Section 5540.03 - Powers of transportation improvement district(A) A transportation improvement district may: (1) Adopt bylaws for the regulation of its affairs and the conduct of its business;(2) Adopt an official seal;(3) Sue and be sued in its own name, plead and be impleaded, provided any actions against the district shall be brought in the court of common pleas of the county in which the principal office of the district is located, or in the court of common pleas of the county in which the cause of action arose, and all summonses, exceptions, and notices of every kind shall be served on the district by leaving a copy thereof at its principal office with the secretary-treasurer;(4) Purchase, fund, finance, construct, maintain, repair, sell, exchange, police, operate, or lease projects;(5) Issue either or both of the following for the purpose of providing funds to pay the costs of any project or part thereof: (a) Transportation improvement district revenue bonds;(b) Bonds pursuant to Section 13 of Article VIII, Ohio Constitution.(6) Maintain such funds as it considers necessary;(7) Direct its agents or employees, when properly identified in writing and after at least five days' written notice, to enter upon lands within its jurisdiction to make surveys and examinations preliminary to the location and construction of projects for the district, without liability of the district or its agents or employees except for actual damage done;(8) Make and enter into all contracts and agreements necessary or incidental to the performance of its functions and the execution of its powers under this chapter;(9) Employ or retain or contract for the services of consulting engineers, superintendents, managers, and such other engineers, construction and accounting experts, auditors, financial advisers, trustees, marketing, remarketing, and administrative agents, attorneys, and other employees, independent contractors, or agents as are necessary in its judgment and fix their compensation, provided all such expenses shall be payable solely from the proceeds of bonds or from revenues;(10) Receive and accept from the federal or any state or local government, including, but not limited to, any agency, entity, or instrumentality of any of the foregoing, loans and grants for or in aid of the construction, maintenance, or repair of any project, and receive and accept aid or contributions from any source or person of money, property, labor, or other things of value, to be held, used, and applied only for the purposes for which such loans, grants, and contributions are made. Nothing in division (A)(10) of this section shall be construed as imposing any liability on this state for any loan received by a transportation improvement district from a third party unless this state has entered into an agreement to accept such liability.(11) Acquire, hold, and dispose of property in the exercise of its powers and the performance of its duties under this chapter;(12) Establish and collect tolls or user charges for its projects;(13) Subject to section 5540.18 of the Revised Code, enter into an agreement with a contiguous board of county commissioners other than the board of county commissioners that created the transportation improvement district, for the district to exercise all or any portion of its powers with respect to a project that is located wholly or partially within the county that is party to the agreement;(14) Cooperate with any governmental agencies in the planning, design, acquisition, construction, maintenance, funding, and financing of projects, including qualifying projects. In doing so, the district may enter into agreements with other governmental agencies to plan, design, acquire, construct, maintain, fund, and finance the projects or qualifying projects and to use pledged or assigned sales and use tax revenue to pay the debt service on qualifying bonds.(15) Enter into an agreement with the board of county commissioners that created the transportation improvement district and with the boards of county commissioners of any contiguous group of counties to exercise all powers of the district with respect to a project that is both of the following:(a) Located partially or wholly within any county that is a party to the agreement;(b) Partially funded with federal money.(16) Do all acts necessary and proper to carry out the powers expressly granted in this chapter.(B)(1) Chapters 123., 124., 125., and 153., and sections 9.331 to 9.335 and 307.86 of the Revised Code do not apply to contracts or projects of a transportation improvement district.(2) A transportation improvement district is subject to sections 4115.03 to 4115.21 and 4115.99 of the Revised Code, unless the amount of state or local government funds, including, but not limited to, those provided by any agency, entity, or instrumentality of the state or a local government as described in division (A)(10) of this section received for the contract or project, is, in the aggregate, less than the amounts described in or calculated under section 4115.03 of the Revised Code.Amended by 135th General Assembly, HB 23,§101.01, eff. 6/30/2023.Amended by 130th General Assembly, HB 59,§101.01, eff. 9/29/2013.Amended by 129th General Assembly, HB 153, §101.01, eff. 9/29/2011.Effective Date: 03-31-1997 .