Ohio Code § 5575.01

§ 5575.01.

(A) In the maintenance and repair of roads, the board of township trustees may proceed

either by contract or force account, but, unless the exemption specified in division

(C) of this section applies, if the board wishes to proceed by force account, it first

shall cause the county engineer to complete the force account assessment form developed

by the auditor of state under section 117.16 of the Revised Code .  Except as otherwise provided in sections 505.08 and 505.101 of the Revised Code , when the board proceeds by contract, the contract shall, if the amount involved

exceeds one hundred five thousand dollars, be let by the board to the lowest responsible

bidder after advertisement for bids once, not later than two weeks, prior to the date

fixed for the letting of the contract, using at least one of the following methods: (1) In the print or digital edition of a newspaper of general circulation within the

township; (2) On the official public notice web site established under section 125.182 of the Revised Code ; (3) On the web site and social media account of the township. If the amount involved is one hundred five thousand dollars or less, a contract may

be let without competitive bidding, or the work may be done by force account.  Such a contract shall be performed under the supervision of a member of the board

or the township road superintendent. (B) Before undertaking the construction or reconstruction of a township road, the board

shall cause to be made by the county engineer an estimate of the cost of the work,

which estimate shall include labor, material, freight, fuel, hauling, use of machinery

and equipment, and all other items of cost.  If the board finds it in the best interest of the public, it may, in lieu of constructing

the road by contract, proceed to construct the road by force account.  Except as otherwise provided under sections 505.08 and 505.101 of the Revised Code , where the total estimated cost of the work exceeds thirty-five thousand dollars

per mile, the board shall invite and receive competitive bids for furnishing all the

labor, materials, and equipment and doing the work, as provided in section 5575.02 of the Revised Code , and shall consider and reject them before ordering the work done by force account.  When such bids are received, considered, and rejected, and the work is done by force

account, the work shall be performed in compliance with the plans and specifications

upon which the bids were based. (C) Force account assessment forms are not required under division (A) of this section

for road maintenance or repair projects or under division (B) of this section for

road construction or reconstruction projects of less than one-third of the applicable

force account limit. (D) On the first day of July of every year beginning in 2024, the threshold amounts established

in divisions (A) and (B) of this section shall increase by an amount not to exceed

the lesser of five per cent, or the percentage amount of any increase in the department

of transportation's construction cost index as annualized and totaled for the prior

calendar year.  The director of transportation shall notify each appropriate county engineer of

the increased amount. (E) All force account work under this section shall be done under the direction of a

member of the board or the township road superintendent.