Chapter 5573 | Township Road Improvement

Section 5573.01 | Resolution for road improvement.

• Effective: September 20, 1999
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 187 - 123rd General Assembly

When the board of township trustees has determined that any road shall be constructed, reconstructed, resurfaced, or improved, the board shall determine by resolution, by unanimous vote if acting without a petition, and by a majority vote if acting upon a petition, the route and termini of the road, and the kind and extent of the improvement, and at the same time shall order the county engineer or, if the township has adopted a limited home rule government under Chapter 504. of the Revised Code, hire an independent professional engineer, after notifying the county engineer, to make surveys, plans, profiles, cross sections, estimates, and specifications as are required for the improvement. If an independent professional engineer is hired, the county engineer shall review all of the independent professional engineer's plans for improvements and provide the board of township trustees with comments on those plans within ten working days after receiving them. The county engineer shall monitor all of the independent professional engineer's plans for improvements in order to maintain compliance with existing construction standards and thoroughfare plans, and coordinate construction timelines within the county.

If the board orders the county engineer to act under this section, the board may order the county engineer to make alternate surveys, plans, profiles, cross sections, estimates, and specifications, providing in them for different widths of roadway, or different materials, and approve all or any number of these alternate surveys, plans, profiles, cross sections, estimates, and specifications. The county engineer may, without instructions from the board, prepare alternate surveys, plans, profiles, cross sections, estimates, and specifications, providing in them for different widths of roadways or different materials. When alternate surveys, plans, profiles, cross sections, estimates, and specifications are approved by the board, or submitted by the county engineer on the county engineer's own motion, the board and county engineer shall, after the opening of bids, agree which of the surveys, plans, profiles, cross sections, estimates, and specifications shall be finally adopted for construction of the improvement.

Section 5573.02 | Transmission of surveys, plans, and specifications to board - notice.

• Effective: September 29, 2011
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 153 - 129th General Assembly

Upon the completion of the surveys, plans, profiles, cross sections, estimates, and specifications for a road improvement by the county engineer, the engineer shall transmit to the board of township trustees copies of the same. Except in cases of reconstruction or repair of roads, where no land or property is taken, the board shall then cause to be published in a newspaper of general circulation within the township, once a week for two consecutive weeks or as provided in section 7.16 of the Revised Code, a notice that such improvement is to be made and that copies of the surveys, plans, profiles, cross sections, estimates, and specifications for it are on file with the board for the inspection and examination of all persons interested.

In the event that land or property is to be taken for such improvement, proceedings shall be had in accordance with sections 163.01 to 163.22 of the Revised Code.

Section 5573.06 | Order to proceed with improvement.

• Effective: January 1, 1966
• Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 94 - 106th General Assembly

If, after determination of all claims for compensation and damages on account of land or property taken for any road improvement, the board of township trustees is satisfied that the public convenience and welfare require that such improvement be made, and that the costs of such improvement will not be excessive in view of its public utility, such board shall order, by resolution, that such improvement be proceeded with, and shall adopt the surveys, plans, profiles, cross sections, estimates, and specifications therefor, as reported by the county engineer, or with such modifications as the board and engineer agree upon. If, in view of the amount of compensation and damages allowed, the board is of the opinion that such improvement should not be made, it shall so order.

Section 5573.07 | Apportionment of compensation, damages, and costs - payment.

• Effective: March 12, 2001
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 549 - 123rd General Assembly

The compensation, damages, and costs of township road improvements shall be apportioned and paid in any of the following methods, as set forth in the petition:

(A) Any part thereof shall be assessed against:

(1) The real estate abutting upon said improvement;

(2) The real estate situated within one-half mile of either side thereof;

(3) The real estate situated within one mile of either side thereof, according to the benefits accruing to such real estate;

(B) Any balance shall be paid:

(1) From the proceeds of any levy for road purposes upon the grand duplicate of all the taxable property in the township;

(2) From any funds in the township treasury available therefor.

When the board of township trustees acts by unanimous vote without the filing of a petition, as permitted by division (A) of section 5571.15 of the Revised Code, the board shall set forth in its resolution that declares the necessity for the improvement the method of apportioning and paying the compensation, damages, and costs of the improvement, which may be any one of the methods provided in this section.

When the board acts by majority vote as permitted by division (B) of section 5571.15 of the Revised Code, the board shall set forth in its resolution the method of paying the compensation, damages, and costs of the improvement, which may be by either of the methods provided in division (B) of this section.

Section 5573.08 | Assessment of property separated from improvement.

• Effective: October 1, 1953
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 1 - 100th General Assembly

When property is separated from a road improvement by a canal, street or interurban railway, steam railroad, or in any similar manner, such property shall be regarded, for the purpose of assessment under the township road improvement laws as property abutting upon the improvement. The land owned or occupied by such street or interurban railway or steam railroad and the land lying back thereof shall be assessed, on account of such improvement.

Section 5573.09 | All costs may be paid from proceeds of tax levy.

