Another piece of the funding puzzle for Ohio's highways is bond money. Simply stated, it is money borrowed, as authorized, by the voters of Ohio, and paid back over time with interest. It is like a mortgage on the highway work, the same as you would use to buy a house. By law, Ohio can borrow a maximum of $500 million, but no more that $100 million per year. One cent of gasoline tax and some truck registration receipts are dedicated to repay the debt. Without this bonding capability, Ohio would have no highways construction program.
The first question usually asked after state highways finances are explained is "But doesn't federal
highway money take care of most of out the program".
The answer is NO.
The federal Intermodel Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) was supposed to provide a great
deal more money for Ohio's highways. Newspapers around the state heralded it as a bonanza" and
"Windfall."
It has not happened! Without going into a complicated explanation, here is what has happened.
1) ISTEA allows a big percentage of its funds to be transferred into mass transit type projects.
2) Much of this transfer of monies to non-highway purposes is now controlled by Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPO's). These city planners may, and already have, moved much of our federal dollars into buying buses, building light rail systems, bikeways, etc.
3) Congress has never fully funded ISTEA. Appropriations are far less than those authorized.
If the job of construction and maintenance for Ohio's highways was a publicly held corporation, it would be a $1.5 billion per year business -- one of the largest companies in Ohio, and each motorist would be a stockholder. What an effective and profitable company it would be! Highways are the heart of Ohio's economy. The inventory of Ohio's highways is worth untold billions of dollars and has provided jobs for millions of Ohioans. The return on your investment is a quality of life which is the envy of the entire world.
Each $100 million in highway improvements: creates 2,393 jobs, generates $98.4 million in economic benefits including wages and taxes, produces 164.8 million in the total value of goods and services, and in addition to these more tangible economic benefits, we move from place to place with amazing ease. We've been smart investors in Ohio by putting our money into one of the nation's premier transportation infrastructures, but all good investments need sound management and Ohio's highway program is at a crossroads: Do we reinvest by rebuilding aging facilities, or do we build new highways to meet the rapidly increasing demand projected for the next century? The following information contains some important facts on how your investment is being managed.
In Ohio, only those who drive pay motor fuel taxes, and those taxes may only be used for building and maintaining public highways. This provision of the Ohio Constitution creates a true "user-free" arrangement which assures motorists of dedicated highway funding. Despite this dedication, the 22 cents state tax we pay on each gallon of gasoline has been used for purposes which do not build or repair highways. That's right, with what's left after all mandated activities and ODOT expenses, ODOT has less that one penny of tax for highway purposes. Only 37.8 million dollars remain for concrete, asphalt, steel and their use in our highway system. If that isn't bad enough, ODOT needs an additional $55 million per year just to provide mandated pay raises, highway patrol, and other operational costs.
Just as we need to paint our house or change the oil in our car, ODOT must protect our highway
investment by paving, rehabilitating and rebuilding our state highways and bridges.
In Ohio, we investors own: Every year we need to:
19000 miles of pavement Resurface 10% or 1900 miles of pavement
9098 bridges Repair or replace 300 bridges
Other facts and figures
• Most Interstates built in the 1960's now must be fully rebuilt
• 26.9 of our bridges are posted for lower weight limits
• One-third of our major highways and 41.5 percent of our secondary roads are rated substandard.
The County Engineer offers recommendations for culvert sizes on or off County Road Right-of-Way as a free service. Assistance is offered on a first come first serve basis and may take longer to receive during a construction season. The owner will need to decide on culvert material to be used (concrete, plastic, corrugated metal, etc.). Any information provided is only a recommendation and should be reviewed by the owner's own registered engineer.
The following information can be obtained at our office:
A) Aerial photography of the entire county area for the following years: 2004 (Scale 1"=660'),
2000(Scale:1"=1320'), 1996,1990,1985, 1973 (scale:1"=660'), and 1964(Scale: 1"=400').
B) U.S. Geological Survey (U.S.G.S.) 10' Elevation Interval Contour Maps of the entire county. (Scale:1'
= 2000')
C) County Topo 2' Elevation Interval Contour Maps of the entire County. (Scale: 1' = 200')
D) U.S.G.S and County Benchmark Locations and Values.
