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The Legislative Service Commission staff updates the Revised Code on an ongoing basis, as it completes its act review of enacted legislation. Updates may be slower during some times of the year, depending on the volume of enacted legislation.

Chapter 719 | Appropriation Of Property

 
 
 
Section
Section 719.01 | Appropriation of property by municipal corporations.
 

Any municipal corporation may appropriate, enter upon, and hold real estate within its corporate limits:

(A) For opening, widening, straightening, changing the grade of, and extending streets, and all other public places, and for this purpose, the municipal corporation may appropriate the right of way across railway tracks and lands held by railway companies, where such appropriation will not unnecessarily interfere with the reasonable use of such property, and for obtaining material for the improvement of streets and other public places;

(B) For parks, park entrances, boulevards, market places, and children's playgrounds;

(C) For public halls and offices, and for all buildings and structures required for the use of any municipal department;

(D) For prisons, workhouses, houses of refuge and correction, and farm schools;

(E) For hospitals, pesthouses, reformatories, crematories, and cemeteries;

(F) For levees, wharves, and landings;

(G) For bridges, aqueducts, viaducts, and approaches thereto;

(H) For libraries, university sites, and grounds therefor;

(I) For constructing, opening, excavating, improving, or extending any canal or watercourse, located in whole or in part within the limits of the municipal corporation or adjacent and contiguous thereto, and which is not owned in whole or in part by the state, or by a company or individual authorized by law to make such improvement;

(J) For sewers, drains, ditches, public urinals, bathhouses, water closets, and sewage and garbage disposal plants and farms;

(K) For natural and artificial gas, electric lighting, heating, and power plants, and for supplying the product thereof;

(L) For establishing esplanades, boulevards, parkways, park grounds, and public reservations in, around, and leading to public buildings, and for the purpose of reselling such land with reservations in the deeds as to the future use of such lands, so as to protect public buildings and their environs, and to preserve the view, appearance, light, air, and usefulness of public grounds occupied by public buildings and esplanades and parkways leading thereto;

(M) For providing a water supply for itself and its inhabitants by the construction of wells, pumps, cisterns, aqueducts, water pipes, dams, reservoirs, reservoir sites, and water works, and for the protection thereof; and to provide for a supply of water for itself and its inhabitants, any municipal corporation may appropriate property within or without its limits; and for such purpose and such municipal corporation may appropriate, in the manner provided in sections 163.01 to 163.22, inclusive, of the Revised Code, any property or right or interest therein, previously acquired by any private corporation for any purpose by appropriation proceedings or otherwise, and either party to such appropriation proceedings shall have the same right to change of venue as is given in the trial of civil actions;

(N) For the construction or operation of street, interurban, suburban, or other railways or terminals and the necessary tracks, way stations, depots, terminals, workshops, conduits, elevated structures, subways, tunnels, offices, sidetracks, turnouts, machine shops, bridges, and other appurtenances for the transportation of persons, packages, express matter, freight, and other matter, in, from, into, or through the municipal corporation; and for such purpose any municipal corporation may appropriate any property within or without its corporate limits; and any municipal corporation may appropriate any property, right, or interest therein previously acquired by any private or public utility corporation for any purpose by appropriate proceedings, as well as the right to cross on, over, or under any street, avenue, alley, way, or public place or part thereof of any other municipal corporation, township, or county;

(O) For establishing airports, landing fields, or other air navigation facilities, either within or without the limits of a municipal corporation for aircraft and transportation terminals, with power to impose restrictions on any part thereof and leasing such part thereof as is desired for purposes associated with or incident to such airports, landing fields, or other air navigation facilities and transportation terminals, including the right to appropriate a right of way for highways, electric, steam, and interurban railroads leading from such airport or landing field to the main highways or the main line of such steam, electric, or interurban railroads, as are desired; all of which are hereby declared to be public purposes.

Division (O) of this section does not authorize a municipal corporation to take or disturb property or facilities belonging to any public utility or to a common carrier engaged in interstate commerce, which property or facilities are required for the proper and convenient operation of such utility or carrier, unless provision is made for the restoration, relocation, or duplication of such property or facilities elsewhere, at the sole cost of the municipal corporation.

The powers conferred upon municipal corporations by this section shall be exercised for the purposes and in the manner provided in sections 163.01 to 163.22, inclusive, of the Revised Code.