• Effective: October 1, 1953
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 1 - 100th General Assembly

The board of township trustees, upon a unanimous vote, may, without a petition therefor, order that all compensation, damages, and costs of constructing any road improvement be paid out of the proceeds of any levy for road purposes on the grand duplicate of the township, or out of any road improvement fund available therefor.

Section 5573.10 | Estimated assessment on real estate.

• Effective: September 29, 2011
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 153 - 129th General Assembly

As soon as all questions of compensation and damages have been determined for any road improvement, the county engineer shall make, upon actual view, an estimated assessment, upon the real estate to be charged, of such part of the compensation, damages, and costs of such improvement as is to be specially assessed. Such assessment shall be according to the benefits which will result to the real estate. In making such assessment the engineer may take into consideration any previous special assessment made upon such real estate for road improvements.

The schedule for such assessments shall be filed with the board of township trustees for the inspection of the persons interested. Before adopting the estimated assessment, the board shall publish once each week for two consecutive weeks, in a newspaper of general circulation within such township or as provided in section 7.16 of the Revised Code, notice that such assessment has been made and is on file with the board, and the date when objections will be heard to such assessment.

If any owner of property affected desires to make objections, the owner may file objections to such assessments, in writing, with the board, before the time of such hearing. If any objections are filed the board shall hear them and act as an equalizing board, and may change assessments if, in its opinion, any changes are necessary to make them just and equitable. The board shall approve and confirm assessments as reported by the engineer or modified by the board. Such assessments, when approved and confirmed, shall be a lien on the land chargeable therewith.

Section 5573.11 | Assessments certified to county auditor for collection - installments.

• Effective: October 30, 1969
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 276 - 108th General Assembly

All assessments, with interest accrued thereon, made as provided by sections 5573.07 to 5573.10, inclusive, of the Revised Code, shall be certified to the county auditor and by him placed upon a special duplicate, to be collected as other taxes. The principal shall be payable in not more than twenty semiannual installments, extending over a period of not more than ten years, as determined by the board of township trustees. Any assessment in the amount of twenty-five dollars or less, or of which the unpaid balance is twenty-five dollars or less, shall be paid in full and not in installments, at the time the first or next installment would otherwise become due. In the event that bonds are issued to pay the compensation, damages, and costs incident to such improvement, the principal sum of such assessment shall be payable in such number of equal semiannual installments as will provide a fund for the redemption of the bonds and shall bear interest from the date of and at the same rate as the bonds. The interest shall be collected in like manner as the principal of such assessments.

Section 5573.12 | Apportionment between owners of life estate and fee - hearing - appeal.

• Effective: October 1, 1953
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 1 - 100th General Assembly

If any lands to be assessed for road improvement are subject to a life estate, the assessments shall, upon application of the life tenant to the board of township trustees, be apportioned between the owner of the life estate and the owner of the fee, in proportion to the value of their respective estates. Upon filing of the application the board shall fix a date for hearing the same and cause notice of such hearing to be served on the owner of the fee as provided by section 5573.02 of the Revised Code. Either party to such apportionment may appeal to the probate court of the county, from the decision of the board relating to the apportionment of such assessment, by giving the notice and filing the bond provided for in section 5563.02 of the Revised Code. Such proceedings shall be thereafter had upon such appeal as are provided for appeals in road cases.

Section 5573.13 | Township's proportion of costs - payment.

• Effective: December 20, 2005
• Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 107, House Bill 66 - 126th General Assembly

The proportion of the compensation, damages, and costs of any road improvement to be paid by the township shall be paid out of any road improvement fund available for it. For the purpose of providing by taxation a fund for the payment of the township's proportion of the compensation, damages, and costs of constructing, reconstructing, resurfacing, or improving roads under sections 5571.01, 5571.06, 5571.07, 5571.15, 5573.01 to 5573.15, and 5575.02 to 5575.09 of the Revised Code, and for the purpose of maintaining, repairing, or dragging any public road or part of any public road under their jurisdiction, in the manner provided in sections 5571.02 to 5571.05, 5571.08, 5571.12, and 5575.01 of the Revised Code, the board of trustees may levy, annually, a tax not exceeding three mills upon each dollar of the taxable property of the township. The levy shall be in addition to all other levies authorized for township purposes, and subject only to the limitation on the combined maximum rate for all taxes now in force. The taxes so authorized shall be placed by the county auditor upon the tax duplicate against the taxable property of the township, and collected by the county treasurer as other taxes. When collected, the taxes shall be paid to the fiscal officer of the township from which they are collected, and the money so received shall be under the control of the board of township trustees for the purposes for which the taxes were levied.

The Legislative Service Commission presents the text of this section as a composite of the section as amended by multiple acts of the General Assembly. This presentation recognizes the principle stated in R.C. 1.52(B) that amendments are to be harmonized if reasonably capable of simultaneous operation.

Section 5573.14 | Trustees may issue bonds in anticipation of tax.

