> ---------------------------- Original Message ----------------------------
> Subject: OTA Update and Alert
> From:    "Heidi Fought" <[log in to unmask]>
> Date:    Mon, September 28, 2009 2:48 pm
> To:
> Cc:      "Michael Cochran" <[log in to unmask]>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Ohio Commission on Local Government Reform & Collaboration
> The Commission is charged with researching and writing a report that
> recommends reform and collaboration measures in order to improve local
> government operations and service delivery.  The Commission continues to
> meet and hold public hearings around Ohio.  The most recent meeting of
> the Commission took place in Sycamore Township in Hamilton County.  The
> Commission took testimony from approximately 15 or so people.  To keep
> up to date with Commission happenings and to retrieve copies of minutes,
> agendas, public input, and research, please visit
> www.ohioreformandcollaboration.org.
>
> The Commission will hold the remaining 2009 meetings in Montgomery
> County on October 30 and in Cuyahoga County on December 4.  Additional
> meetings will be scheduled in 2010 on the last Friday of each month.
>
> ATTENTION TOWNSHIP OFFICIALS!  If you are interested in testifying or
> planning to testify at a Reform Commission public hearing, please let
> the OTA know.  The Commission has already heard from many township
> officials as to the need of townships in Ohio.  What the Commission is
> not hearing, and WHAT THE COMMISSION WANTS TO HEAR, are specific
> recommendations for which they are seeking information, including:
> 1.) Recommendations that will encourage and incentivize local
> governments to collaborate.
>
> 2.) Indentify local and state tax structure changes which would
> encourage collaboration or improve service effectiveness.
>
> 3.) Identify current/alternative service delivery models.
>
>
>
> Should you wish to testify before the Commission, please come prepared
> to speak to one, two or all three of the areas for which the Commission
> is seeking information.  PLEASE DO NOT SPEAK TO THE COLLABORATIVE
> EFFORTS THAT YOUR TOWNSHIP HAS PARTICIPATED IN UNLESS THEY RELATE TO ONE
> OF THE THREE SPECIFIC AREAS FOR WHICH THE COMMISSION IS SEEKING
> INFORMATION.  Should you not have testimony that addresses any of these
> three areas, the OTA strongly discourages you from testifying.  If you
> have any questions or concerns, please contact OTA Executive Director
> Mike Cochran.
>
>
> 2009-036 Attorney General Opinion (attached)
>
> Description provided by Kevin McIver, Opinions Section, Attorney
> General's Office
>
> This particular opinion addresses a seemingly simple question presented
> to the Attorney General by the Auditor of State, yet the resolution of
> that question required the Attorney General to explain some very complex
> and intricate statutory provisions enacted by the Ohio General Assembly
> and the United States Congress. This is because the issues inherent in
> the Auditor's question involve the intersection of state and federal
> statutory law.  Auditor Taylor asked the Attorney General to advise her
> whether political subdivisions in Ohio, whose deposits of public moneys
> in public depositories (i.e., banks and other financial institutions
> approved by the State Board of Deposit to accept and hold deposits of
> public moneys) are protected or collateralized by pools of securities,
> are able to have perfected security interests in those pooled
> securities.
>
>
>
> When a public depositor has a perfected security interest in collateral
> it receives favorable treatment under the law should the entity
> providing the collateral experience a financial failure. In the simplest
> terms, the perfection of the security interest gives the depositor a
> priority with respect to creditors or depositors of the financial
> institution that do not have perfected security interests in that same
> collateral.
>
>
>
> The question thus posed by the Auditor of State is of great importance
> for all Ohio political subdivisions that deposit their public moneys in
> approved public depositories, where those moneys are collateralized by
> pools of securities. The procedures for making those deposits and the
> requirements that must be satisfied by the public depositories for
> guaranteeing those deposits with groupings of securities (e.g., bonds)
> are spelled out in R.C. Chapter 135, the uniform depository law. If a
> political subdivision is able to acquire a perfected security interest
> in those pooled securities, it has a better chance of being made whole
> under state and federal law should the public depository experience a
> financial failure that leads to the liquidation and distribution of its
> assets by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC).
>
>
>
> Opinion No. 2009-036 provides detailed examinations and analyses of the
> Ohio and federal laws that control the perfection of security interests
> in pools of securities that serve as the collateral to back up the
> deposits of public moneys in banks and other financial institutions. The
> opinion then advises about the ways in which Ohio's political
> subdivisions may acquire perfected security interests in that pooled
> collateral.
>
>
>
> This opinion should be of interest to all financial officers of Ohio's
> political subdivisions that have deposits of public moneys in
> state-approved public depositories. The opinion also will be of interest
> to the banking and financial services industries.
>
>
> 2010 Census
> The Census Bureau mailed each political subdivision a form with respect
> to new construction figures in their respective jurisdiction.  If your
> township has not already responded to this survey, please mail the
> survey back to the Census Bureau.  Even if you have not had any new
> construction in the time period for which they are requesting
> information, please mail back the survey.  This is important information
> the Census Bureau needs to make sure we have an accurate count for Ohio
> in 2010.
>
> Zoning Sessions
> The 2009 Fall Zoning Sessions are almost full.  There are approximately
> 10 spaces left for each of the October sessions.  Please see attached
> zoning form for more information.
>
> Preemption Training sponsored by ODOT and Ohio Rail Development
> Commission
> ODOT & the Ohio Rail Development Commission have been working to ensure
> that all rail-highway grade crossings equipped with flashing lights &
> gates, and located adjacent to a signalized intersection are properly
> interconnected in accordance with the provisions of both the Ohio MUTCD.
>
>
>
> Attached is a flyer that announces this series of free training sessions
> that will be held across the State during the 1st week in November.
>
>
> OTA 2010 Winter Conference
> I am working on the workshops for the upcoming Winter Conference and I
> am seeking input from you, the township officials.  If you have any
> suggestions for workshops at the 2010 Conference, please send them to
> me.  We will be having more workshop sessions this year than in the past
> due to shortening the workshop times to one hour.  This also means we
> will be able to repeat the more popular sessions.
>
> Again, I welcome any and all suggestions for workshop topics!
>
>
> Heidi M. Fought
> Director of Governmental Affairs
> Ohio Township Association
> 6500 Taylor Road, Suite A
> Blacklick, OH 43004
> (614) 863-0045
> (614) 863-9751 Fax
>
>
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>
>
>
>