(A) A board of county commissioners may use a loan obtained under division (C) of this section to provide financial assistance to any person who owns real property in a coastal erosion area and who has received a permit under section 1506.40 of the Revised Code to construct an erosion control structure in that coastal erosion area. The board shall enter into an agreement with the person that complies with all of the following requirements:

(1) The agreement shall identify the person's real property for which the erosion control structure is being constructed and shall include a legal description of that property and a reference to the volume and page of the deed record in which the title of that person to that property is recorded.

(2) In accordance with rules adopted by the Ohio water development authority under division (V) of section 6121.04 of the Revised Code for the purposes of division (C) of this section and pursuant to an agreement between the board and the authority under that division, the board shall agree to cause payments to be made by the authority to the contractor hired by the person to construct an erosion control structure in amounts not to exceed the total amount specified in the agreement between the board and the person.

(3) The person shall agree to pay to the board, or to the authority as the assignee pursuant to division (C) of this section, the total amount of the payments plus administrative or other costs of the board or the authority at times, in installments, and bearing interest as specified in the agreement.

The agreement may contain additional provisions that the board determines necessary to safeguard the interests of the county or to comply with an agreement entered into under division (C) of this section.

(B) Upon entering into an agreement under division (A) of this section, the board shall do all of the following:

(1) Cause the agreement to be recorded in the county deed records in the office of the county recorder of the county in which the real property is situated. Failure to record the agreement does not affect the validity of the agreement or the collection of any amounts due under the agreement.

(2) Establish by resolution an erosion control repayment fund into which shall be deposited all amounts collected under division (B)(3) of this section. Moneys in that fund shall be used by the board for the repayment of the loan and for administrative or other costs of the board or the authority as specified in an agreement entered into under division (C) of this section. If the amount of money in the fund is inadequate to repay the loan when due, the board of county commissioners, by resolution, may advance money from any other fund in order to repay the loan if that use of the money from the other fund is not in conflict with law. If the board so advances money in order to repay the loan, the board subsequently shall reimburse each fund from which the board advances money with moneys from the erosion control repayment fund.

(3) Bill and collect all amounts when due under the agreement entered into under division (A) of this section. The board shall certify amounts not paid when due to the county auditor, who shall enter the amounts on the real property tax list and duplicate against the property identified under division (A)(1) of this section. The amounts not paid when due shall be a lien on that property from the date on which the amounts are placed on the tax list and duplicate and shall be collected in the same manner as other taxes.

(C) A board may apply to the authority for a loan for the purpose of entering into agreements under division (A) of this section. The loan shall be for an amount and on the terms established in an agreement between the board and the authority. The board may assign any agreements entered into under division (A) of this section to the authority in order to provide for the repayment of the loan and may pledge any lawfully available revenues to the repayment of the loan, provided that no moneys raised by taxation shall be obligated or pledged by the board for the repayment of the loan. Any agreement with the authority pursuant to this division is not subject to Chapter 133. of the Revised Code or any requirements or limitations established in that chapter.

(D) The authority, as assignee of any agreement pursuant to division (C) of this section, may enforce and compel the board and the county auditor by mandamus pursuant to Chapter 2731. of the Revised Code to comply with division (B) of this section in a timely manner.

(E) The construction of an erosion control structure by a contractor hired by an individual homeowner, group of individual homeowners, or homeowners association that enters into an agreement with a board under division (A) of this section is not a public improvement, as defined in section 4115.03 of the Revised Code, and is not subject to competitive bidding or public bond laws.

Effective Date: 2007 HB119 09-29-2007.