The start of 2022 means that state lawmakers will begin to focus on the enactment of the state Capital Appropriations Budget, which will be introduced and passed in mid-to-late spring of this year. The capital budget provides communities with the opportunity to seek state funding assistance for projects that involve the acquisition, construction, equipment, or renovation of buildings and other facilities that meet a defined “public purpose.”
Communities – especially Ohio’s weaker market and smaller communities – must be prepared to “make their case” to secure funds for catalytic projects in their community.
Enactment of the Capital budget happens quite quickly, with little to no changes made to the budget once it is introduced. Instead, funding requests are considered before the bill is introduced and either included or not included in the budget. If your community is interested in requesting funding for a capital project, it is important for you to contact your state lawmakers in the Ohio House and Ohio Senate today. GOPC has been told that the deadline for funding requests is set for March 18, 2022.
Several years ago, Greater Ohio, in partnership with Heritage Ohio and the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission (OFCC), hosted a webinar, “Preparing a Successful Bid for State Capital Budget Dollars” with presentations from GOPC’s Director of Strategic Engagement, Jason Warner, and OFCC’s Grants Administrator, Jessica Delong Bachman, providing communities with a “101 on the Capital Budget” , and examples of small communities utilizing capital budget dollars for thoughtfully-planned projects, including their planning steps and process to secure funds.
The information provided in the webinar is still relevant and an excellent resource to learn more about the Capital budget and the process involved in obtaining and drawing-down funding for capital projects. (Please note, due to a technical error, the presentation does not advance online. The PowerPoint presentation can be accessed here).