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Board approves $17 million All Ohio Futures Fund project to build access road in Trumbull County; members press for transparency
Summary
The State Controlling Board approved a $17 million All Ohio Futures Fund award to build an access road serving roughly 1,000 acres near Warren in Trumbull County. Lawmakers asked repeatedly about grant-versus-loan mix and said they want better legislative briefing on the fund’s pipeline.
The State Controlling Board on April 7 approved an All Ohio Futures Fund award to build an access road and related infrastructure that officials said will open about 1,000 acres near Warren in Trumbull County for future economic development.
Why it matters: Board members raised concerns about transparency and the mix of grants and loans in All Ohio Futures awards. Several members asked for clearer communication from the administering agency so the legislature can track projects and understand local repayment obligations.
What board members asked: Senator Serino and other members pressed the Department of Development’s representatives on the economic impact and the loan-versus-grant split for the $17,000,000 project. A department representative said program guidelines provide that awards are “partial loan, partial grant,” and typically the agency has sought a roughly 50/50 split, with final forgivability dependent on factors such as securing an end user in one of JobsOhio’s targeted sectors and achieving a median wage threshold.
Representative Stewart asked how a member of the public or a local government would know the loan/grant mix before approval; the department replied that the submittal notes funds will be issued “in part as a grant and in part as a forgivable loan, subject to 0% interest,” and that the precise mix is usually determined after approval based on community capacity and site conditions.
Members requested more information about the larger pipeline. A department representative told the board the program currently has a pipeline of roughly $500 million to $600 million of projects that could advance in coming months, and that the office can provide a geographic map of applications. Senator Ingram and Senator Cerino said the legislature has sometimes learned of large awards only after they were made and asked that the agency improve advance notice to affected members.
Outcome: The controlling board approved the item after discussion and no objections were recorded in the transcript.
Context: Board members said the project would allow truck access that avoids routing heavy traffic through Warren’s streets, and department staff said the project could enable future sites to host major employers, potentially creating “hundreds of jobs.”
