Transportation Budget Signed, OTA Given Seat on New Committee

Transportation Budget Signed

Governor DeWine has signed HB 74, the transportation budget. The changes to force account limit increases considered during Senate hearings were altered; rather than raising the limits to $150,000 for townships, the bill increases force account limits biennially by 3 percent or by the construction price index, whichever is less. The bill also creates the Joint Committee on Force Accounts, on which the OTA will have a seat.

OTA Given Seat on New Committee

The committee is to examine force account limits and provide a report to the General Assembly by May 15, 2021. If you have information that you would like this committee to consider or would like to testify, please contact OTA Director of Governmental Affairs Marisa Myers at myers@ohiotownships.gov.

HB 74 also:

• Reduces the annual local $25 registration fee for permanent commercial trailers to a one-time $50 fee for first-time registration in Ohio, beginning January 1, 2022;
• Increases capital appropriations for PWC's Local Public Infrastructure from $12 million to $14 million and directs additional funding to emergency road-slip remediation projects;
• Increases funding for public transit to $37 million per fiscal year.