Section 122.951. Grants from industrial site improvement fund

(A) If the director of development services determines that a grant may create new jobs or preserve existing jobs and employment opportunities in an eligible county, the director may grant up to seven hundred fifty thousand dollars to the eligible county for the purpose of acquiring commercial or industrial land or buildings and making improvements to commercial or industrial areas within the eligible county, including, but not limited to:

(1) Expanding, remodeling, renovating, and modernizing buildings, structures, and other improvements;

(2) Remediating environmentally contaminated property on which hazardous substances exist under conditions that have caused or would cause the property to be identified as contaminated by the Ohio or United States environmental protection agency; and

(3) Infrastructure improvements, including, but not limited to, site preparation, including building demolition and removal; streets, roads, bridges, and traffic control devices; parking lots and facilities; water and sewer lines and treatment plants; gas, electric, and telecommunications, including broadband, hook-ups; and water and railway access improvements.

A grant awarded under this section shall provide not more than seventy-five per cent of the estimated total cost of the project for which an application is submitted under this section. In addition, not more than ten per cent of the amount of the grant shall be used to pay the costs of professional services related to the project.

(B) An eligible county may apply to the director for a grant under this section in the form and manner prescribed by the director. The eligible county shall include on the application all information required by the director. The application shall require the eligible county to provide a detailed description of how the eligible county would use a grant to improve commercial or industrial areas within the eligible county, and to specify how a grant will lead to the creation of new jobs or the preservation of existing jobs and employment opportunities in the eligible county. The eligible county shall specify in the application the amount of the grant for which the eligible county is applying.

(C)

An eligible county may designate a port authority, community improvement corporation as defined in section 122.71 of the Revised Code, or other economic development entity that is located in the county to apply for a grant under this section. If a port authority, community improvement corporation, or other economic development entity is so designated, references to an eligible county in this section include references to the authority, corporation, or other entity.

Amended by 131st General Assembly File No. TBD, HB 64, §101.01, eff. 9/29/2015.

Effective Date: 06-09-2004; 09-29-2005; 2007 SB24 09-29-2007