(A)(1) As used in this section:
(a) "Ohio facilities construction commission," "classroom facilities," "school district," "school district board," "net bonded indebtedness," "required percentage of the basic project costs," "basic project cost," "valuation," and "percentile" have the same meanings as in section3318.01of the Revised Code.
(b) "Required level of indebtedness" means five per cent of the school district's valuation for the year preceding the year in which the commission and school district enter into an agreement under division (B) of this section, plus [two one-hundredths of one per cent multiplied by (the percentile in which the district ranks minus one)].
(c) "Local resources" means any moneys generated in any manner permitted for a school district board to raise the school district portion of a project undertaken with assistance under sections3318.01to3318.20of the Revised Code.
(2) For purposes of determining the required level of indebtedness, the required percentage of the basic project costs under division (C)(1) of this section, and priority for assistance under sections3318.01to3318.20of the Revised Code, the percentile ranking of a school district with which the commission has entered into an agreement under this section between the first day of July and the thirty-first day of August in each fiscal year is the percentile ranking calculated for that district for the immediately preceding fiscal year, and the percentile ranking of a school district with which the commission has entered into such agreement between the first day of September and the thirtieth day of June in each fiscal year is the percentile ranking calculated for that district for the current fiscal year.
(B)(1) There is hereby established the school building assistance expedited local partnership program. Under the program, the Ohio facilities construction commission may enter into an agreement with the board of any school district under which the board may proceed with the new construction or major repairs of a part of the district's classroom facilities needs, as determined under sections3318.01to3318.20of the Revised Code, through the expenditure of local resources prior to the school district's eligibility for state assistance under those sections, and may apply that expenditure toward meeting the school district's portion of the basic project cost of the total of the district's classroom facilities needs, as recalculated under division (E) of this section, when the district becomes eligible for state assistance under sections3318.01to3318.20or section3318.364of the Revised Code.
Any school district that is reasonably expected to receive assistance under sections3318.01to3318.20of the Revised Code within two fiscal years from the date the school district adopts its resolution under division (B) of this section shall not be eligible to participate in the program established under this section unless that school district divides its project under those sections into segments as authorized by section3318.034of the Revised Code. In the case of a school district that has segmented its project as authorized in section3318.034of the Revised Code, the district shall select a discrete portion of one or more future segments of its project, to which the district may apply local resources under an agreement under this section prior to further state assistance for those future segments under sections3318.01to3318.20of the Revised Code.
(2) To participate in the program, a school district board shall first adopt a resolution certifying to the commission the board's intent to participate in the program.
The resolution shall specify the approximate date that the board intends to seek elector approval of any bond or tax measures or to apply other local resources to use to pay the cost of classroom facilities to be constructed under this section. The resolution may specify the application of local resources or elector-approved bond or tax measures after the resolution is adopted by the board, and in such case the board may proceed with a discrete portion of its project under this section as soon as the commission and the controlling board have approved the basic project cost of the district's classroom facilities needs as specified in division (D) of this section. The board shall submit its resolution to the commission not later than ten days after the date the resolution is adopted by the board.
The commission shall not consider any resolution that is submitted pursuant to division (B)(2) of this section, as amended by this amendment, sooner than September 14, 2000.
(3) For purposes of determining when a district that enters into an agreement under this section becomes eligible for assistance under sections3318.01to3318.20of the Revised Code or priority for assistance under section3318.364of the Revised Code, the commission shall use the district's percentile ranking determined at the time the district entered into the agreement under this section, as prescribed by division (A)(2) of this section.
(4) Any project under this section shall comply with section3318.03of the Revised Code and with any specifications for plans and materials for classroom facilities adopted by the commission under section3318.04of the Revised Code.
(5) If a school district that enters into an agreement under this section has not begun a project applying local resources as provided for under that agreement at the time the district is notified by the commission that it is eligible to receive state assistance for its project under sections3318.01to3318.20of the Revised Code or for a segment of its project, if the district previously segmented its project as authorized in section3318.034of the Revised Code, all assessment and agreement documents entered into under this section are void.
(6) Only construction of or repairs to classroom facilities that have been approved by the commission and have been therefore included as part of a district's basic project cost qualify for application of local resources under this section.
(C) Based on the results of on-site visits and assessment, the commission shall determine the basic project cost of the school district's classroom facilities needs. The commission shall determine the school district's portion of such basic project cost, which shall be the greater of:
(1) The required percentage of the basic project costs, determined based on the school district's percentile ranking;
(2) An amount necessary to raise the school district's net bonded indebtedness, as of the fiscal year the commission and the school district enter into the agreement under division (B) of this section, to within five thousand dollars of the required level of indebtedness.
(D)(1) When the commission determines the basic project cost of the classroom facilities needs of a school district and the school district's portion of that basic project cost under division (C) of this section, the project shall be conditionally approved. Such conditional approval shall be submitted to the controlling board for approval thereof. The controlling board shall forthwith approve or reject the commission's determination, conditional approval, and the amount of the state's portion of the basic project cost; however, no state funds shall be encumbered under this section. Upon approval by the controlling board, the school district board may identify a discrete part of its classroom facilities needs, which shall include only new construction of or additions or major repairs to a particular building, to address with local resources. Upon identifying a part of the school district's basic project cost to address with local resources, the school district board may allocate any available school district moneys to pay the cost of that identified part, including the proceeds of an issuance of bonds if approved by the electors of the school district.
All local resources utilized under this division shall first be deposited in the project construction account required under section3318.08of the Revised Code.
