Press Release: HB 501 Passes, to be Signed by Governor

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

12/14/2022

HB 501, Township Omnibus Bill, Passes, to be Signed by Governor

Blacklick, Ohio – Today, House Bill 501, supported by the Ohio Township Association (OTA), passed and is expected to be signed by Governor DeWine before the end of the year.

House Bill 501, sponsored by Rep. Hall (R-Madison Twp.), made changes to township laws, including simplifying the donation process a township must follow for unneeded or obsolete property valued below $2,500, ensuring that all township employees are protected when reporting unlawful activity in the workplace, and expanding the ability to townships to use a redevelopment tax increment financing (TIF) district.

The Senate made changes to HB 501 this past month to include the following measures:

• Permits a board of trustees to appoint a deputy fiscal officer to temporarily fill the office of fiscal officer when a vacancy occurs.
• Permits a board of trustees to amend the township’s budget to hire a fiscal assistant.
• Permits a board of trustees that offers a deferred compensation program or plan to employees to establish a designated Roth account feature.
• Permits counties, townships, and municipalities to regulate small solar facilities of less than 50 megawatts.
• Permits a board of township trustees to expend general revenue funds to support the expansion of broadband projects.
• Provides, in temporary law, a special investment provision that applies only to the Little Miami Joint Fire and Rescue District.

The substitute HB 501 passed the Senate floor on December 13, 2022. The House concurred with these changes on December 14, 2022. The bill is expected to be signed by Governor DeWine before the end of the year.

“We thank Representative Hall and the rest of the members of the General Assembly for their support of townships with the passage of this bill. Rep. Hall understands the importance of township government as a former township trustee himself, and we appreciate his work in championing this bill for the last two years,” stated OTA Executive Director Heidi M. Fought. “We know the changes made by this bill will positively impact townships across Ohio.”

Each general assembly, the OTA works with the legislature to develop a bill to address township laws and changes. Made up of ideas assembled from members across Ohio, the township omnibus bill attempts to address necessary changes to township law, as townships serve nearly 35% of Ohio’s population, and township authority is derived from the Ohio Revised Code.

If you have any questions, please contact the Ohio Township Association at 614-863-0045.

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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 4,000 associate and affiliate members.