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General Assembly breaks for the summer after busy week

After a whirlwind week, the General Assembly has largely broken for the summer (the House of Representatives may return later in the month to work on data center issues). 

CCAO provided an in-depth review of last week's Capital Square happenings in Friday's Statehouse Report issue.

Notable actions included:

• The removal of SNAP eligibility changes from a Medicaid fraud bill;
• The formal structure of the state Post-Traumatic Stress Fund, to be used for public safety officers, being created;
• The creation of a one-time $350 million boosted homestead exemption; and, among others,
• The passage of the state capital budget.

The full issue can be read here.

If you have any questions about the legislative activity last week, please contact policy@ccao.org.

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TY 2026 authorization of piggyback property relief measures must be passed by June 30

The deadline for counties to authorize the permissive local ("piggyback") homestead exemption and/or owner occupancy credit is approaching in five weeks. For the relief measure to be effective for the current tax year (taxes payable in 2027), boards of county commissioners must adopt a resolution by June 30. Resolutions adopted after June 30 will be effective for the next tax year (taxes payable in 2028).

The duration of the authorization can be for a single year or multiple years.

As a reminder, the two piggyback options are:

• Local Homestead Exemption - Applied concurrently with the statewide homestead exemption. All homestead exemption recipients in the county would receive a second exemption in the same amount as the standard homestead exemption. No additional application would be needed for recipients.
  
  
• Local Owner Occupancy Credit - Applied concurrently with the statewide credit. The amount of the credit is set by the authorizing resolution, up to 2.5%. The credit is applied to the same qualifying levies that the statewide credit applies to (those approved before November 2013.

As of June 13, CCAO is aware of two counties that have acted on the piggyback options:

• Lorain County: Authorized the piggyback homestead exemption for TY 2026.
• Richland County: Authorized the piggyback owner occupancy credit at the maximum 2.5% rate, for a continuing period of time.

All taxing entities in the county are affected by the piggyback options, not just county levies. Additionally, property tax revenue foregone due to the piggyback options is not reimbursed by state, nor is there a mechanism for the county to hold other entities harmless.

More information about the piggyback options can be found in County Advisory Bulletin 2025-10 Property Tax Relief Options.

The third relief mechanism, rolling back or suspending inside millage, is more limited to just the county share and can be authorized at any point in the tax year. The Advisory Bulletin above discusses this option as well.

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Opportunity Zones 2.0 process beginning, overview webinar to be held TOMORROW

Created by Congress in 2017, Opportunity Zones are federally designated, economically distressed census tracts that encourage private investment through targeted tax incentives. Investors who direct capital into qualifying projects within these communities may be eligible for federal tax benefits, helping spur economic development and revitalization.

After Congress made the program permanent last year, zones will be redesignated every 10 years. The next designation cycle begins July 1, 2026, when governors across the country will have a 90-day window to nominate eligible census tracts. Newly designated Opportunity Zones will take effect January 1, 2027, and remain in place through December 31, 2036. 

Due to changes in eligibility criteria, some of Ohio’s original zones will lose their status.

There are 1,032 eligible census tracts in Ohio that meet federal requirements for consideration. Governor DeWine may nominate up to 258 tracts (25%) by September 2026 for designation by the US Department of the Treasury as Qualified Opportunity Zones beginning January 1, 2027.  

To help inform those nominations, the Ohio Department of Development is seeking recommendations on which eligible tracts should be prioritized. Communities should consider factors such as the tract's importance to local master plans and the types of development intended for those areas, the existence of project-ready infrastructure, and previous state and federal investments made within the tract area.

The Department of Development's survey seeking information about eligible tracts can be accessed here. Please complete it by July 10.

The Department, along with the Ohio Economic Development Association are holding a webinar TOMORROW at 10:30 a.m. to discuss the changes to the program and how to be complete the survey. Registration for the webinar can be completed here.

