OTA Applauds General Assembly on Advancement of HB 315, the Township Omnibus Bill

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 26, 2024

Ohio Township Association Applauds General Assembly on Advancement of House Bill 315, the Township Omnibus Bill

Columbus, Ohio – Today, House Bill 315, the Township Omnibus Bill, was passed out of the Ohio House of Representatives with a vote of 93-0.

House Bill 315 continues a tradition the Ohio Township Association (OTA) has used over the past four general assemblies of seeking improvements to the Ohio Revised Code for townships by collaborating with legislators to bundle provisions addressing multiple township issues.

Sponsored by Representative Thomas Hall (R-Madison Twp.) and Representative Bill Seitz (R-Cincinnati), HB 315 currently includes 15 provisions, including altering the public notice requirement for townships, providing grant funding to modernize zoning regulations and processes, and reinstating the indigent burial reimbursement funding.

Recognizing the change in media, House Bill 315 alters the public notice requirements to permit townships to post notices on a township's website, social media account, or state's public notice website, rather than a newspaper. This provision will give townships parity with municipalities who were granted this authority in House Bill 33.

Also included in House Bill 315 is the reinstatement of the Indigent Burial Fund, a significant funding mechanism for all local governments to offset the cost of indigent burials or cremations. HB 315 appropriates $1 million each for FY 2024 and FY 2025 to the Indigent Burial and Cremation Support Program, which all local governments may apply for.

Furthermore, HB 315 appropriates $1.5 million each for FY 2024 and FY 2025 to the Department of Development to offer grants to townships that would like to modernize their zoning regulations and processes. By modernizing zoning regulations and processes, townships can prepare for future growth in their communities.

“We thank Representative Hall, Representative Seitz, and the members of the Ohio House for their support of townships with the passage of this bill,” stated OTA Executive Director Heidi M. Fought. “The provisions emphasize the importance of local government, and we know the changes made by this bill will positively impact townships across Ohio.”

House Bill 315 now heads to the Ohio Senate for consideration, and the OTA looks forward to working with the Ohio General Assembly to pass it into law by the end of the year.  

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The Ohio Township Association is a statewide organization dedicated to the promotion and preservation of township government in Ohio. The OTA was founded on June 28, 1928, and is organized in 87 Ohio counties. OTA has more than 5,200 active members, made up of trustees and fiscal officers from Ohio’s 1,308 townships, and more than 3,000 affiliate and associate members.