The boards of county commissioners of all the counties containing any of the territory included in the project area, if all such counties have approved construction of an improvement under section 940.29 of the Revised Code, are a joint board of county commissioners for the improvement.

A joint board of county commissioners may do all the things that a board of county commissioners may do in connection with the improvement and shall proceed as if it were a board of county commissioners representing a county that included all the territory within the project area.

The joint board may agree to apportion any cost of the improvement, or expenses incurred in connection therewith, not paid by assessments or taxes levied for the improvement, or funds other than county funds, among the participating counties.

The joint board shall elect one of its members president and designate a clerk of one of the boards of county commissioners of the participating counties as clerk of the joint board. A majority of the county commissioners constituting the joint board constitutes a quorum. All decisions of the joint board shall be made by a majority vote of the county commissioners constituting the joint board.

For the purpose of bringing a referendum petition against a soil and water conservation project under section 305.31 of the Revised Code, a resolution adopted by a joint board of county commissioners shall be considered to be a resolution adopted by the board of county commissioners of each county in the project area. The electors of any county in the project area may file a petition for referendum under that section against a resolution adopted by the joint board of county commissioners as if it had been adopted by the board of county commissioners for that county. The referendum shall be conducted only in the county in which the referendum petition was filed. The electors of any county in the project area in which no referendum petition was filed shall not be eligible to vote in the referendum, and the outcome of a referendum shall have effect only in the county in which the referendum was held. Any county in the project area in which a referendum is not held remains subject to the provisions of the resolution adopted by the joint board of county commissioners for the soil and water conservation district.

Added by 131st General Assembly File No. TBD, HB 64, §101.01, eff. 1/1/2016.