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Ohio RCAP Bulletin Board
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OhioCAF Bonds for Infrastructure, Facilties and Equipment
A new program designed to help Ohio's counties, cities, villages, townships and fire districts fund projects or capital asset purchases under $5 million recently started accepting applications. The Ohio Capital Asset Financing (OhioCAF) Program brings governments together to issue notes and bonds, which is more efficient than borrowing on their own. This is a great program for small projects and equipment purchases. For example, a local government that needs to buy a firetruck probably wouldn't find it cost effective to finance it through a bond. However, through this program, they could with a very low interest rate. Another great feature of the program is that there is very little work involved for the borrowers, and all fees are built into the interest rate, including the cost for bond counsel. Communities only need to submit a one page form to apply. However, acceptance is not gauranteed. A credit risk assessment is performed for each applicant.
In order to keep bond costs low, the program currently only accepts communities that are easy to insure. As a rule of thumb, applicants should have a population of at least 3,000 people, their ending balance in the General Fund each year should be 10 to 20% of their revenues, and ideally their tax base would be at least $100 million. Smaller communities might qualify, but they have to be a good credit risk. The Center for Local Government in Cincinnati, which administers the program, realizes there are lots of smaller communities that don’t fit that description, and they are working to create a second program for them. They may have this second program in place within a year.
For more information, visit www.ohiocaf.org, or call Robert Johnson at 513-741-7999.
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Ohio Local Government Handbooks
For all Mayors, Village Council Members, Township Trustees, BPA Members and other local officials - do you have a copy of the recently updated Ohio Village Officers Handbook or The Ohio Township Handbook? These free publications are available from the Ohio State Auditor's office. Click on the links above to download them, or call 800-282-0370 to order a copy. Also, the State Attorney General's Office recently released the 2008 Ohio Sunshine Laws Update.
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www.yourtownhere.org
Does your township or village lack a website? Websites can be very useful tools for informing your residents about all sorts of things; rate and fee schedules, ordinances, community events, local history, etc. The Center for Public Management and Regional Affairs (CPMRA) at Miami University in Oxford, OH offers free assistance to help communities create their own website, and will even host it on their servers for free. Check out their website to see examples of community websites they have developed, or to learn more about how to use and navigate the World Wide Web. Contact Andrew Dudas at 513-529-6959 for more information.
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Do I need a permit for this?
If you ever run into this question from a board member, staff or the public, the Guide to Environmental Permitting in Ohio may give you the answer. Ohio EPA has introduced a new "plain English" permitting guide to help local governments and businesses determine which environmental permits are needed, and how to get them. This free guide is being offered through the Agency's newly formed Office of Compliance Assistance and Pollution Prevention (OCAPP). Click on the link above to download it, or to have a copy mailed to you call 1-800-329-7518 or (614) 644-3469.
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Three board members walk into a bar...
This may sound like the start of a bad joke, but it could also begin the story of an open meetings law violation. People that sit on government appointed boards or elected councils may often see other members at church, work, the grocery store, local events, etc. Violations of the open meeting law happen when they begin discussing board or council business, and deliberating towards a decision among themselves outside of a public meeting. To help local officials understand Open Meetings and Open Records (Sunshine) laws, the Ohio State Auditor's provides a publication, the 2008 Ohio Sunshine Laws Update: An Open Government Resource Manual, commonly referred to as the 'yellow book'. This can also be downloaded as a pdf, or ordered by calling (614) 644-8529.
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Free assistance for rate studies
In addition to helping communities secure funding for their capital projects, Ohio RCAP offers other free assistance to community water and wastewater systems, including rate studies. We provide an independent third party analysis, and can suggest options rate increases and restructuring to acheive revenue needs. Contact Randy Hunt or your nearest RCAP Field Agent to learn more.
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Do you need to hire an engineer?
Do you know that Ohio state law requires local governments and districts to use the Qualifications-Based Selection process when professional services for a project will exceed $25,000? The Ohio QBS Coalition, an organization comprised of several professional associations inlcuding the Ohio Society of Professional Engineers, offers an excellent publication called the Ohio QBS Manual that explains the process step-by-step and includes all of the forms your organization will need. They can also provide a free QBS Facilitator to help your board or council.
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