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HB 497 prompts Fairfield County to post public notices online; county clarifies competitive-bidding and contract-review rules
Summary
Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Austin Lines summarized HB 497 changes that allow public notices to be posted on the county website and social media and outlined competitive-bidding and contract-review processes, while county staff will roll out a standardized "Bids" tab and social-media template for notices.
Fairfield County officials on Feb. 25 described operational changes tied to Ohio House Bill 497 that will alter how the county advertises bids and reviews contracts.
Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Austin Lines told the roundtable that HB 497 revised requirements for competitive bidding, clarified which products and services require bids and requests for qualifications, and reiterated that county contracts must be reviewed for legal form; by law they may not include broad indemnification clauses.
Bennett Niceswanger said the county will add a dedicated section on the Bids tab of the county website where public notices can be posted in lieu of newspaper advertising, a change allowed under HB 497. Aundrea Cordle said notices may still be placed in newspapers but that using the website and county social accounts will save time and money. Lines advised that notices posted to social media should be published from the county's official accounts and that staff will use a template to maintain consistency.
What to watch: The administrative change could reduce advertising costs and speed public notice distribution; departments should follow the county template and coordinate with legal and communications staff to ensure notices meet statutory requirements as they post online.