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Registration open for KIDS Summit, save the date for Ohio Housing Conference

The 2026 KIDS Summit will be held on September 2 at the Greater Columbus Convention Center. The event, put on by the Department of Children and Youth, is focused on helping participants to collaborate and align priorities with the statewide objectives of reducing infant mortality, increasing access to early care and education, and reducing the foster care entry rate.

The Summit will include facilitated county strategy sessions, presentations from Ohioans with lived experiences, and a keynote address by Maurice Clarett on resilience and leadership.

The full agenda is forthcoming.

Registration is open now and is free. The Department requests that each county limit attendance to no more than 10 staffers.

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The Ohio Housing Finance Agency and the Ohio Capital Corporation for Housing will be hosting the 2026 Ohio Housing Conference on December 1 and 2.

The tentative schedule features property tours, conference sessions, networking time, and luncheons.

The full agenda for the event is not yet set. The organizers have fielded a survey, accessible here, to solicit session ideas. The survey will close on June 30.

The organizers have also arranged for hotel discounts at area hotels, with a preference for the Hyatt Regency. The other hotels are the Hilton Columbus Downtown, the Hampton Inn, the Drury Plaza, and AC Columbus Downtown.

Registration for the event is not yet open.

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Federal funding opportunities

The table below contains a sampling of current federal grant or loan programs. A full list can be found on Grants.gov.

Grant Program	Brief Summary	Eligibility Criteria	Amount Available	Application Due Date
Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements Program	To improve railroad safety, efficiency, and reliability, to mitigate congest at both intercity passenger rail and freight rail choke points, and to enhance multi-modal connections.	General availability	Total available: $2 billion Local match of at least 20% (limited exceptions apply)	June 22, 2026
Defense Community Infrastructure Program	To address deficiencies in community infrastructure supportive of a military installation.	Counties in proximity to a military installation	Maximum award: $20 million Local match of at least 30% (limited exceptions apply)	June 25, 2026
Community Connect Grant Program	To provide financial assistance to  provide service at or above the broadband grant speed to all premises in rural, economically- challenged communities where broadband service does not exist.	General availability, but project area must be a rural area without broadband service.	$17 million available. Local match of at least 15%	June 29, 2026
Great Lakes Restoration Initiative – Joint Venture Habitat Restoration and Protection	To assist in the protection, restoration, or enhancement of migratory bird habitats within the Great Lakes coastal zone. Particular focus on projects that address declining habitat types.	General availability among entities along the Great Lakes, with favor for projects within 15 miles of the coastline	$800,000 available Local match of at least 25%	July 6, 2026
Automated Permitting Systems Demonstration Grant	To support jurisdictions that will deploy automated building code permitting systems and partner with HUD to evaluate their applicability and effectiveness within real-world operating conditions.	General availability	$3 million available No match requirement	July 13, 2026
Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Hiring Program	To assist law enforcement agencies in hiring and/or rehiring career sworn law enforcement officers to assist in community policing capacity and crime prevention efforts.	General availability for entities with law enforcement functions	$157.6 million available, maximum award of $6.3 million Local match of at least 25%	July 23, 2026
Workforce Opportunity for Rural Communities Grants	To support partnerships that will design and implement industry-driven training programs that will close skills gaps and boost the talent pipeline in critical sectors.	General availability for entities within the jurisdiction of the Appalachian Regional Commission	$49.2 million available No match requirement	July 23, 2026
COPS Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Program	To provide LEAs that do not have established law enforcement-specifc mental health and wellness programing with start-up funds to establish those supports.	General availability for entities with law enforcement functions	$9 million available No match requirement	July 30, 2026
Title X Family Planning Services Grants	To promote the general family planning programs and goals under Title X of the Public Health Service Act.	General availability	Maximum award: $22 million Local match of between 1% and 10%	January 9, 2027

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Northwest District

Allen County program dedicates World Elder Abuse Awareness Day
LimaOhio.com, June 11, 2026
Allen County Job and Family Services, through its Adult Protective Services program, is dedicating Monday, June 15 as World Elder Abuse Awareness Day in appreciation of the efforts of community organizations in bringing awareness to the supportive services available to senior citizens of Allen County.

