Commissioners accept taxpayer petition and approve resolution to begin public safety training center financing

The Hamilton County Board of Commissioners accepted a taxpayer petition and approved a resolution allowing the county to enter negotiations and proceed with the proposed Hamilton County Public Safety Training Center and related financing.

Zach Klutz of the Taft Law Firm, bond counsel for the project, said the financing would mirror the earlier judicial center transaction: lease rental bonds issued by the Hamilton County Public Building Corporation. Klutz said the county submitted the statutorily required taxpayer petition signed by 69 taxpayers and opened and closed a public hearing on the proposed lease agreement.

Klutz told the board the resolution before commissioners would approve the lease agreement form and authorize the county to move forward with the project. He said exact lease rental payments will be established after the bonds are sold, which he said is expected in late March, with a closing anticipated in early April. He said the lease term is for a period not to exceed 15 years.

Commissioners voted to accept the taxpayer petition, open and close the public hearing, and adopt the resolution authorizing the lease process; no members of the public addressed the board during the hearing.

Klutz and staff said financing specifics—tax‑exempt status, interest rates, and annual lease payments—will be finalized when the bonds are sold and the financing closes.