Effective: February 14, 2008
Latest Legislation: House Bill 233 - 127th General Assembly
As used in sections 122.23 to 122.27 of the Revised Code:
(A) "Distressed area" means a county with a population of less than one hundred twenty-five thousand that meets at least two of the following criteria of economic distress:
(1) Its average rate of unemployment, during the most recent five-year period for which data are available, is equal to at least one hundred twenty-five per cent of the average rate of unemployment for the United States for the same period.
(2) It has a per capita income equal to or below eighty per cent of the median county per capita income of the United States as determined by the most recently available figures from the United States census bureau.
(3) In intercensal years, the county has a ratio of transfer payment income to total county income equal to or greater than twenty-five per cent.
(B) "Eligible applicant" means any of the following that is designated by the governing body of an eligible area as provided in division (B)(1) of section 122.27 of the Revised Code:
(1) A port authority as defined in division (A) of section 4582.01 or division (A) of section 4582.21 of the Revised Code;
(2) A community improvement corporation as defined in section 1724.01 of the Revised Code;
(3) A community-based organization or action group that provides social services and has experience in economic development;
(4) Any other nonprofit economic development entity;
(5) A private developer that previously has not received financial assistance under section 122.24 of the Revised Code and that has experience and a successful history in industrial development.
(C) "Eligible area" means a distressed area, a labor surplus area, or a situational distress area, as designated annually by the director of development pursuant to division (A) of section 122.25 of the Revised Code.
(D) "Labor surplus area" means an area designated as a labor surplus area by the United States department of labor.
(E) "Official poverty line" has the same meaning as in division (A) of section 3923.51 of the Revised Code.
(F) "Situational distress area" means a county that has a population of less than one hundred twenty-five thousand, or a municipal corporation in such a county, that has experienced or is experiencing a closing or downsizing of a major employer that will adversely affect the county's or municipal corporation's economy. In order to be designated as a situational distress area for a period not to exceed thirty-six months, the county or municipal corporation may petition the director of development. The petition shall include documentation that demonstrates all of the following:
(1) The number of jobs lost by the closing or downsizing;
(2) The impact that the job loss has on the county's or municipal corporation's unemployment rate as measured by the director of job and family services;
(3) The annual payroll associated with the job loss;
(4) The amount of state and local taxes associated with the job loss;
(5) The impact that the closing or downsizing has on the suppliers located in the rural county or municipal corporation.
(G) "Governing body" means, in the case of a county, the board of county commissioners; in the case of a municipal corporation, the legislative authority; and in the case of a township, the board of township trustees.
(H) "Infrastructure improvements" includes site preparation, including building demolition and removal; retention ponds and flood and drainage improvements; streets, roads, bridges, and traffic control devices; parking lots and facilities; water and sewer lines and treatment plants; gas, electric, and telecommunications hook-ups; and waterway and railway access improvements.
(I) "Private developer" means any individual, firm, corporation, or entity, other than a nonprofit entity, limited profit entity, or governmental entity.