Section 4582.171. Rental of port authority facilities

A port authority may charge, alter, and collect rentals or other charges for the use or services of any port authority facility and contract in the manner provided by this section with one or more persons, one or more governmental agencies, or any combination thereof, desiring the use or services of the facility, and fix the terms, conditions, rentals, or other charges for the use or services. If the services are furnished in the jurisdiction of the port authority by a public utility or a common carrier, charges by the port authority for the services shall not be less than the charges established for the same services furnished by a public utility or common carrier in the port authority jurisdiction. The rentals or other charges shall not be subject to supervision or regulation by any other authority, commission, board, bureau, or agency of the state and the contract may provide for acquisition by the person or governmental agency of all or any part of the port authority facility for such consideration payable over the period of the contract or otherwise as the port authority in its sole discretion determines to be appropriate, but subject to the provisions of any resolution authorizing the issuance of port authority revenue bonds or any trust agreement securing the bonds. Any governmental agency that has power to construct, operate, and maintain port authority facilities may enter into a contract or lease with a port authority whereby the use or services of any port authority facility will be made available to the governmental agency, and may pay for the use or services rentals or other charges as may be agreed to by the port authority and the governmental agency.

Any governmental agency or combination of governmental agencies may cooperate with the port authority in the acquisition or construction of port authority facilities and shall enter into such agreements with the port authority as may be appropriate, with a view to effective cooperative action and safeguarding of the respective interests of the parties thereto, which agreements shall provide for contributions by the parties thereto in a proportion as may be agreed upon and other terms as may be mutually satisfactory to the parties including, without limitation, the authorization of the construction of the facility by one of the parties acting as agent for all of the parties and the ownership and control of the facility by the port authority to the extent necessary or appropriate. Any governmental agency may provide the funds for the payment of any contribution required under such agreements by the levy of taxes or assessments if otherwise authorized by the laws governing the governmental agency in the construction of the type of port authority facility provided for in the agreements, and may pay the proceeds from the collection of the taxes or assessments; or the governmental agency may issue bonds or notes, if authorized by those laws, in anticipation of the collection of the taxes or assessments, and may pay the proceeds of the bonds or notes to the port authority pursuant to such agreements. In addition, any governmental agency may provide the funds for the payment of a contribution by the appropriation of money or, if otherwise authorized by law, by the issuance of bonds or notes and may pay the appropriated money or the proceeds of the bonds or notes to the port authority pursuant to such agreements. The agreement by the governmental agency to provide a contribution, whether from appropriated money or from the proceeds of taxes or assessments, or bonds or notes, or any combination thereof, shall not be subject to Chapter 133. of the Revised Code or any rules or limitations contained therein. The proceeds from the collection of taxes or assessments, and any interest earned thereon, shall be paid into a special fund immediately upon the collection thereof by the governmental agency for the purpose of providing the contribution at the times required under such agreements.

When the contribution of any governmental agency is to be made over a period of time from the proceeds of the collection of special assessments, the interest accrued and to accrue before the first installment of the assessments is collected, which is payable by the governmental agency on the contribution under the terms and provisions of the agreements, shall be treated as part of the cost of the improvement for which the assessments are levied, and that portion of the assessments that is collected in installments shall bear interest at the same rate as the governmental agency is obligated to pay on the contribution under the terms and provisions of the agreements and for the same period of time as the contribution is to be made under the agreements. If the assessment or any installment thereof is not paid when due, it shall bear interest until the payment thereof at the same rate as the contribution and the county auditor shall annually place on the tax list and duplicate the interest applicable to the assessment and the penalty thereon as otherwise authorized by law.

As used in this section, the term "governmental agency" has the meaning defined in section 4582.21 of the Revised Code.

Added by 130th General Assembly File No. 7, HB 51, §101.01, eff. 7/1/2013.