The maintenance fund created under authority of section 6137.01 of the Revised Code shall be subject to use of the board of county commissioners, or joint board of county commissioners, as the case may be, for the necessary and proper repair or maintenance of any improvement constructed under sections 6131.01 to 6131.64, 6133.01 to 6133.15, and 6135.01 to 6135.27 of the Revised Code.

(A) Whenever the board, or the joint board, from its own observation or the recommendation of the county engineer, or on the written complaint of any of the owners of lands subject to the maintenance assessment, has reason to believe the improvement is in need of repair or maintenance, it shall as a board, or by the county engineer, make an inspection of its condition, and, if it finds the need to exist, it shall make an estimate of the cost of the necessary work and material required for the purpose. If the nature of the work is such as to be done most economically and expeditiously by force account, the board shall cause the proper work to be done by that method under the supervision of the county engineer and certify the costs to the county auditor or county auditors for payment from the maintenance fund. If the finding is that necessary repair and maintenance on an improvement or improvements within a maintenance district can be more economically or efficiently done by contract, the board, or joint board in the case of a joint county improvement, shall cause the engineer to prepare proper specifications, covering the requirements for the particular case, to advertise for bids thereon, as in the case of original construction, under section 6131.24 of the Revised Code, and to let the contract for the required work and material to the lowest and best bidder, who, upon the performance of the work certified by the engineer, shall certify the same to the auditor or auditors for payment from the maintenance fund.

(B) When the repair or maintenance is upon a joint county ditch improvement, the amount of the cost thereof shall be certified to the auditor of each of the counties into which the ditch extends and has lands subject to the maintenance fund assessment, and the certificate shall state the proportional part of the cost to be paid from the portion of the maintenance fund in the county, according to the original apportionment of benefits on the owners in the county subject to maintenance assessment. Upon the certificates being received, the auditors of the counties obligated shall immediately forward their several amounts or vouchers therefor to the auditor of the county having the majority of the improvement through whose office, from the aggregate payments of all the counties interested, the payment for the work and material, whether by "force account" or contract, shall be paid. The location of the work required on a joint county improvement, whether in one county or another, or whether extending into two or more counties, shall not affect the obligation of contribution for any necessary work upon the improvement in any portion of its length wherever located, the improvement for maintenance purposes being considered a single unit. As far as applicable, the procedures provided by section 6133.08 of the Revised Code with respect to cooperation of county engineers in field work shall apply to maintenance of joint county improvements.

The repair and maintenance on any improvement may be done in part by contract and in part by force account, it being the duty of the board of county commissioners, or the joint board of county commissioners, and the county engineer to use the best and most economical methods under local conditions for the various phases of the maintenance program, such as excavating, clearing, cleaning, snagging, physical and chemical control of land and aquatic vegetation, and repair of banks and structures.

Effective Date: 04-09-1981 .