E) Federal Emergency Management Agency (F.E.M.A.) Flood Plain Maps.
F) Latitude and Longitude maps for specific points in the County (i.e: FCC Radio Tower Locations, County
Landmarks, etc...).
G) County Road surveys, Construction Drawings, and Road Records (i.e. :Road Right-Of-Way Width, Road
Vacations, Centerline Surveys, etc...).
H) Records on past County Petition Ditches (i.e. : Granger Ditch, etc...)
Medina County Map
Aerials Maps available in B/W or Color* (same price)
8 1/2" x 11"...............$0.10
8 1/2" x 14"...............$0.10
11" x 17"..................$0.20
18" x 24"..................$3.00
24" x 36"..................$6.00
Mylar......................$5.00
* Not all records are available in Color
Larger than above? Please Call.
Engineering Code....................................$ 5.00
Stormwater Management Book..........................$ 7.00
Highway Use Manual..................................$ 4.00
Flood Damage Reduction Book.........................$ 3.00
Sediment Control Rules & Regulations................$ 3.00
The Highest point is located on Hinckley Ridge approximately 2000 Ft. North of Bellus Rd. (T.H. 140) on
the West Side of King Rd. (T.H. 193) in Hinckley Twp. (Elevation = 1321', 41 degrees' 59.0" Latitude, 81
degrees 41' 50.5" Longitude).
The Lowest point is located at the West Branch of the Rocky River at the Medina-Lorain County line,
Northwest from the intersection of SR 252 and Boston Rd., Near the Liverpool Sanitary Treatment Plant.
(Elevation = 765', 41 degrees 16' 28.5" Latitude 81 degrees 55' 17.5" Longitude).
All questions concerning Road Construction/Maintenance on a Township Road should be directed to the Township Trustees. County Road Construction/Maintenance questions can be answered by the Medina County Engineer's Office at 330-723-9561. State Route Construction/maintenance concerns should be directed to O.D.O.T. Highway Garage at 330-723-0091.
All zoning Questions (i.e.:Set Back Requirements, Lot Dimensions, House Size Requirements) are a local
matter and are enforced by the Township Zoning Inspector in Un-Incorporated areas. In Incorporated
areas, those same questions should be directed to the Municipal Planning Commission.)
Ohio was admitted to the union in 1803. One of the original offices created by the first General
Assembly was that of County Surveyor, from which the County Engineer's office has evolved. When a new
county was created, the Legislature appointed a court of common pleas, which fixed the time and place
for a county-wide election. At first, only three offices were filled by these elections:
Commissioners(3), Sheriff, and Coroner. The court appointed the County Surveyor, Recorder, Prosecuting
Attorney, and Clerk.
In those early days of the state, the office of County Surveyor was a very important position. As early
as 1785, Ohio had been the laboratory in which the Public Lands rectangular survey system was developed;
and well into the 1800's the clarification of land titles and boundaries was the major function of the
county surveyor. After 1820, however, the state became increasingly caught up in the "internal
improvements" movement. Some of the county surveyors were involved with building Ohio's network of
canals, and virtually all were called upon to spend more and more time developing the state's integrated
system of good roads.
The increasing responsibilities of the position moved the Legislature, in 1831, to make the office of
County Surveyor elective, for a term of three years "if he so long behave well and until his successor
be elected and qualified."
By late in the 19th century the County Surveyor was almost totally involved with building and
maintaining roads, bridges, and drainage ditches - but he still received no salary, being paid an
average of $5.00 per day only on those days when actually employed. Legislation in 1915 established a
salary and the responsibility of also being resident engineer for the State Highway Department.
1928 saw the county engineer emerging as the public official you know today. In that year he was elected
to a four (4) year term which started on "the first Monday in January after his election". Then on
August 30, 1935, the title of the office was changed to "County Engineer".
Only a person who holds registration certificates in the State of Ohio as both "Registered Professional
Engineer" and "Registered Professional Surveyor" may actually qualify and run for the position of County
Engineer. The elected County Engineer "shall perform for the County all duties authorized or declared by
law to be done by a civil engineer or surveyor", although specifically exempted from engineering
responsibilities on public buildings. He is the engineer for all public improvements under the authority
of the Board of Commissioners with and for the County.
