Ohio Revised Code
Chapter 3354 | Community Colleges
Section 3354.24 | Eastern Gateway Community College District.

Effective: October 16, 2009
Latest Legislation: House Bill 1 - 128th General Assembly
(A) The provisions of this section prevail over conflicting provisions of this chapter; however, except as otherwise provided in this section, the eastern gateway community college district and its board of trustees shall comply with the provisions of this chapter.
(B) The territory of Columbiana, Mahoning, and Trumbull counties is hereby added to the territory of the community college district of Jefferson county, creating a new community college district to replace the former community college district of Jefferson county. The district created under this section shall be known as and operate under the name of "eastern gateway community college district," and its charter shall be amended to this name. The Jefferson county campus is hereby part of the eastern gateway community college district and shall remain in operation unless otherwise specified by the board of trustees of the community college.
The eastern gateway community college district is divided into two taxing subdistricts, one consisting of the territory of Jefferson county, and the other consisting of the territories of Columbiana, Mahoning, and Trumbull counties.
(C) On the effective date of this section as enacted by H.B. 1 of the 128th general assembly, the government of the eastern gateway community college district shall be vested in a board of eleven trustees to be appointed by the governor, with the advice and consent of the senate. The board of trustees of the former community college district of Jefferson county is abolished on that date.
The governor shall appoint the members of the board of trustees of the eastern gateway community college district as successors to the board of trustees of Jefferson community college as follows: Three members of the board of trustees shall be residents of Jefferson county. (The initial Jefferson county members shall be members of the board of trustees of the former community college district of Jefferson county, as it existed before the effective date of this section.) Eight members of the board of trustees shall be residents of Columbiana, Mahoning, and Trumbull counties.
The initial board of trustees shall be appointed within ninety days after the effective date of this section for terms as follows: Of the trustees who are residents of Jefferson county, one trustee shall be appointed for a one-year term, one trustee shall be appointed for a three-year term, and one trustee shall be appointed for a five-year term. Of the trustees who are residents of Columbiana, Mahoning, and Trumbull counties, one trustee shall be appointed for a one-year term, two trustees shall be appointed for two-year terms, two trustees shall be appointed for three-year terms, two trustees shall be appointed for four-year terms, and one trustee shall be appointed for a five-year term.
At the conclusion of each initial term, the term of office of each trustee shall be five years, each term ending on the same day of the same month of the year as did the term that it succeeds.
Each trustee shall hold office from the date of the trustee's appointment until the end of the term for which the trustee was appointed. Any trustee appointed to fill a vacancy occurring before the expiration of the term for which the trustee's predecessor was appointed shall hold office for the remainder of that term. Any trustee shall continue in office subsequent to the expiration date of the trustee's term until the trustee's successor takes office, or until a period of sixty days has elapsed, whichever occurs first.
If a vacancy occurs and the Jefferson county tax levy is no longer in place or a conversion under division (H) of this section has occurred, the governor shall fill the vacancy with a person residing within the eastern gateway community college district.
(D) The board of trustees of the eastern gateway community college district shall continue to comply with division (G) of section 3354.09 of the Revised Code regarding tuition for students who are residents of Ohio but not residents of the district, and for students who are nonresidents of Ohio. The tuition rate shall be based on the student's county of residence and shall apply to all eastern gateway community college district classes in all district locations. Except as provided in division (F)(3) of this section, students who are residents of Columbiana, Mahoning, or Trumbull county shall continue to be charged tuition at the same rate as Ohio residents who are not residents of the district.
(E)(1) Except as provided in divisions (E)(2) and (3) of this section, each member of the board of trustees shall have full voting rights on all matters that come before the board.
(2) The three trustees representing Jefferson county shall have sole authority to vote on the following matters:
(a) The Jefferson county tax levy;
(b) The expenditure of revenue from that tax levy;
(c) Levy-subsidized tuition rates.
