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Committee reviews bill authorizing 14 specified state land conveyances and easements
Summary
Senate Bill 217 would authorize the conveyance or transfer of 14 specific parcels and easements of state-owned land to agencies, parks districts and other entities; Department of Administrative Services testified the conveyances are varied (auctions, $1 transfers, perpetual easements) and that the bill covers only the listed parcels.
Senator Landis introduced Senate Bill 217, which would authorize 14 specified land conveyances and easements of state-owned property. "As a general rule, state agencies do not own the real estate under their jurisdiction," Landis said, and a conveyance bill provides uncodified authorization to allow a state official to convey state-owned property listed in the bill on a case-by-case basis.
Sponsor testimony described several examples included in the bill: approximately 1.734 acres adjacent to the Dover Armory in Tuscarawas County (originally acquired in 1978); nearly 153 acres proposed for transfer from the Ohio Rail Development Commission to the Trumbull County Metro Parks District for $1 with a deed restriction requiring reversion to the state if the land ceases to be used for recreational purposes; and several sanitary sewer easements requested by The Ohio State University. Senator Landis said the bill "includes land conveyances for a variety of state entities" and that DAS would provide additional technical detail.
Marcy Jeter, administrator of the Office of Real Estate and Planning at the Department of Administrative Services, gave proponent testimony and described DAS's role in acquisitions, divestitures, appraisal review, surveys, contract negotiation and legal processing. Jeter said the bill's conveyances "include arm's-length real estate transactions where a grantee has been identified and sales of real estate that will be offered through public auction methods," and she highlighted an approximately 1.25-acre parcel in Xenia acquired in 1929 that has an estimated value "of over $300,000." She also confirmed that requests for perpetual easements at Ohio State are requests for easements "in perpetuity," and explained that the Revised Code otherwise authorizes DAS to grant 25-year easements for institutions of higher education unless the General Assembly authorizes a longer term.
Committee members asked whether the bill authorizes only the 14 listed conveyances; Senator Landis and DAS testified that it covers only those parcels and that future conveyances would require separate legislative authorization. The committee held a first hearing and took no vote.
