Section 5531.08 - Using money in highway operating fund for construction costs(A) In order to expedite a highway project involving the expenditure of federal and state funds and to utilize all privileges provided by the "Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991," 105 Stat. 1914, 49 U.S.C.A. 101, the director of transportation may designate a project team for the purposes of certifying design review and performing field and office inspections and cost estimates, on behalf of the federal highway administration.(B)(1) Upon a written determination by the director that it would be in the best interests of the traveling public, the director, upon the written request of a county, township, or municipal corporation, may utilize moneys in the highway operating fund created by section 5735.051 of the Revised Code to pay that portion of the construction cost of a highway project which the county, township, or municipal corporation normally would be required to pay.(2) The director shall not utilize moneys in the highway operating fund for a highway project in the manner described in division (B)(1) of this section unless all of the following apply: (a) The preliminary engineering design of the project is complete, all necessary rights-of-way have been obtained, and all federal, state, and local environmental studies and permits have been performed or obtained;(b) The director of transportation has submitted the proposed project to the director of development for an evaluation of the potential economic benefit to the area. The county, township, or municipal corporation certifies to the director of development that the project will create not less than five permanent living wage jobs. This requirement shall be fulfilled during the three-year period following the completion date of the project, and the county, township, or municipal corporation may define the geographic area within which the jobs will be created.(c) The quotient resulting from the division of the total amount of moneys utilized to cover the portion of the construction cost of the highway project that a county, township, or municipal corporation would normally be required to pay, divided by the number of permanent living wage jobs certified to the director of development by the county, township, or municipal corporation pursuant to division (B)(2)(b) of this section is less than or equal to ten thousand dollars.(C) Upon a written determination by the director of transportation that it would be in the best interests of the traveling public, the director, upon the written request of a county, township, or municipal corporation, may declare a waiver of that portion of the cost of a highway project which the county, township, or municipal corporation normally would be required to pay.(D) The director of development shall do all of the following: (1) Review all requests submitted by a county, township, or municipal corporation to the director of transportation pursuant to division (B) of this section for the expenditure of moneys from the highway operating fund;(2) Submit findings and recommendations to the director of transportation upon completion of the review process; (3) Monitor the results of a highway project for which moneys in the highway operating fund are utilized in order to ascertain whether the number of permanent living wage jobs certified to the director of transportation pursuant to division (B)(2)(b) of this section actually are created as a result of the highway project within the three-year period following the completion of the project, and submit reports relating to this subject to the director as necessary.(E) The director of transportation may award eligible federal funds or state general revenue funds to local units of government, including regional transit authorities providing public transportation service and metropolitan planning organizations. These funds may be used for such purposes as alleviating traffic congestion or improving air quality in nonattainment areas of the state as defined by the "Clean Air Act of 1990," 104 Stat. 2399, 42 U.S.C.A. 7401. The funds also may be used to acquire or construct park-and-ride facilities, to purchase traffic devices to improve vehicular flow, and for other travel demand management activities that meet the mandates of the Clean Air Act in nonattainment areas of the state.(F) As used in this section, "living wage job" means an employment position paying an annual average gross wage amount per full-time person of not less than twenty thousand dollars per year. Amended by 132nd General Assembly, HB 26,§101.01, eff. 1/1/2018.Amended by 131st General Assembly, HB 53,§101.01, eff. 7/1/2015.Effective Date: 10-14-1992 .