Upon the declaration of the court of common pleas organizing the regional water and sewer district pursuant to section 6119.04 of the Revised Code and upon the qualifying of its board of trustees and the election of a president and a secretary, said district shall exercise in its own name all the rights, powers, and duties vested in it by Chapter 6119. of the Revised Code, and, subject to such reservations, limitations and qualifications as are set forth in this chapter, such district may:

(A) Adopt bylaws for the regulation of its affairs, the conduct of its business, and notice of its actions;

(B) Adopt an official seal;

(C) Maintain a principal office and suboffices at such places within the district as it designates;

(D) Sue and plead in its own name; be sued and impleaded in its own name with respect to its contracts or torts of its members, employees, or agents acting within the scope of their employment, or to enforce its obligations and covenants made under sections 6119.09, 6119.12, and 6119.14 of the Revised Code. Any such actions against the district shall be brought in the court of common pleas of the county in which the principal office of the district is located, or in the court of common pleas of the county in which the cause of action arose, and all summonses, exceptions, and notices of every kind shall be served on the district by leaving a copy thereof at the principal office with the person in charge thereof or with the secretary of the district.

(E) Assume any liability or obligation of any person or political subdivision, including a right on the part of such district to indemnify and save harmless the other contracting party from any loss, cost, or liability by reason of the failure, refusal, neglect, or omission of such district to perform any agreement assumed by it or to act or discharge any such obligation;

(F) Make loans and grants to any person or political subdivisions for the design, acquisition, or construction of water resource projects by such person or political subdivisions and adopt rules, regulations, and procedures for making such loans and grants;

(G) Acquire, construct, reconstruct, enlarge, improve, furnish, equip, maintain, repair, operate, lease or rent to or from, or contract for operation by or for, a political subdivision or person, water resource projects within or without the district;

(H) Make available the use or service of any water resource project to one or more persons, one or more political subdivisions, or any combination thereof;

(I) Levy and collect taxes and special assessments;

(J) Issue bonds and notes and refunding bonds and notes as provided in Chapter 6119. of the Revised Code;

(K) Acquire by gift or purchase, hold, and dispose of real and personal property in the exercise of its powers and the performance of its duties under Chapter 6119. of the Revised Code;

(L) Dispose of, by public or private sale, or lease any real or personal property determined by the board of trustees to be no longer necessary or needed for the operation or purposes of the district;

(M) Acquire, in the name of the district, by purchase or otherwise, on such terms and in such manner as it considers proper, or by the exercise of the right of condemnation in the manner provided by section 6119.11 of the Revised Code, such public or private lands, including public parks, playgrounds, or reservations, or parts thereof or rights therein, rights-of-way, property, rights, easements, and interests as it considers necessary for carrying out Chapter 6119. of the Revised Code, but excluding the acquisition by the exercise of the right of condemnation of any waste water facility or water management facility owned by any person or political subdivision, and compensation shall be paid for public or private lands so taken;

(N) Adopt rules and regulations to protect augmented flow by the district in waters of the state, to the extent augmented by a water resource project, from depletion so it will be available for beneficial use, to provide standards for the withdrawal from waters of the state of the augmented flow created by a water resource project which is not returned to the waters of the state so augmented, and to establish reasonable charges therefor, if considered necessary by the district;

(O) Make and enter into all contracts and agreements and execute all instruments necessary or incidental to the performance of its duties and the execution of its powers under Chapter 6119. of the Revised Code;

(P) Enter into contracts with any person or any political subdivision to render services to such contracting party for any service the district is authorized to provide;

(Q) Enter into agreements for grants or the receipt and repayment of loans from a board of township trustees under section 505.705 of the Revised Code;

(R) Make provision for, contract for, or sell any of its by-products or waste;

(S) Exercise the power of eminent domain in the manner provided in Chapter 6119. of the Revised Code;

(T) Remove or change the location of any fence, building, railroad, canal, or other structure or improvement located in or out of the district, and in case it is not feasible or economical to move any such building, structure, or improvement situated in or upon lands required, and if the cost is determined by the board to be less than that of purchase or condemnation, to acquire land and construct, acquire, or install therein or thereon buildings, structures, or improvements similar in purpose, to be exchanged for such buildings, structures, or improvements under contracts entered into between the owner thereof and the district;

(U) Receive and accept, from any federal or state agency, grants for or in aid of the construction of any water resource project, and receive and accept aid or contributions from any source of money, property, labor, or other things of value, to be held, used, and applied only for the purposes for which such grants and contributions are made;

(V) Purchase fire and extended coverage and liability insurance for any water resource project and for the principal office and suboffices of the district, insurance protecting the district and its officers and employees against liability for damage to property or injury to or death of persons arising from its operations, and any other insurance the district may agree to provide under any resolution authorizing its water resource revenue bonds or in any trust agreement securing the same;

(W)

(1) Charge, alter, and collect rentals and other charges for the use of services of any water resource project as provided in section 6119.09 of the Revised Code. Such district may refuse the services of any of its projects if any of such rentals or other charges, including penalties for late payment, are not paid by the user thereof, and, if such rentals or other charges are not paid when due and upon certification of nonpayment to the county auditor, such rentals or other charges constitute a lien upon the property so served, shall be placed by the auditor upon the real property tax list and duplicate, and shall be collected in the same manner as other taxes.

