprise wishing to enter into an agreement with a
legislative authority or board of county commissioners under this
section and satisfying one of the criteria described in divisions
(B)(1) to (5) of this section shall submit a proposal to the
legislative authority or board on the form prescribed under
division (B) of section 5709.62 of the Revised Code and shall
review and update the estimates and listings required by the form
in the manner required under that division. The legislative
authority or board may, on a separate form and at any time,
require any additional information necessary to determine whether
an enterprise is in compliance with an agreement and to collect
the information required to be reported under section 5709.68 of
the Revised Code.
(B) Prior to entering into an agreement with an enterprise,
the legislative authority or board of county commissioners shall
determine whether the enterprise submitting the proposal is
qualified by financial responsibility and business experience to
create and preserve employment opportunities in the zone and to
improve the economic climate of the municipal corporation or
municipal corporations or the unincorporated areas in which the
zone is located and to which the proposal applies, and whether the
enterprise satisfies one of the following criteria:
(1) The enterprise currently has no operations in this state
and, subject to approval of the agreement, intends to establish
operations in the zone;
(2) The enterprise currently has operations in this state
and, subject to approval of the agreement, intends to establish
operations at a new location in the zone that would not result in
a reduction in the number of employee positions at any of the
enterprise's other locations in this state;
(3) The enterprise, subject to approval of the agreement,
intends to relocate operations, currently located in another
state, to the zone;
(4) The enterprise, subject to approval of the agreement,
intends to expand operations at an existing site in the zone that
the enterprise currently operates;
(5) The enterprise, subject to approval of the agreement,
intends to relocate operations, currently located in this state,
to the zone, and the director of development services has issued a
waiver for the enterprise under division (B) of section 5709.633
of the Revised Code.
(C) If the legislative authority or board determines that the
enterprise is so qualified and satisfies one of the criteria
described in divisions (B)(1) to (5) of this section, the
legislative authority or board may, after complying with section
5709.83 of the Revised Code and on or before October 15, 2013
2015, and, in the case of a board of commissioners, with the
consent of the legislative authority of each affected municipal
corporation or of the board of township trustees, enter into an
agreement with the enterprise under which the enterprise agrees to
establish, expand, renovate, or occupy a facility in the zone and
hire new employees, or preserve employment opportunities for
existing employees, in return for the following incentives:
(1) When the facility is located in a municipal corporation,
a legislative authority or board of commissioners may enter into
an agreement for one or more of the incentives provided in
division (C) of section 5709.62 of the Revised Code, subject to
division (D) of that section;
(2) When the facility is located in an unincorporated area, a
board of commissioners may enter into an agreement for one or more
of the incentives provided in divisions (B)(1)(b), (B)(2), and
(B)(3) of section 5709.63 of the Revised Code, subject to division
(C) of that section.
(D) All agreements entered into under this section shall be
in the form prescribed under section 5709.631 of the Revised Code.
After an agreement under this section is entered into, if the
legislative authority or board of county commissioners revokes its
designation of the zone, or if the director of development
services revokes the zone's certification, any entitlements
granted under the agreement shall continue for the number of years
specified in the agreement.
(E) Except as otherwise provided in this division, an
agreement entered into under this section shall require that the
enterprise pay an annual fee equal to the greater of one per cent
of the dollar value of incentives offered under the agreement or
five hundred dollars; provided, however, that if the value of the
incentives exceeds two hundred fifty thousand dollars, the fee
shall not exceed two thousand five hundred dollars. The fee shall
be payable to the legislative authority or board of commissioners
once per year for each year the agreement is effective on the days
and in the form specified in the agreement. Fees paid shall be
deposited in a special fund created for such purpose by the
legislative authority or board and shall be used by the
legislative authority or board exclusively for the purpose of
complying with section 5709.68 of the Revised Code and by the tax
incentive review council created under section 5709.85 of the
Revised Code exclusively for the purposes of performing the duties
prescribed under that section. The legislative authority or board
may waive or reduce the amount of the fee charged against an
enterprise, but such waiver or reduction does not affect the
obligations of the legislative authority or board or the tax
incentive review council to comply with section 5709.68 or 5709.85
of the Revised Code, respectively.
(F) With the approval of the legislative authority of a
municipal corporation or the board of township trustees of a
township in which a zone is designated under division (A)(2) of
this section, the board of county commissioners may delegate to
that legislative authority or board any powers and duties of the
board to negotiate and administer agreements with regard to that
zone under this section.
(G) When an agreement is entered into pursuant to this
section, the legislative authority or board of commissioners
authorizing the agreement shall forward a copy of the agreement to
the director of development services and to the tax commissioner
within fifteen days after the agreement is entered into. If any
agreement includes terms not provided for in section 5709.631 of
the Revised Code affecting the revenue of a city, local, or
exempted village school district or causing revenue to be forgone
by the district, including any compensation to be paid to the
school district pursuant to section 5709.82 of the Revised Code,
those terms also shall be forwarded in writing to the director of
development services along with the copy of the agreement
forwarded under this division.
(H) After an agreement is entered into, the enterprise shall
file with each personal property tax return required to be filed
while the agreement is in effect, an informational return, on a
form prescribed by the tax commissioner for that purpose, setting
forth separately the property, and related costs and values,
exempted from taxation under the agreement.
(I) An agreement entered into under this section may include
a provision requiring the enterprise to create one or more
temporary internship positions for students enrolled in a course
of study at a school or other educational institution in the
vicinity, and to create a scholarship or provide another form of
educational financial assistance for students holding such a
position in exchange for the student's commitment to work for the
enterprise at the completion of the internship.
Section 2. That existing sections 5709.62, 5709.63, and
5709.632 of the Revised Code are hereby repealed.
Section 3. There is hereby created an enterprise zone program
review council for the purpose of evaluating and making
recommendations with respect to the enterprise zone program
authorized by sections 5709.61 to 5709.69 of the Revised Code. The
council shall consist of two members of the House of
Representatives appointed by the Speaker of the House of
Representatives, one member of the House of Representatives
appointed by the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives,
two members of the Senate appointed by the President of the
Senate, and one member of the Senate appointed by the Minority
Leader of the Senate.
The council shall review the positive and negative impacts of
the enterprise zone program and evaluate its overall effectiveness
in terms of achieving the initial goals of the program as well as
generating a positive return on investment for participating
political subdivisions.
The council shall compile a report that makes recommendations
as to whether to continue the enterprise zone program and, if so,
whether any changes should be made to the program. The report
shall be delivered to the Governor, the Speaker and Minority
Leader of the House of Representatives, and the President and
Minority Leader of the Senate on or before August 31, 2015.
Upon delivery of the report, the council shall dissolve by
operation of law.
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