(A) The board of directors of a special improvement district may develop and adopt one or more written plans for public improvements or public services that benefit all or any part of the district. Each plan shall set forth the specific public improvements or public services that are to be provided, identify the area in which they will be provided, and specify the method of assessment to be used. Each plan for public improvements or public services shall indicate the period of time the assessments are to be levied for the improvements and services and, if public services are included in the plan, the period of time the services are to remain in effect. Plans for public improvements may include the planning, design, construction, reconstruction, enlargement, or alteration of any public improvements and the acquisition of land for the improvements. Plans for public improvements or public services may also include, but are not limited to, provisions for the following:

(1) Creating and operating the district and the nonprofit corporation under this chapter, including hiring employees and professional services, contracting for insurance, and purchasing or leasing office space and office equipment and other requirements of the district;

(2) Planning, designing, and implementing a public improvements or public services plan, including hiring architectural, engineering, legal, appraisal, insurance, consulting, energy auditing, and planning services, and, for public services, managing, protecting, and maintaining public and private facilities, including public improvements;

(3) Conducting court proceedings to carry out this chapter;

(4) Paying damages resulting from the provision of public improvements or public services and implementing the plans;

(5) Paying the costs of issuing, paying interest on, and redeeming notes and bonds issued for funding public improvements and public services plans;

(6) Sale, lease, lease with an option to purchase, conveyance of other interests in, or other contracts for the acquisition, construction, maintenance, repair, furnishing, equipping, operation, or improvement of any special energy improvement project by the special improvement district, between a participating political subdivision and the special improvement district, and between the special improvement district and any owner of real property in the special improvement district on which a special energy improvement project has been acquired, installed, equipped, or improved; and

(7) Aggregating the renewable energy credits generated by one or more special energy improvement projects within a special improvement district, upon the consent of the owners of the credits and for the purpose of negotiating and completing the sale of such credits.

(B) Once the board of directors of the special improvement district adopts a plan, it shall submit the plan to the legislative authority of each participating political subdivision and the municipal executive of each municipal corporation in which the district is located, if any. The legislative authorities and municipal executives shall review the plan and, within sixty days after receiving it, may submit their comments and recommendations about it to the district. After reviewing these comments and recommendations, the board of directors may amend the plan. It may then submit the plan, amended or otherwise, in the form of a petition to members of the district whose property may be assessed for the plan. Once the petition is signed by those members who own at least sixty per cent of the front footage of property that is to be assessed and that abuts upon a street, alley, public road, place, boulevard, parkway, park entrance, easement, or other public improvement, or those members who own at least seventy-five per cent of the area to be assessed for the improvement or service, the petition may be submitted to each legislative authority for approval. Except as provided in division (H) of section 1710.02 of the Revised Code, if the special improvement district was created for the purpose of developing and implementing plans for special energy improvement projects or shoreline improvement projects, the petition required under this division shall be signed by one hundred per cent of the owners of the area of all real property located within the area to be assessed for the special energy improvement project or shoreline improvement project.

Each legislative authority shall, by resolution, approve or reject the petition within sixty days after receiving it. If the petition is approved by the legislative authority of each participating political subdivision, the plan contained in the petition shall be effective at the earliest date on which a nonemergency resolution of the legislative authority with the latest effective date may become effective. A plan may not be resubmitted to the legislative authorities and municipal executives more than three times in any twelve-month period.

(C) Each participating political subdivision shall levy, by special assessment upon specially benefited property located within the district, the costs of any public improvements or public services plan contained in a petition approved by the participating political subdivisions under this section or division (F) of section 1710.02 of the Revised Code. The levy shall be made in accordance with the procedures set forth in Chapter 727. of the Revised Code, except that:

(1) The assessment for each improvements or services plan may be levied by any one or any combination of the methods of assessment listed in section 727.01 of the Revised Code, provided that the assessment is uniformly applied.

(2) For the purpose of levying an assessment, the board of directors may combine one or more improvements or services plans or parts of plans and levy a single assessment against specially benefited property.

(3) For purposes of special assessments levied by a township pursuant to this chapter, references in Chapter 727. of the Revised Code to the municipal corporation shall be deemed to refer to the township, and references to the legislative authority of the municipal corporation shall be deemed to refer to the board of township trustees.

Church property or property owned by a political subdivision, including any participating political subdivision in which a special improvement district is located, shall be included in and be subject to special assessments made pursuant to a plan adopted under this section or division (F) of section 1710.02 of the Revised Code, if the church or political subdivision has specifically requested in writing that its property be included within the special improvement district and the church or political subdivision is a member of the district or, in the case of a district created by an existing qualified nonprofit corporation, if the church is a member of the corporation.

(D) All rights and privileges of property owners who are assessed under Chapter 727. of the Revised Code shall be granted to property owners assessed under this chapter, including those rights and privileges specified in sections 727.15 to 727.17 and 727.18 to 727.22 of the Revised Code and the right to notice of the resolution of necessity and the filing of the estimated assessment under section 727.13 of the Revised Code. Property owners assessed for public services under this chapter shall have the same rights and privileges as property owners assessed for public improvements under this chapter.

Amended by 132nd General Assembly File No. TBD, SB 51, §1, eff. 3/20/2019.

Amended by 128th General AssemblyFile No.48, SB 232, §1, eff. 6/17/2010.

Amended by 128th General AssemblyFile No.9, HB 1, §101.01, eff. 10/16/2009.

Effective Date: 06-27-2000 .