A board of county commissioners in the manner provided in this section may make surveys of water supply, sanitary facilities, drainage facilities, or prevention or replacement facilities for any sewer district, the acquisition or construction of which is contemplated.

Any board desiring to make a survey shall adopt a resolution declaring its purpose and necessity. In making the surveys, the board may call upon engineering officers or employees regularly employed by the board or may authorize and enter into contracts for the services of registered professional engineers to make the surveys.

The surveys authorized by this section may include drawings, plans, specifications, estimates of cost of labor and materials, other items of cost, assessment rolls, and other facts, material, data, reports, and information and recommendations that the board considers advisable or necessary for the purpose.

Contracts entered into for the surveys shall be considered contracts for professional services and may provide for preliminary surveys or the making of detailed plans, or both, and also may provide for engineering supervision of the work. No contract shall be valid unless one or more of the services to be performed are by its terms to be commenced within one year after the contract date.

The contracts shall be signed by at least two members of the board and by the engineer agreeing to perform the service, and one signed copy of the contract shall be filed with the fiscal officer of the county, whose certificate, otherwise required by section 5705.41 of the Revised Code, need not be provided. Payment for the contracts may be made from the general fund or any other fund legally available for that use at the times that are agreed upon or as determined by the board. The proceeds of any public obligations issued pursuant to section 6119.36 of the Revised Code or any other public obligations issued or incurred to pay the cost of facilities to which a survey relates may be used to pay any part of the cost under the contracts or to reimburse the fund from which payment was made.

Effective Date: 03-12-2001; 2008 HB562 09-22-2008 .