OH SB257

Redefines "political subdivision" in Ohio law to mean any body corporate and politic responsible for governmental activities in a geographic area smaller than the state, removing the previous exhaustive list of specific entities.

Establishes the Local Government Innovation Council with 13 members including state officials, legislators, and representatives from municipal leagues, county commissioners, townships, chambers of commerce, school boards, and higher education to oversee the local government innovation program.

Creates the Local Government Innovation Fund in the state treasury to provide loans and grants to political subdivisions for innovation projects, funded by appropriations, loan repayments, and private donations.

Requires the council to establish evaluation criteria by December 31, 2011, prioritizing return on investment, number of participating entities, probability of success, local matching funds, replicability, consolidation efforts, and performance audit recommendations.

Extends the council's existence from December 31, 2015, to June 30, 2018, and allocates $44.825 million to the Local Government Innovation Fund with at least 30% each reserved for smaller and larger political subdivisions based on 2010 census population thresholds.