• Effective: November 8, 1961
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 1122 - 104th General Assembly

The board of township trustees, in anticipation of the collection, for road improvements, of taxes and assessments or any part thereof, may, whenever in its judgment it is necessary, sell the bonds of the township in any amount not greater than the aggregate sum necessary to pay the estimated compensation, damages, and costs of such improvement.

Section 5573.15 | Joint improvement by townships - procedure.

• Effective: October 1, 1953
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 1 - 100th General Assembly

The boards of township trustees of two or more townships may construct, reconstruct, resurface, or improve a township road or part thereof, along the line between such townships, extending into or through all such townships, or wholly within the township but within less than the legal assessment distance of the township line. In such case the several boards, when acting as a joint board and when acting separately, in the making of assessments and issuing bonds, shall be governed by sections 5555.21 to 5555.34, inclusive, of the Revised Code, in so far as the same are applicable. They shall also have the same power with respect to county roads located as provided in this section, subject to the limitation expressed in section 5571.01 of the Revised Code.

Section 5573.21 | Erection of road district outside municipal corporation.

• Effective: October 8, 2001
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 174 - 124th General Assembly

The board of township trustees of a township in which there is located a municipal corporation or a part thereof, may, by resolution, erect that portion of the township not included within the corporate limits of the municipal corporation into a road district, whenever in its opinion it is expedient and necessary and for the public convenience and welfare, for the purpose of constructing, reconstructing, resurfacing, or improving the public roads within such district. The district so created shall be given an appropriate name by which it shall be designated.

After such a district has been created, the board shall have all the powers and duties that it has under sections 5571.01, 5571.06, 5571.07, 5571.10, 5571.15, 5573.01 to 5573.12, 5573.14, and 5575.02 to 5575.09 of the Revised Code, and it shall proceed in like manner in the constructing, reconstructing, resurfacing, improving, maintaining, repairing, and dragging of township roads, or part thereof, in such cases as provided for the board in township road construction.

Section 5573.211 | Payment of township road district's proportion of compensation, damages, and costs.

• Effective: December 20, 2005
• Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 107 - 126th General Assembly

The proportion of the compensation, damages, and costs of any road improvement to be paid by a township road district shall be paid out of any road improvement fund available for it. For the purpose of providing by taxation a fund for the payment of a township road district's proportion of the compensation, damages, and costs of constructing, reconstructing, resurfacing, improving, maintaining, repairing, and dragging township road district roads or parts of those roads, the board of trustees of a township in which a township road district has been erected as provided in section 5573.21 of the Revised Code may levy, annually, a tax not exceeding three mills upon each dollar of the taxable property of the township road district. The levy shall be in addition to all other levies authorized for township or township road district purposes, and subject only to the limitation on the combined maximum rate for all taxes in force. The taxes so authorized shall be placed by the county auditor upon the tax duplicate against the taxable property of the township road district, and collected by the county treasurer as other taxes. When collected, the taxes shall be paid to the fiscal officer of the township in which the township road district has been erected, and the money so received shall be under the control of the board of township trustees for the purposes for which the taxes were levied.

Section 5573.22 | Construction and repair in township road districts outside municipal corporations.

• Effective: September 28, 1973
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 200 - 110th General Assembly

The board of township trustees of a township in which there is located a municipal corporation or a part of a municipal corporation, and in which that portion of the township not included within the limits of such municipal corporation has been erected into a road district, may enter into an agreement with the board of county commissioners of the county within which such township is situated, providing for the construction, improvement, maintenance, or repair by the board of county commissioners of a road within such district.

The board of township trustees may assume, on behalf of such district, the proportion of the compensation, damages, and expenses of such improvement as is proper.

The remainder of the compensation, damages, and costs of such improvement shall be paid in part by the county and shall in part be assessed against the real estate abutting upon the improvement, or situated within one-half mile of either side thereof, or situated within one mile of either side thereof, or situated within two miles of either side thereof, as may be fixed by the terms of the agreement between the board of county commissioners and the board of township trustees.

For the payment of that part of the compensation, damages, and costs assumed by the board of township trustees on behalf of such district, the board of township trustees may levy taxes against such district and issue the bonds of the district. The district shall pay the county treasurer its agreed proportion of the estimated compensation, damages, and costs of such improvement, as fixed in the agreement between the board of county commissioners and the board of township trustees, out of the proceeds of any such tax levies or bond issues. All proceedings relating to the letting of the contract, supervision of the work, making of assessments, and all other proceedings in connection with such improvement, except as provided for by this section, shall be conducted by the board of county commissioners as in the construction, improvement, maintenance, and repair of county roads.

The board of township trustees may enter into an agreement with the board of county commissioners providing for construction by the department of transportation, upon the application of such board of county commissioners, of a road improvement within such district, and may assume on behalf of the district such proportion of the compensation, damages, and costs of the improvement as to it seems proper. In the event of its making such an agreement, the board may levy taxes upon and issue the bonds of the district and pay to the board of county commissioners, out of the proceeds of such tax levies and bond issues, their agreed proportion of such compensation, damages, and costs.