Resilient Communities are able to withstand and recover quickly from difficult conditions. Ohio has hundreds of cities, villages, counties and townships that have weathered economic recessions, natural disasters, and other major challenges, emerging changed, but formidable.
GOPC’s 2023-24 public policy agenda, Reflect & Refocus: Furthering Resilient Communities calls for state policy changes that will strengthen communities’ resiliency through revitalization and sustainable development. These goals are reflected in our recommendations for the biennial budget for fiscal years 2024 and 2025. Investing in programs that will help our cities, villages and townships redevelop and modernize are key to furthering resilient communities throughout Ohio.
Continue to Support the Brownfield Remediation Fund with at least $350 million in program resources. This oversubscribed program, created in 2021, will see more than 300 environmentally contaminated sites in 83 counties cleaned-up or assessed for contamination. GOPC recommends a full commitment of GRF funding of at least $350 million for the biennium (preferably with allocations in each fiscal year) to ensure that additional funding is available to address sites currently being assessed, with further funds available for future sites.
Pilot a program to help local communities modernize their zoning codes. Many communities in Ohio are operating under zoning codes that have not evolved with changing market preferences. A pilot program, run by the state, would help select communities produce modern zoning codes that reduce the time and paperwork needed to build the buildings the market wants and residents desire. GOPC recommends a pilot program with anywhere from $5-$10M in funding for the biennium to pilot a program and assess the long-term feasibility of the project for future use.
The process of developing the next two year budget begins next week with the release of the Ohio Budget Blue Book by Governor Mike DeWine. The legislature will then begin crafting the budget which must be completed before the start of the next fiscal year on July 1, 2023. To learn more about the budget process, be sure to register for our Budget 101 webinar this Friday, January 27 at 11am. Space is limited and you must register in advance in order to attend.