"Airport," "landing field," and "air navigation facility," as defined in section 4561.01 of the Revised Code, apply to division (O) of this section.

Section 719.011 | Powers of impacted city.
 

Any impacted city, as defined in division (C) of section 1728.01 of the Revised Code, in order to create or preserve jobs and employment opportunities and to improve the economic welfare of the people of such impacted city, may appropriate, enter upon, and hold real estate within its corporate limits for either:

(A) The sale, lease, exchange or other disposition of such real estate for use or development for industry, commerce, housing, distribution, or research; or

(B) The construction, enlargement, improvement, or equipment and subsequent sale, lease, exchange, or other disposition of such real estate with the structures, equipment, and facilities thereon for industry, commerce, housing distribution, or research.

The powers conferred upon impacted cities by this section shall be exercised only after a public hearing and approval by the legislative authority of the impacted city of a plan for the relocation of persons, families, business concerns, and others to be displaced by such exercise, and only in conformity with the general plan for the impacted city, the zoning legislation of the impacted city, and the plan, prepared pursuant to section 1724.10 of the Revised Code by a community improvement corporation organized under Chapter 1724. of the Revised Code and designated pursuant to section 1724.10 of the Revised Code as the agency of the impacted city, provided such plan has been confirmed by the legislative authority of the impacted city.

Section 719.012 | Appropriation of property and rehabilitation of building or structure.
 

In order to rehabilitate a building or structure that a municipal corporation determines to be a blighted property as defined in section 1.08 of the Revised Code, a municipal corporation may appropriate, in the manner provided in sections 163.01 to 163.22 of the Revised Code, any such building or structure and the real property of which it is a part. The municipal corporation shall rehabilitate the building or structure or cause it to be rehabilitated within two years after the appropriation, so that the building or structure is no longer a public nuisance, insecure, unsafe, structurally defective, unhealthful, or unsanitary, or a threat to the public health, safety, or welfare, or in violation of a building code or ordinance adopted under section 731.231 of the Revised Code. Any building or structure appropriated pursuant to this section which is not rehabilitated within two years shall be demolished.

If during the rehabilitation process the municipal corporation retains title to the building or structure and the real property of which it is a part, then within one hundred eighty days after the rehabilitation is complete, the municipal corporation shall appraise the rehabilitated building or structure and the real property of which it is a part, and shall sell the building or structure and property at public auction. The municipal corporation shall advertise the public auction in a newspaper of general circulation in the municipal corporation once a week for three consecutive weeks, or as provided in section 7.16 of the Revised Code, prior to the date of sale. The municipal corporation shall sell the building or structure and real property to the highest and best bidder. No property that a municipal corporation acquires pursuant to this section shall be leased.

Section 719.02 | Appropriation of property outside municipal corporation - payment in lieu of taxes.
 

In the appropriation of property for any of the purposes named in section 719.01 of the Revised Code, the municipal corporation may, when reasonably necessary, acquire property outside the limits of the municipal corporation.

If real property so acquired is removed from the tax duplicate, the municipal corporation shall pay annually to the county treasurer of the county in which such property is located, commencing with the tax year after the removal of such property from the tax duplicate, an amount of money in lieu of taxes equal to the smaller of the following:

(A) The last annual installment of taxes due from the acquired property before removal from the tax duplicate;

(B) An amount equal to the difference between the combined revenue from real estate taxes of all the taxing districts in which such property is located in the tax year immediately prior to the removal of such acquired property from the tax duplicate, and (1) the total revenue which would be produced by the tax rate of each such taxing district in the tax year immediately prior to the removal of such acquired property from the tax duplicate, applied to the real estate tax duplicate of each of such taxing districts in each tax year subsequent to the year of removal, or (2) the combined revenue from real estate taxes of all such taxing districts in each tax year subsequent to the year of removal, whichever is the greater.

The county auditor of each county

in which such property is located shall apportion each such annual payments to each taxing district as if such annual payment had been levied and collected as a tax.

Such annual payments shall never again be made after they have ceased.

Section 719.03 | Cemeteries.
 

No land shall be purchased for public cemeteries within two hundred yards of a dwelling house without the consent, in writing, of the owner of the tract of land on which such house is situated. If the consent, in writing, of the owner of the tract of land on which such house is situated cannot be obtained, the municipal corporation may appropriate such land for the establishment of a cemetery or for the enlargement of any existing cemetery, within two hundred yards of such house, by making the owner of the house a party to all proceedings and actions for such appropriation. The appropriation shall be made according to sections 163.01 to 163.22, inclusive, of the Revised Code, and the amount of damages to which such owner is entitled by reason of locating a cemetery within two hundred yards of such house, shall be determined by the appropriation proceedings.

