The Ohio General Assembly will be returning from their two-week break next week. Committee hearings are ramping back up, including Senate Finance subcommittees that continue to study components of HB 166, the State Operating Budget. The best opportunity for our members to come to Columbus and testify on municipal budget priorities will be when the full House Finance Committee reconvenes to hear testimony. We will alert our members when the full House Finance Committee will hold hearings on the budget and when our municipal officials can come testify to the priorities in their communities. In preparation for this opportunity, HERE are the issues that the League is following in the current version of the budget. We appreciate our members who continue to talk directly with their representatives and senators about the needs of their communities and the importance of rebuilding the municipal partnership with the state.

 

 

OML UPDATE AT-A-GLANCE

 

Here are the top three things you need to know from this past week:

 

 

 

GOVERNOR DEWINE ANNOUNCES OPPORTUNITY ZONE WEBSITE

This week, Governor DeWine announced the unveiling of a new website for firms interested in investing in Ohio Opportunity Zones. The Governor said the website was a part of the administration's initiative to do "everything in our power" to create Opportunity Zone deals that benefit from the federal incentive program created by the federal Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. Thus far, Ohio and the U.S. Treasuring have created 320 Opportunity Zones spanning 73 counties.

Gov. DeWine also stated that a key factor in the program was the fact that local governments determined the locations of the Opportunity Zones, and that the Opportunity Zones that have been created thus far have been areas where the local government has expressed a need for investment.

The newly-unveiled website will feature a map delineating all of the state's existing Opportunity Zones and can help local governments advertise their desire for investment from businesses. The website will also allow developers to submit projects and will allow investors to review those potential developments.

HB 166, the State Operating Budget, includes a provision creating $50 million in nonrefundable income tax credits to further incentivize the creation of more Opportunity zones. Investors would be eligible for a credit of up to $1 million per individual that would equal 10% of the total investment. According to the Governor, these steps are part of a combined effort to make Ohio a leader in Opportunity Zone creation throughout the country. You can access the newly-launched website HERE.

 

 

OHIO DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION ANNOUNCES BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT TRAINING WORKSHOPS

The Ohio Department of Transportation is offering a series of training opportunities throughout the state to help city public service departments and county engineers understand how to ensure they comply with Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) participation in order to be eligible for federal dollars.

Title 23 of the United States Code mandates that in order for local entities to be eligible for federal dollars by contracting infrastructure construction projects through ODOT's Local Public Agency (LPA) process, they must comply with DBE participation. ODOT is offering training workshops in foundational competencies across Ohio to all certified DBEs free of charge. ODOT's Division of Opportunity and Inclusion will be providing the workshops, which will focus on estimating, accounting and risk management.

The workshop schedule is as follows:

CLEVELAND  4-6pm

 

COLUMBUS 4-6pm

 

CINCINNATI  4-6pm

 

To register, click HERE. Participants are encouraged to register soon as space is limited.

 

 

FORMER CONGRESSMAN JIM RENACCI TO

HOST  MAYOR'S ROUNTABLE

 

Former Congressman and Wadsworth Mayor Jim Renacci is hosting a Mayor's Roundtable at the Addiction and Family Empowerment Conference to discuss how local governments can respond to the ongoing opioid epidemic. The panel will include City of Lorain Mayor Chase Rittenauer, City of Green Mayor Gerard Neugebauer, Cuyahoga Falls Chief of Police Jack Davis and representatives from the Peer to Peer Program and the Incarceration Diversion Program. The panel will discuss the challenges local governments face in combating the epidemic and some of the best practices currently employed by local leaders.

 

The panel will take place at 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 4 at the Holiday Inn Conference Center in Independence. RSVP soon as seating is limited.

 

 

 

RARE PAGANINI VIOLIN TO VISIT COLUMBUS

FROM SISTER CITY GENOA, ITALY

 

The Greater Columbus Sister Cities International (GCSCI), along with the Columbus City Council, the Harold C. Schott Foundation and the Greater Columbus Arts Council, will be hosting the Paganini violin from Columbus's Sister City of Genoa, Italy.  Paganini 's " Il Cannone " violin will be held at the Columbus Museum of Art from May 11-19.

 

This 276-year-old violin is the world's most famous violin and has only visited the United States twice before, once in New York City and once in San Francisco. It has not been in the United States since 2003. It is famous for being owned by Niccolò Paganini, who is sometimes referred to as the "devil's violinist" because people thought he had made a deal with the devil to play so well. The violin got its nickname, "Il Cannone", because its sound as powerful as a cannon

 

Paganini's violin will also be played during a public performance by the Columbus Symphony on Wednesday, May 15 at the historic Ohio Theatre. The concert will be directed by Music Director Rossen Milanov with the Columbus Symphony and will feature Joanna Franke, Concertmaster of the Columbus Symphony. Franke is one of few female concertmasters in the United States and was selected during a very competitive process to be chosen to play this priceless instrument.

 

This is a once in a lifetime chance to both see and hear this violin in Columbus as it is extremely fragile and rarely travels outside of Italy. Columbus was selected for the honor thanks to the strong sister city connection between Genoa and Columbus. The Mayor of Genoa, Mayor Marco Bucci, will be traveling with the violin to attend this historic concert along with Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther.

 

Tickets will start at $10 and can be purchased at www.columbussymphony.com.   Visit www.columbussistercities.com  to learn more about this unique exchange.

 

 

 

NEW BILLS OF MUNICIPAL INTEREST

 

Here are the bills introduced this week that impact municipalities:

 

COMMITTEE RECAP: BILLS OF MUNICIPAL INTEREST

 

Here is the bill impacting municipalities that received committee hearings this week:

 

COMMITTEE SCHEDULE FOR THE WEEK OF APRIL 28, 2019

PLEASE CHECK OUR WEBSITE MONDAY FOR ANY UPDATES TO THE COMMITTEE SCHEDULE