Public Finance

The firm currently advises approximately three dozen public entity clients across Ohio. We often take calls from around the country based on our regularly published articles detailing whether and how to spend ARPA funds. Our work includes serving as ARPA counsel to one of the nation’s largest municipal recipients of federal stimulus funds and advising several counties that have collectively received hundreds of millions in ARPA funds.

Represented Fayette County, the Jefferson Township - Washington Court House Joint Economic Development District, and the West Central Ohio Port Authority in various aspects of the proposed Honda-LG Energy Solution $3.5 billion battery plant joint venture to be located in northwest Fayette County. This work included negotiation of a development agreement, implementation of tax increment financing, use of a joint economic development district to support the project, and negotiation and documentation of direct incentives including property tax exemptions and sales and use tax exemptions with respect to building materials for the proposed plant.

Served as legal counsel to a port authority in connection with the authorization of a sales and use tax abatement on building materials for a 410,000 square-foot Royal Canin dry pet food manufacturing facility located in Preble County, Ohio.

Served as bond counsel to the Heath-Newark-Licking County Port Authority for an approximately $230,000,000 revenue bond issue to fund the costs of construction of a 360,000 square-foot office facility and a 500,000 square-foot distribution facility. Advice included negotiating sales and use tax abatements on building materials and real property tax abatements on real property tax values.

Serve as bond counsel and issuer counsel to community colleges, public and private institutions and universities across Ohio seeking to take advantage of the low-interest rate environment in order to conserve institutional resources and further their educational missions.

Served as bond counsel to an Ohio community college in connection with the tax-exempt financing of their new, cutting-edge culinary arts center. 

Served as bond counsel to an Ohio community college for its first issue of general obligation bonds approved by the Ohio county voters in a $300 million voted bond issue dedicated to financing a phased-in update to the classrooms, labs and educational facilities necessary to provide students with the technology, skills and opportunities needed to succeed in the workforce.

Successfully led the closing of a mixed-use public-private development project in downtown Columbus, Ohio. Served multiple roles in the project’s financing, including as bond counsel to the developer, commercial loan bank representative and legal counsel for PACE financing.

Assisted a local developer with the sale and partial leaseback of their previous headquarters and the acquisition of new headquarters. Our team handled all real estate aspects including the sale of lots and navigation of local government requirements. Additionally, our public finance team assisted the client with tax incrementing finance (TIF) issues.

Served as counsel to a port authority for a capital lease transaction, providing a sales tax exemption to the developer and property owner. The transaction enables the conversion of a former munitions factory to a 240,000-square-foot mixed-use space, including apartments, restaurants, retail and parking.

Served as counsel on a $16.3 million refinancing of a construction loan that involved significant PACE financing. The project funds eligible upgrades to a hotel near The Ohio State University campus in Columbus, Ohio. Energy efficient improvements include upgrades to the lighting and the building envelope.  

Served as counsel for a recently consolidated school district for a $42 million K-12 OFCC (state) co-funded project on the campus of a state university, with the local share bonds sold to the USDA.