(2) A district shall not certify to the county auditor for placement upon the tax list and duplicate and the county auditor shall not place upon the tax list or duplicate as a charge against the property the amount of unpaid rentals or other charges including any penalties for late payment as described in division (W)(1) of this section if any of the following apply:

(a) The property served has been transferred or sold to an electing subdivision as defined in section 5722.01 of the Revised Code, regardless of whether the electing subdivision is still the owner of the property, and the unpaid rentals or other charges including penalties for late payment have arisen from a period of time prior to the transfer or confirmation of sale to the electing subdivision.

(b) The property served has been sold to a purchaser at sheriff's sale or auditor's sale, the unpaid rentals or other charges including penalties for late payment have arisen from a period of time prior to the confirmation of sale, and the purchaser is not the owner of record of the property immediately prior to the judgment of foreclosure nor any of the following:

(i) A member of that owner's immediate family;

(ii) A person with a power of attorney appointed by that owner who subsequently transfers the property to the owner;

(iii) A sole proprietorship owned by that owner or a member of that owner's immediate family;

(iv) A partnership, trust, business trust, corporation, or association of which the owner or a member of the owner's immediate family owns or controls directly or indirectly more than fifty per cent.

(c) The property served has been forfeited to this state for delinquent taxes, unless the owner of record redeems the property.

(3) Upon valid written notice to the county auditor by any owner possessing an ownership interest of record of the property or an electing subdivision previously in the chain of title to the property that the unpaid water rents or charges together with any penalties have been certified for placement or placed upon the tax list and duplicate as a charge against the property in violation of division (W)(2) of this section, the county auditor shall promptly remove such charge from the tax duplicate. This written notice to the county auditor shall include all of the following:

(a) The parcel number of the property;

(b) The common address of the property;

(c) The date of the recording of the transfer of the property to the owner or electing subdivision;

(d) The charge allegedly placed in violation of division (W)(2) of this section.

(4) When title to property is transferred to a county land reutilization corporation, any lien placed on the property under this division shall be extinguished, and the corporation shall not be held liable for any rentals or charges certified under this division with respect to the property, if the rentals or charges were incurred before the date of the transfer to the corporation and if the corporation did not incur the rentals or charges, regardless of whether the rentals or charges were certified, or the lien was attached, before the date of transfer. In such a case, the corporation and its successors in title shall take title to the property free and clear of any such lien and shall be immune from liability in any collection action brought with respect to such rentals or charges. If a lien placed on property is extinguished as provided in this division, the district shall retain the ability to recoup the rents and charges incurred with respect to the property from any owner, tenant, or other person liable to pay such rents and charges before the property was transferred to the corporation.

(X) Provide coverage for its employees under Chapters 145., 4123., and 4141. of the Revised Code;

(Y) Merge or combine with any other regional water and sewer district into a single district, which shall be one of the constituent districts, on terms so that the surviving district shall be possessed of all rights, capacity, privileges, powers, franchises, and authority of the constituent districts and shall be subject to all the liabilities, obligations, and duties of each of the constituent districts and all rights of creditors of such constituent districts shall be preserved unimpaired, limited in lien to the property affected by such liens immediately prior to the time of the merger and all debts, liabilities, and duties of the respective constituent districts shall thereafter attach to the surviving district and may be enforced against it, and such other terms as are agreed upon, provided two-thirds of the members of each of the boards consent to such merger or combination. Such merger or combination shall become legally effective unless, prior to the ninetieth day following the later of the consents, qualified electors residing in either district equal in number to a majority of the qualified electors voting at the last general election in such district file with the secretary of the board of trustees of their regional water and sewer district a petition of remonstrance against such merger or combination. The secretary shall cause the board of elections of the proper county or counties to check the sufficiency of the signatures on such petition.

(Z) Exercise the powers of the district without obtaining the consent of any other political subdivision, provided that all public or private property damaged or destroyed in carrying out the powers of the district shall be restored or repaired and placed in its original condition as nearly as practicable or adequate compensation made therefor by the district;

(AA) Require the owner of any premises located within the district to connect the owner's premises to a water resource project determined to be accessible to such premises and found to require such connection so as to prevent or abate pollution or protect the health and property of persons in the district. Such connection shall be made in accordance with procedures established by the board of trustees of such district and pursuant to such orders as the board may find necessary to ensure and enforce compliance with such procedures.

(BB) Do all acts necessary or proper to carry out the powers granted in Chapter 6119. of the Revised Code.

Amended by 133rd General Assembly File No. TBD, HB 166, §101.01, eff. 10/17/2019.

Amended by 130th General Assembly File No. TBD, SB 172, §1, eff. 9/4/2014.

Effective Date: 11-19-1971; 2007 HB119 09-29-2007