(2) Unless the school district board exercises its option under division (D)(3) of this section, for a school district to qualify for participation in the program authorized under this section, one of the following conditions shall be satisfied:
(a) The electors of the school district by a majority vote shall approve the levy of taxes outside the ten-mill limitation for a period of twenty-three years at the rate of not less than one-half mill for each dollar of valuation to be used to pay the cost of maintaining or upgrading, if approved by the commission, the classroom facilities included in the basic project cost as determined by the commission. The form of the ballot to be used to submit the question whether to approve the tax required under this division to the electors of the school district shall be the form for an additional levy of taxes prescribed in section3318.361of the Revised Code, which may be combined in a single ballot question with the questions prescribed under section5705.218of the Revised Code.
(b) As authorized under division (C) of section3318.05of the Revised Code, the school district board shall earmark from the proceeds of a permanent improvement tax levied under section5705.21of the Revised Code, an amount equivalent to the additional tax otherwise required under division (D)(2)(a) of this section for the maintenance of the classroom facilities included in the basic project cost as determined by the commission.
(c) As authorized under section3318.051of the Revised Code, the school district board shall, if approved by the commission, annually transfer into the maintenance fund required under section3318.05of the Revised Code the amount prescribed in section3318.051of the Revised Code in lieu of the tax otherwise required under division (D)(2)(a) of this section for the maintenance of the classroom facilities included in the basic project cost as determined by the commission.
(d) If the school district board has rescinded the agreement to make transfers under section3318.051of the Revised Code, as provided under division (F) of that section, the electors of the school district, in accordance with section3318.063of the Revised Code, first shall approve the levy of taxes outside the ten-mill limitation for the period specified in that section at a rate of not less than one-half mill for each dollar of valuation.
(e) The school district board shall apply the proceeds of a tax to leverage bonds as authorized under section3318.052of the Revised Code or dedicate a local donated contribution in the manner described in division (B) of section3318.084of the Revised Code in an amount equivalent to the additional tax otherwise required under division (D)(2)(a) of this section for the maintenance of the classroom facilities included in the basic project cost as determined by the commission.
(3) A school district board may opt to delay taking any of the actions described in division (D)(2) of this section until the school district becomes eligible for state assistance under sections3318.01to3318.20of the Revised Code. In order to exercise this option, the board shall certify to the commission a resolution indicating the board's intent to do so prior to entering into an agreement under division (B) of this section.
(4) If pursuant to division (D)(3) of this section a district board opts to delay levying an additional tax until the district becomes eligible for state assistance, it shall submit the question of levying that tax to the district electors as follows:
(a) In accordance with section3318.06of the Revised Code if it will also be necessary pursuant to division (E) of this section to submit a proposal for approval of a bond issue;
(b) In accordance with section3318.361of the Revised Code if it is not necessary to also submit a proposal for approval of a bond issue pursuant to division (E) of this section.
(5) No state assistance under sections3318.01to3318.20of the Revised Code shall be released until a school district board that adopts and certifies a resolution under division (D) of this section also demonstrates to the satisfaction of the commission compliance with the provisions of division (D)(2) of this section.
Any amount required for maintenance under division (D)(2) of this section shall be deposited into a separate fund as specified in division (D) of section3318.05of the Revised Code.
(E)(1) If the school district becomes eligible for state assistance under sections3318.01to3318.20of the Revised Code for its entire project or for future segments, if the district previously segmented its project as authorized in section3318.034of the Revised Code, based on its percentile ranking under division (B)(3) of this section or is offered assistance under section3318.364of the Revised Code, the commission shall conduct a new assessment of the school district's classroom facilities needs and shall recalculate the basic project cost based on this new assessment. The basic project cost recalculated under this division shall include the amount of expenditures made by the school district board under division (D)(1) of this section. The commission shall then recalculate the school district's portion of the new basic project cost, which shall be the percentage of the original basic project cost assigned to the school district as its portion under division (C) of this section. The commission shall deduct the expenditure of school district moneys made under division (D)(1) of this section from the school district's portion of the basic project cost as recalculated under this division. If the amount of school district resources applied by the school district board to the school district's portion of the basic project cost under this section is less than the total amount of such portion as recalculated under this division, the school district board by a majority vote of all of its members shall, if it desires to seek state assistance under sections3318.01to3318.20of the Revised Code, adopt a resolution as specified in section3318.06of the Revised Code to submit to the electors of the school district the question of approval of a bond issue in order to pay any additional amount of school district portion required for state assistance. Any tax levy approved under division (D) of this section satisfies the requirements to levy the additional tax under section3318.06of the Revised Code.
(2) If the amount of school district resources applied by the school district board to the school district's portion of the basic project cost under this section is more than the total amount of such portion as recalculated under this division, within two years after the school district's portion is recalculated under division (E)(1) of this section the commission may grant to the school district the difference between the two calculated portions, but at no time shall the commission expend any state funds on a project in an amount greater than the state's portion of the basic project cost as recalculated under this division.
Any reimbursement under this division shall be only for local resources the school district has applied toward construction cost expenditures for the classroom facilities approved by the commission, which shall not include any financing costs associated with that construction.
The school district board shall use any moneys reimbursed to the district under this division to pay off any debt service the district owes for classroom facilities constructed under its project under this section before such moneys are applied to any other purpose. However, the district board first may deposit moneys reimbursed under this division into the district's general fund or a permanent improvement fund to replace local resources the district withdrew from those funds, as long as, and to the extent that, those local resources were used by the district for constructing classroom facilities included in the district's basic project cost.
Last updated July 6, 2022 at 9:21 AM