(A) As used in this section, "county school financing district" means a taxing district consisting of the following territory:

(1) The territory that constitutes the educational service center on the date that the governing board of that educational service center adopts a resolution under division (B) of this section declaring that the territory of the educational service center is a county school financing district, exclusive of any territory subsequently withdrawn from the district under division (D) of this section;

(2) Any territory that has been added to the county school financing district under this section.

A county school financing district may include the territory of a city, local, or exempted village school district whose territory also is included in the territory of one or more other county school financing districts.

(B) The governing board of any educational service center may, by resolution, declare that the territory of the educational service center is a county school financing district. The resolution shall state the purpose for which the county school financing district is created, which may be for any one or more of the following purposes:

(1) To levy taxes for the provision of special education by the school districts that are a part of the district, including taxes for permanent improvements for special education;

(2) To levy taxes for the provision of specified educational programs and services by the school districts that are a part of the district, as identified in the resolution creating the district, including the levying of taxes for permanent improvements for those programs and services. Services financed by the levy may include school safety and security and mental health services, including training and employment of or contracting for the services of safety personnel, mental health personnel, social workers, and counselors.

(3) To levy taxes for permanent improvements of school districts that are a part of the district.

The governing board of the educational service center that creates a county school financing district shall serve as the taxing authority of the district and may use educational service center governing board employees to perform any of the functions necessary in the performance of its duties as a taxing authority. A county school financing district shall not employ any personnel.

With the approval of a majority of the members of the board of education of each school district within the territory of the county school financing district, the taxing authority of the financing district may amend the resolution creating the district to broaden or narrow the purposes for which it was created.

A governing board of an educational service center may create more than one county school financing district. If a governing board of an educational service center creates more than one such district, it shall clearly distinguish among the districts it creates by including a designation of each district's purpose in the district's name.

(C) A majority of the members of a board of education of a city, local, or exempted village school district may adopt a resolution requesting that its territory be joined with the territory of any county school financing district. Copies of the resolution shall be filed with the state board of education and the taxing authority of the county school financing district. Within sixty days of its receipt of such a resolution, the county school financing district's taxing authority shall vote on the question of whether to accept the school district's territory as part of the county school financing district. If a majority of the members of the taxing authority vote to accept the territory, the school district's territory shall thereupon become a part of the county school financing district unless the county school financing district has in effect a tax imposed under section 5705.215 of the Revised Code. If the county school financing district has such a tax in effect, the taxing authority shall certify a copy of its resolution accepting the school district's territory to the school district's board of education, which may then adopt a resolution, with the affirmative vote of a majority of its members, proposing the submission to the electors of the question of whether the district's territory shall become a part of the county school financing district and subject to the taxes imposed by the financing district. The resolution shall set forth the date on which the question shall be submitted to the electors, which shall be at a special election held on a date specified in the resolution, which shall not be earlier than ninety days after the adoption and certification of the resolution. A copy of the resolution shall immediately be certified to the board of elections of the proper county, which shall make arrangements for the submission of the proposal to the electors of the school district. The board of the joining district shall publish notice of the election in a newspaper of general circulation in the county once a week for two consecutive weeks, or as provided in section 7.16 of the Revised Code, prior to the election. Additionally, if the board of elections operates and maintains a web site, the board of elections shall post notice of the election on its web site for thirty days prior to the election. The question appearing on the ballot shall read:

"Shall the territory within.......... (name of the school district proposing to join the county school financing district).......... be added to.......... (name).......... county school financing district, and a property tax for the purposes of......... (here insert purposes).......... at a rate of taxation not exceeding..........(here insert the outstanding tax rate)...........be in effect for..........(here insert the number of years the tax is to be in effect or "a continuing period of time," as applicable)..........?"

If the proposal is approved by a majority of the electors voting on it, the joinder shall take effect on the first day of July following the date of the election, and the county board of elections shall notify the county auditor of each county in which the school district joining its territory to the county school financing district is located.

(D) The board of any city, local, or exempted village school district whose territory is part of a county school financing district may withdraw its territory from the county school financing district thirty days after submitting to the governing board that is the taxing authority of the district and the state board a resolution proclaiming such withdrawal, adopted by a majority vote of its members, but any county school financing district tax levied in such territory on the effective date of the withdrawal shall remain in effect in such territory until such tax expires or is renewed. No board may adopt a resolution withdrawing from a county school financing district that would take effect during the forty-five days preceding the date of an election at which a levy proposed under section 5705.215 of the Revised Code is to be voted upon.

(E) A city, local, or exempted village school district does not lose its separate identity or legal existence by reason of joining its territory to a county school financing district under this section and an educational service center does not lose its separate identity or legal existence by reason of creating a county school financing district that accepts or loses territory under this section.

Amended by 132nd General Assembly File No. TBD, SB 226, §1, eff. 3/30/2018.

Amended by 129th General AssemblyFile No.28, HB 153, §101.01, eff. 9/29/2011.

Amended by 128th General AssemblyFile No.29, HB 48, §1, eff. 7/2/2010.

Effective Date: 09-29-1995; 05-02-2006