(3) The voting restrictions under division (E)(2) of this section apply until the electors of the Columbiana, Mahoning, and Trumbull county taxing subdistrict approve a tax levy under division (F)(3) of this section that is equivalent to the tax levy approved by the electors of Jefferson county for the support of the former community college district of Jefferson county on the effective date of this section. For the purposes of this division, the tax levy is an equivalent tax levy if either:
(a) In the first tax year for which the tax is collected, it yields revenue per capita equal to or greater than the yield per capita of levies of the community college district in effect that year in Jefferson county, as jointly determined by the county auditors of Jefferson, Columbiana, Mahoning, and Trumbull counties; or
(b) In the first tax year for which the tax is collected, the effective tax rate of the tax is equal to or greater than the effective tax rate of levies of the community college district in effect that tax year in Jefferson county, as jointly determined by the county auditors of Jefferson, Columbiana, Mahoning, and Trumbull counties.
As used in this division, "effective tax rate" means the quotient obtained by dividing the total taxes charged and payable for a taxing subdistrict for a tax year after the reduction prescribed by section 319.301 of the Revised Code but before the reduction prescribed by section 319.302 or 323.152 of the Revised Code, by the taxable value for the taxing subdistrict for that tax year.
(F)(1) For each taxing subdistrict of the eastern gateway community college district, the board of trustees may propose to levy a tax in accordance with the procedures prescribed in section 3354.12 of the Revised Code, except the following terms used in that section shall have the meanings given them in this section:
(a) "District" and "community college district" mean the appropriate taxing subdistrict defined in this section;
(b) "Board of trustees of the community college district" means the board of trustees for the entire eastern gateway community college district. That board of trustees may propose separate levies for either of the two taxing subdistricts.
(c) "Tax duplicate" means the tax duplicate of only the appropriate taxing subdistrict and not the tax duplicate of the entire eastern gateway community college district.
(2) The board of trustees may propose to levy a tax on taxable property in Jefferson county to be voted on by the electors of Jefferson county as provided in division (F)(1) of this section. An affirmative vote by a majority of the electors of the subdistrict voting on the question is necessary for passage. Any money raised by a tax levied by the former community college district of Jefferson county or a subsequent tax levied in Jefferson county in accordance with division (F)(1) of this section shall be used solely for the benefit of Jefferson county residents attending the eastern gateway community college in the form of student tuition subsidies, student scholarships, and instructional facilities, equipment, and support services located within Jefferson county, or for any purpose approved by the electors. Such amounts shall be deposited into a separate fund of the taxing subdistrict, and shall be budgeted separately.
(3) The board of trustees may propose to levy a tax on taxable property in Columbiana, Mahoning, and Trumbull counties to be voted on by the electors of the counties as provided in division (F)(1) of this section. An affirmative vote by a majority of the electors of the subdistrict voting on the question is necessary for passage. Any amounts raised by such a tax in the tax subdistrict shall be used solely for the benefit of residents of the subdistrict attending the eastern gateway community college in the form of student tuition subsidies, student scholarships, and instructional facilities, equipment, and support services located within Columbiana, Mahoning, and Trumbull counties, or for any purpose approved by the electors. Amounts collected shall be deposited into a separate fund from all other revenues collected by each taxing subdistrict.
The board of trustees may adjust the rate of tuition charged to each taxing subdistrict's residents to an amount commensurate with the amount of tax the board of trustees dedicates for instructional and general services provided to the residents of the subdistrict.
(G) The board of trustees of the eastern gateway community college district may issue bonds in accordance with section 3354.11 of the Revised Code, but the board may limit the question of approval of the issue of those bonds to the electors of only one of the two taxing subdistricts, in which case the board also may limit the use of the property or improvements to the residents of that subdistrict.
(H) If the tax levy in Jefferson county expires, is not renewed, or is not approved by the electors of Jefferson county and the other taxing subdistrict does not levy a tax for the purposes of this section, the board of trustees of the eastern gateway community college district shall submit a proposal to the chancellor of the board of regents to convert to a state community college and, upon the chancellor's approval of the proposal, enter into a transition agreement with the chancellor following the procedures set forth in section 3358.05 of the Revised Code for a technical college district.