The department of youth services shall adopt rules prescribing the minimum standards of construction for a school, forestry camp, or other facility established under section 2151.65 of the Revised Code for which financial assistance may be granted to assist in defraying the cost of the construction of the school, forestry camp, or other facility. If an application for that financial assistance is filed with the department under section 2151.651 of the Revised Code, and the department finds that the application is in proper form and the specifications for the construction of the school, forestry camp, or other facility meet the minimum standards set forth in the rules adopted by the department, the department may, from moneys available to it for granting financial assistance for the construction of schools, forestry camps, or other facilities established under section 2151.65 of the Revised Code, grant financial assistance to the county making the application, subject to the approval of the controlling board, in an amount not to exceed one-half of the county's share of the cost of construction of the school, forestry camp, or other facility but not to exceed six thousand five hundred dollars for each bed unit provided for in the school, forestry camp, or other facility. As used in this section, "construction" means the building and the initial equipping of new structures and, to the extent provided for in rules adopted by the department, the acquisition, remodeling, and initial equipping of existing structures, excluding architect's fees and the cost of land acquisition.

A county that receives financial assistance under this section shall not be obligated to repay the assistance to the state unless the school, forestry camp, or other facility for which the assistance is granted is used within the ten-year period immediately following its establishment for other than the purpose of rehabilitating children between the ages of twelve to eighteen years, other than psychotic children or children with intellectual disabilities, who are designated delinquent children, as defined in section 2152.02 of the Revised Code, or unruly, as defined in section 2151.022 of the Revised Code, by order of a juvenile court. If the department of youth services finds that the school, forestry camp, or other facility is used for other than that purpose within that ten-year period, the county shall be obligated to repay the assistance to the state and, through its board of county commissioners, may enter into an agreement with the director of budget and management for the discharge of that obligation over a period not to exceed ten years in duration. Whenever a county is obligated to repay that assistance to the state and its board of county commissioners fails to enter into or fails to comply with an agreement for the discharge of that obligation, the tax commissioner, pursuant to section 5747.54 of the Revised Code, shall withhold from distribution to the county from the local government fund an amount sufficient to discharge the county from that obligation to the state.

Amended by 131st General Assembly File No. TBD, HB 158, §1, eff. 10/12/2016.

Effective Date: 01-01-2002 .