(A) After the establishment of any county sewer district, the board of county commissioners may determine by resolution that it is necessary to provide sanitary or drainage facility improvements or prevention or replacement facility improvements and to maintain and operate the improvements within the district or a designated portion of the district, that the improvements, which shall be generally described in the resolution, shall be constructed, that funds are required to pay the preliminary costs of the improvements to be incurred prior to the commencement of the proceedings for their construction, and that those funds shall be provided in accordance with this section.

(B) Prior to the adoption of the resolution, the board shall give notice of its pendency and of the proposed determination of the necessity of the improvements generally described in the resolution. The notice shall set forth a description of the properties to be benefited by the improvements and the time and place of a hearing of objections to and endorsements of the improvements. The notice shall be given by publication in a newspaper of general circulation in the county once a week for two consecutive weeks, by publication as provided in section 7.16 of the Revised Code, by mailing a copy of the notice by first class or certified mail to the owners of the properties proposed to be assessed at their respective tax mailing addresses, or by a combination of these manners, the first publication to be made or the mailing to occur at least two weeks prior to the date set for the hearing. At the hearing, or at any adjournment of the hearing, of which no further published or mailed notice need be given, the board shall hear all persons whose properties are proposed to be assessed and the evidence it considers to be necessary. The board then shall determine the necessity of the proposed improvements and whether the improvements shall be made by the board and, if they are to be made, shall direct the preparation of tentative assessments upon the benefited properties and by whom they shall be prepared.

(C) In order to obtain funds for the preparation of a general or revised general plan of sewerage or drainage for the district or part of the district, for the preparation of the detailed plans, specifications, estimate of cost, and tentative assessment for the proposed improvements, and for the cost of financing and legal services incident to the preparation of all of those plans and a plan of financing the proposed improvements, the board may levy upon the properties to be benefited in the district a preliminary assessment apportioned according to benefits or to tax valuation or partly by one method and partly by the other method as the board may determine. The assessments shall be in the amount determined to be necessary to obtain funds for the general and detailed plans and the cost of financing and legal services and shall be payable in the number of years that the board shall determine, not to exceed twenty years, together with interest on any public obligations that may be issued or incurred in anticipation of the collection of the assessments.

(D) The board shall have power at any time to levy additional assessments according to benefits or to tax valuation or partly by one method and partly by the other method as the board may determine for the purposes described in division (C) of this section upon the benefited properties to complete the payment of the costs described in division (C) of this section or to pay the cost of any additional plans, specifications, estimate of cost, or tentative assessment and the cost of financing and legal services incident to the preparation of those plans and the plan of financing, which additional assessments shall be payable in the number of years that the board shall determine, not to exceed twenty years, together with interest on any public obligations that may be issued or incurred in anticipation of the collection of the additional assessments.

(E) Prior to the adoption of a resolution levying assessments under this section, the board shall give notice either by one publication in a newspaper of general circulation in the county, or by mailing a copy of the notice by first class or certified mail to the owners of the properties proposed to be assessed at their respective tax mailing addresses, or by both manners, the publication to be made or the mailing to occur at least ten days prior to the date of the meeting at which the resolution shall be taken up for consideration; that notice shall state the time and place of the meeting at which the resolution is to be considered. At the time and place of the meeting, or at any adjournment of the meeting, of which no further published or mailed notice need be given, the board shall hear all persons whose properties are proposed to be assessed, shall correct any errors and make any revisions that appear to be necessary or just, and then may adopt a resolution levying upon the properties determined to be benefited the assessments as so corrected and revised.

The assessments levied by the resolution shall be certified to the county auditor for collection in the same manner as taxes in the year or years in which they are payable.

(F) Upon the adoption of the resolution described in division (E) of this section, no further action shall be taken or work done until ten days have elapsed. If, at the expiration of that period, no appeal has been effected by any property owner as provided in this division, the action of the board shall be final. If, at the end of that ten days, any owner of property to be assessed for the improvements has effected an appeal, no further action shall be taken and no work done in connection with the improvements under the resolution until the matters appealed from have been disposed of in court.

Any owner of property to be assessed may appeal as provided and upon the grounds stated in sections 6117.09 to 6117.24 of the Revised Code.

If no appeal has been perfected or if on appeal the resolution of the board is sustained, the board may authorize and enter into contracts to carry out the purposes for which the assessments have been levied without the prior issuance of notes, provided that the payments under those contracts do not fall due prior to the time by which the assessments are to be collected. The board may issue and sell bonds with a maximum maturity of twenty years in anticipation of the collection of the assessments and may issue notes in anticipation of the issuance of the bonds, which notes and bonds, as public obligations, shall be issued and sold as provided in Chapter 133. of the Revised Code.

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

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