Before advancing Gov. John Kasich's main mid-biennium review budget bill yesterday morning, the Senate Finance Committee boosted the appropriation authority of the bond-funded Clean Ohio program, according to Gongwer. The Clean Ohio program was created under a 2008 ballot measure that utilizes state dollars to leverage local funds to revitalize blighted areas, set aside open space for the public, preserve family farms, and create trails for Ohioans.
There is currently $100 million in remaining voter-approved bond appropriations available; however, the legislature has to approve further program appropriations. The state capital bill, earlier this year, included only $6 million in funding for trails. Yesterday's appropriation by the committee would allow for the issuance of up to $42 million in bonds to further fund the program. The additional spending authority for farmland preservation and green space projects was among a handful of amendments added to the bill (H.B. 487) by the Senate Finance Committee.
The bill was slated for a full Senate floor vote yesterday afternoon. If passed by the Senate, subsequent conference committee talks would have to occur with the House.