The program is responsible for investigating and evaluating allegations of elder abuse as well as connecting older county residents to a network of community partners and resources for their needs.

“That’s really what we’re focusing on,” said APS supervisor Ally Garlock Brown, “is giving that wrap-around service to our community members, so that they can function as best they can.”

Residents are encouraged to wear purple on Monday to observe the celebrated day as well as Elder Abuse Awareness Month.

Allen County commissioners also recognized the program with a proclamation at their Thursday meeting.

“Our county seniors contribute as leaders, mentors and volunteers in this community,” commissioner Cory Noonan said. “Allen County Adult Protective Services facilitates the development of its effective services program as a resource to investigate and evaluate abuse, neglect and exploitation of Allen County seniors.”

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Central District

Changes made to plans for Shared Services Building
Delaware Gazette, June 9, 2026
For homeowners who have ever changed their minds about doing or altering a home renovation project due to costs being more than anticipated can probably relate to what the Delaware County Board of Commissioners is dealing with for the new Shared Services Building.

On June 1, commissioners Jeff Benton, Barb Lewis, and Gary Merrell received an update from representatives from The Pizzuti Companies, Gilbane, and MSA during an hour-long work session held after their morning session. They were told for a second time by the construction manager at risk (CMAR) that the guaranteed maximum price (GMP) had increased since the project was approved last year.

“Construction costs have gone up 7% since January 2026 — higher than the last three years combined,” the commissioners were told. The main cost drivers in the increase were fuel prices, along with steel and aluminum.

The vendors provided several alternatives to keep the project on budget.

Cost reduction options included eliminating a path around a retention pond, different overhead lighting and ceiling combinations, fixtures and furnishings, replacing tiling with polished concrete in the concourse and common areas, removing an operable partition in the multipurpose conference room, removing the portico canopy at the main building entrance, and leaving 20,000 square feet of the 68,220-square-foot building unfinished for now.

The commissioners asked the CMAR and county staff for their cost-cutting recommendations. After discussion, the path and the partition were chosen to be eliminated, resulting in a savings of about $200,000. The canopy remained, since it was mentioned as an amenity for veterans during the building’s groundbreaking. The tile remained over the concrete in the entry so as to give a good first impression upon entering.

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Southeast District

Harrison County commissioners review brownfield cleanup bids, approve jail service contract
YourOhioNews, June 8, 2026
Funding for the cleanup of dilapidated properties is headed Harrison County’s way, with bid openings announced at the commissioners’ June 3 meeting.

For asbestos and regulated material removal, Land Clearing Specialists Inc. offered a bid of $52,456 for asbestos abatement, transportation costs of $54,440 and a demolition price of $53,104, for a total bid of $160,000.

A second bid was from Raze International in the amount of $228,440, with demolition accounting for $133,640 of that. A third bid for $238,000 came from Siegel Excavating LLC, with demolition costs of $132,000. Bid No. 4 was from Gary Moderalli Excavating Inc., with a bid of $246,700, including $92,200 set for demolition. Bid No. 5 came from ProQuality Demolition in the amount of $493,000, including $300,000 for demolition.

Marlo Construction was the final bidder, with a bid of $214,247, including $68,247 for demolition. A motion by Commissioner Dustin Corder to table the bids for further review was approved.

County Prosecutor Lauren Knight sought and received approval for Agreement 18-26, an application to authorize the prosecutor to delegate tax foreclosure matters to special counsel.

“You guys have an agreement that is with a law firm that the treasurer actually found for prosecution of delinquent real estate tax foreclosures,” Knight said. “This is just you … consenting to that.”

The agreement states that the prosecutor is permitted to delegate and retain “certain delinquent tax foreclosure responsibilities to Sassano, Deighton, Delaney, Higgins & Mommsen Co.” as special counsel.

“The money is coming out of our budget so we already provided for it,” Knight told the board.