There are four distinct highway systems in Ohio: The Ohio Department of Transportation is responsible
for the 19,000 mile State Highway System; The County is responsible for the streets (approximately
21,000 miles) and alleys within their boundaries.
The County Engineer works with the County Commissioners and the Township Trustees to perform his various
responsibilities in the following areas:
County Highways: All maintenance, repair, widening, resurfacing, reconstruction, and construction
of pavements and bridges on the county highway system is the County Engineer's responsibility. This
includes traffic control, safety, mowing, and snow removal.
Township Highways: The County Engineer is the engineering advisor to the Township Trustees for
the maintenance, repair, widening, resurfacing, and reconstruction of their highways. The bridges on the
Township Highway system are the full responsibility of the county.
Municipalities: The county is responsible for many bridges within municipalities, including some
on the State Highway System.
The responsibility of the County Engineer for bridges as mentioned above includes the annual inspection
and evaluation for the condition and load-carrying capacity of each bridge. The statutes require a
uniform method of procedure and record keeping.
The County Engineer serves on the County and Regional Planning Commissions and is the engineer for each
Board of Township Trustees in his county. He is the Tax Map Draftsman for the County.
In the unincorporated areas the citizen of Ohio might find his County Engineer involved with the County
airports, sidewalks, weed control along roads and ditches, and the establishment and maintenance of
assessed ditches.
In many counties, the engineer has been appointed to serve as County Sanitary Engineer. He works with
the County Commissioners to supervise the construction of sewer and water lines in the unincorporated
areas. The approval, regulation and operation of sanitary land fills and incinerators may also be his
department's responsibility.
The County Engineers' Association of Ohio,
6500 Busch Blvd., Suite 100
Columbus, Ohio 43229
(614) 221-0707
New construction will keep goods, services, people and JOBS moving. Ohio is quickly running out of
highway capacity. Growth and a robust economy have caused vehicle miles travelled (VMT) to climb from 72
billion miles in 1980 to 96.7 billion miles per year (+34.3%) and by the year 2000 estimates are upward
of 110 billion miles.
Ohio's communities need:
• more Interstate Lanes
• bypasses
• connectors
ODOT, through long and careful scientific study, has identified 179 of these such projects for which a
"promise" to build has been made. Another 30 projects have a commitment for study.
Together this comprises a pipeline which looks like this:
179 projects $3.2 billion
30 study projects $2.2 billion
________________________
209 projects $5.4 billion
If state and federal funding levels remain the same as they are now - and that is probably optimistic -
it will take 54 years to build these 209 projects. Gridlock, economic disaster and personal safety
concerns would most certainly paralyze the state.
Finding new sources of revenue would help accelerate the program.
As investors you have choices. But the catch is
only you
can decide:
• You can let our highways deteriorate
• Add no new capacity (lanes or bypasses)
• Provide a reasonable maintenance level
• Provide funds for new construction
Your answer will determine you future highway convenience.
Ohio Construction Information Association
Ohio's motor fuel tax is 22c per gallon and yields $1,188 billion per year. Each pennyis worth about $54
million per year.
It is Divided for Use in the Following Ways:
5.3 Cents.....or $286.2 million goes to cities, counties and townships
2.7 Cents.....or $145.8 million goes to fund the ohio Department of Public Safety(Highway Patrol)
1.0 Cent.......or $54 million goes to the Transportation improvement Fund (Localgovernments)
13.0 Cents.....or $702 million goes to ODOT
ODOT Uses the $702 Million in Three Basic Ways
1) Money for Highway Bond Payments
• 1.0 cent or $54 million to retire bonds
2) Money To Operate the Department
• 8.6 cents or $463.5 million for basic operating costs
• 1.7 cents or $92 million for maintenance contracts
• 1.0 cent or $53.5 million for miscellaneous items
3) Money For Capital Improvements
• .7 Cent or $37.8 million for things like resurfacing, bridges, major reconstruction,new construction,
consultant contracts, right-of-way purchases and to match FederalFunds.
The amount ODOT has for use is smaller each year due to increases for the highway patrol. Also, ODOT
operational and maintenance costs increase each year.
One full cent of motor fuel tax is lost annually to increased costs!
The effect of this is that ODOT has about $55 million less each year to spend on Highway improvements.