In the appropriation proceedings the damage to the remainder of the land of such owner shall be determined and included in the amount of damages. For the purpose of making a necessary enlargement of an existing cemetery, any municipal corporation which owns or acquires, by purchase, any lands suitable for such enlargement, may so devote and use such lands if they are not less than one hundred feet or the width of an existing street or intervening alley distant from any house. The addition of any land across a street or public road shall not be considered an enlargement of an existing cemetery under this section.

Section 719.031 | Appropriating cemetery property for water lines.
 

Whenever it is necessary in the construction and in the protection by any municipal corporation, of dams, reservoirs, and reservoir sites, for supplying water to itself and its inhabitants, to take or damage any cemetery, such municipal corporation, after such taking, shall have the same powers regarding the removal of a cemetery as are given to township trustees by section 517.21 of the Revised Code, and the cost of removal shall be paid by the municipal corporation. Such municipal corporation may purchase the necessary land and remove or contract for the removal of those buried, together with all monuments, or it may agree with the persons or authorities owning or controlling the said cemetery for such removal, or it may contract for an easement if removal is not desired nor necessary.

If condemnation proceedings are necessary they shall be instituted and conducted according to sections 163.01 to 163.22, inclusive, of the Revised Code, in the county where such cemeteries are located, and it shall be sufficient to make the persons or authorities owning or controlling the cemetery parties defendant, but the court may, upon proper showing of interest admit other parties defendant. The jury, in such case, shall make a separate finding and include in its verdict the cost of the removal of bodies and monuments as provided in section 517.21 of the Revised Code. If a new trial is not granted, such municipal corporation may pay into court the total amount of the compensation assessed, or secure its payment by a deposit of money under the order of the court, and thereupon the persons or authorities owning or controlling the cemetery shall remove the bodies and monuments from the cemetery appropriated. If the cemetery owners or authorities or the municipal corporation prosecute an appeal, as provided by law, then such municipal corporation may pay into court the amount of such assessments, less the amount of the special finding of the jury as to the cost of removal, and proceed to enter upon the property appropriated and make the removal at its own expense, as provided in this section.

Section 719.04 | Resolution declaring intent to appropriate.
 

The legislative authority of a municipal corporation shall, whenever it is deemed necessary to appropriate property, pass a resolution declaring such intent, defining the purpose of the appropriation, and setting forth a pertinent description of the land and the estate or interest therein desired to be appropriated.

Section 719.05 | Proceedings on passage of appropriation resolution.
 

The mayor of a municipal corporation shall, immediately upon the passage of a resolution under section 719.04 of the Revised Code, declaring an intent to appropriate property, for which but one reading is necessary, cause written notice to be given to the owner of, person in possession of, or person having an interest of record in, every piece of property sought to be appropriated, or to the authorized agent of the owner or other such person. Such notice shall be served by a person designated for the purpose and return made in the manner provided for the service and return of summons in civil actions. If such owner, person, or agent cannot be found, notice shall be given by publication once a week for three consecutive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation in the municipal corporation or as provided in section 7.16 of the Revised Code, and the legislative authority may thereupon pass an ordinance by a two-thirds vote of all members elected thereto, directing such appropriation to proceed.

Section 719.19 | Interested parties may give bond.
 

Before or after the passage of an ordinance for opening a street or other public highway, any person may execute his bond, payable to the municipal corporation to the acceptance of its legislative authority, conditioned for the payment of all damage which may be assessed by a jury. Such bond shall be good in law, and if such person pays or deposits according to the order of court, then such street or other highway shall be opened; or, the municipal corporation may make such payment or deposit, and collect the amount of the damages of such person or his sureties.

Section 719.31 | Preference to be given appropriation proceedings.
 

When application is made to a common pleas court by a city to assess the amount of compensation to be paid by the city to the owner or owners of real property, the court shall give preference to all proceedings under such application over all other civil cases, except proceedings under sections 119.01 to 119.13, inclusive, of the Revised Code, irrespective of the position of the proceedings on the calendar of the court.

In the course of the proceedings the court shall grant no more than two continuances to either party without the consent of both parties.