More than $480 million in Miami Valley transportation projects have been developed by special districts primarily focused on fueling economic development.

Still, officials in some area counties are shying away from forming their own transportation improvement district (TID), citing the added bureaucracy and the need to focus on maintenance of existing roads and bridges.

Advocates say that the districts give local governments the opportunity to better organize and leverage transportation funds, primarily to pave the way for economic development.

“It’s that relatively narrow focus that creates value,” said Steve Stanley, executive director of the Montgomery County Transportation Improvement District (TID). “Other counties may not see that need. Maybe they don’t have big priorities.”

In May, the Warren County TID took over a $4.4 million project sought for years by Springboro, building a new northbound ramp from Ohio 73 onto Interstate 75. The county TID also is behind the funding of $25.5 million in improvements near the Fields-Ertel Interchange off Interstate 71.

“We have some rather large projects we’re involved in,” Warren County Engineer Neil Tunison said. “It’s benefiting our area.”’

So far TIDs have been formed in only 12 of 88 Ohio counties. Greene County Engineer Bob Geyer said he has discouraged discussion of developing one in his county.

“I’m not a big fan of it,” Geyer said. “To me it’s a bureaucracy I don’t care to get involved in.”

Economic development

TIDs in Montgomery and Butler counties have driven more than $450 million in projects, some still in development — including I-75 interchanges at Austin Boulevard along the Warren-Montgomery county border and Liberty Way and Union Centre Boulevard in Butler County.

TIDs organize local governments, sometimes crossing county lines and allow for assessment or tax incremental financing to fund projects. Projects financed by a TID don’t affect a county’s bond rating and can be sold without compliance with public bidding laws.

Last year the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) budget began funding a new competitive process setting aside $3.5 million a year for TIDs.

“There will be other counties that will look at this mechanism,” Stanley said. “People are experimenting with them across the state.”

Traditional counties

Rather than a TID, Clark County Engineer Johnathan Burr said a planning group, including Springfield and New Carlisle, collaborates and applies for grants and loans for big projects in Clark County.

ODOT oversaw the $20 million widening of Interstate 70. “Most of our projects are smaller in scope,” Burr said.

In Miami County, officials are studying a TID and other ways to pay for road and bridge maintenance. “I’m not opposed to development. I’m more charged with maintaining what we have,” County Engineer Paul Huelskamp said.

This year, Greene County communities collaborated on a $6.5 million paving program. Like Burr, Geyer pointed to ODOT’s responsibility for highway projects.

“I don’t feel the need to spend money to do ODOT’s work,” he said. “You have the burden of another bureaucracy. They don’t run themselves for free.”

TID operations

Although formed by county commissioners, the districts are unworkable without support from the county engineer’s office, officials said.

“You have to have a county engineer who sees the value and is not threatened by another organization taking on transportation projects,” said Dave Spinney, director of the Butler County TID.

TIDs in Montgomery and Butler counties share an accountant and each operate on about $300,000 a year. In Warren County, Tunison has assigned an engineer, Dan Corey, from his office to focus on TID projects. This year, only $85,000 is budget for operations.

Corey’s application to the Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission for the Springboro ramp qualified for $2.6 million of the $4.4 million project cost.

On May 17, Springboro City Council voted to turn over the project to Corey and the TID.

“I have someone I’m devoting to it full time. I don’t know that Springboro can do that,” Tunison said.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2261 or lbudd @DaytonDailyNews.com.