If you own property on Lake Erie’s shoreline and are experiencing erosion problems, if you own your home or if commercial or industrial building is in need of energy efficiency upgrades such as lighting and building controls, building envelope (roofing, windows, etc.) HVAC, boilers and chillers, compressors, motors and drives, refrigeration, waste energy recovery or if you are interested in renewable generation such as solar or wind energy, expect an uptick in activity that will help you finance and pay costs of these types of improvements as a result of recent amendments to the Ohio Revised Code (ORC) that become effective on April 21.

Under these ORC amendments, the territories of lakeshore and energy special improvement districts will be permitted to expand. This will create economies of scale with respect to the administration and the financing of lakeshore and energy projects regionally. One or more Ohio Port Authorities will be used by governments seeking to help their residents finance improvements using special assessments.  The amendments to the ORC grant new authority for energy special improvement districts (ESIDs) to add territory within a single county as well as in counties that adjoin one another.