COLUMBUS — Ohio voters on Tuesday approved the renewal of a bond measure that will pay for local roads, bridges and other infrastructure projects for the next decade.
Unofficial tallies from the Ohio Secretary of State show Ohioans approved of Issue 2, which allows the state to issue general obligation bonds up to $250 million annually — or $2.5 billion over 10 years.
The measure passed with a margin of 35.52%, according to final unofficial tallies from the secretary of state.
The state needs constitutional approval in order to go into large amounts of debt.
Money will go into the State Capital Improvement Program, a solution first established in 1987 to fund expensive projects.
Voters have extended the program three times since 1987. Tuesday marked the fourth approval by Ohio voters.
The legislature’s nonpartisan analysis states SCIP funds can only be used on “roads and bridges, wastewater treatment systems, water supply systems, solid waste disposal facilities, and storm water and sanitary collection, storage, and treatment facilities, including related or incidental real property related to the project.
“The cost of acquisition, construction, reconstruction, expansion, improvement, planning, and equipping are also included.”
Funds will be divvied up among districts and regions on a per-capita basis. Districts will then analyze project proposals and determine how best to use bond proceeds.
District 16, which includes Richland and Ashland counties, approves projects from the eight counties typically in November or December.
Knox County is in District 17 with Morrow, Delaware, Licking, Fairfield and Pickaway counties.
Before that meeting, each county applies for funding for specific projects
— typically in September. Those counties review the projects with respective commissioners and pass a resolution.
The resolutions are then forwarded to the district.
District 16 is managed by the Richland County Planning Commission, which evaluates and scores each project proposal before approving them. Once approved, they are submitted to OPWC.