The board of directors of a conservancy district may construct, improve, operate, maintain, and protect parks, parkways, forest preserves, bathing beaches, playgrounds, and other recreational facilities upon the lands owned or controlled by the district, or upon lands located within the district owned or controlled by the United States government or any department of it, by this state or any department or division of it, or by any political subdivision, if authorized by lease, contract, or other arrangements with the appropriate agency of government having ownership or control. The board may acquire by lease, purchase, or appropriation property additional to that required for the purposes for which the district was incorporated, in order to provide for the protection, more adequate development, and fuller public use and enjoyment of the improvements and facilities. The board may impose and collect charges for the use of the properties, improvements, and facilities maintained or operated by the district for recreational purposes. Moneys collected from these charges may be used to promote the district's recreational facilities.

In case the revenues derived or to be derived from the properties, improvements, and facilities maintained, operated, used, or acquired by the district for recreational purposes are not sufficient for the purposes of this section, the board, with the approval of the court, may provide for the payment of obligations incurred under this section by the levy of special assessments upon public corporations having lands within the district.

In no case shall the obligations incurred under this section be paid from the proceeds of special assessments levied under section 6101.48 or 6101.53 of the Revised Code, or of bonds or notes issued in anticipation of them. After special assessments against the public corporations are approved by the court, the board of appraisers of the conservancy district shall appraise the benefits to be conferred on each public corporation by reason of the acquisition and construction of the properties and improvements authorized by the board of directors under this section, and shall appraise the damages accruing to persons and public corporations from the improvements. The provisions of this chapter that refer to the determination of benefits and damages apply to the appraisals made under this section, but they shall be separate from other appraisals of benefits and damages made under this chapter, and separate records of them shall be prepared. After the appraisal of benefits has been approved by the court, and within the amount of benefits so determined, the board of directors may levy assessments on the public corporations benefited to pay the cost of the properties and improvements acquired and constructed under this section, and may issue bonds and notes in anticipation of the collection of these assessments. In addition, the board of directors may annually levy a maintenance assessment for the purposes of this section on the public corporations upon the basis of total appraised benefits. The provisions of this chapter that relate to assessments for district purposes and to bonds and notes issued in anticipation of the assessments apply to the assessments authorized under this section and the bonds and notes issued in anticipation of the assessments. Improvement, bond retirement, and maintenance funds shall be established for recreational purposes in conformity with section 6101.44 of the Revised Code, which shall be separate from one another and from other funds of the district, and no transfers shall be made to them from the other funds of the district. The proceeds of all bonds, notes, and assessments authorized by this section and all receipts derived from the recreational properties, improvements, and facilities owned, controlled, operated, or maintained by the district shall be paid into those funds, and all expenditures in accordance with this section shall be made from them.

Effective Date: 09-21-2000 .