OHIO SUPREME COURT WILL NOT HEAR APPEAL FROM TID OPPONENTS

TID Prepared to Build the Butler Regional Highway

The bonding authority of the Butler County Transportation Improvement District has been affirmed by an announcement from the Ohio Supreme Court today. The Court announced that it will not hear the appeal to the TID's bond validation suit. This allows the TID to issue bonds for planned infrastructure improvement projects including the Butler Regional Highway and improvements to Interstate 75.

"With this case behind us, we hope to issue our bonds for the Butler Regional Highway later this year. We are confident in our financing plan, and we've believed all along that the law was on our side," said Darrell Barger, TID Executive Director. "The overwhelming majority of Butler County wants us to build the Highway and all of the TID's projects. Now we can move forward. This is terrific news for Butler County."

The TID originally filed the court case on October 16, 1996, to legally confirm its funding authority. This is an effort typically made by new public agencies when entering the bond market for the first time.Judge Michael Sage of the Butler County Common Pleas Court ruled to approve the bonding authority of the Butler County Transportation Improvement District in January, 1997. In July, 1997, the Court of Appeals upheld Judge Sage's ruling.

The TID is a local agency established to plan, finance, construct and maintain road improvement projects. Since its inception in 1994, the TID has undertaken planning and facilitation of other projects including the Union Centre Interchange; widening and extension of Muhlhauser Road; the Symmes Road Extension; improvements to State Route 747, I-75, ByPass 4, and Princeton Road in Hamilton. It leverages funds from federal, state and local sources, and decision-making power is given to the local units of government in the District which provide representatives to the TID board.