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Medina County Port Authority

The Board of Commissioners created the Medina County Port Authority on October 20, 2003. After doing extensive research and collaborating with numerous entities throughout the county, the Commissioners established the new Port Authority, which will be responsible for Port-related projects for the entire county.

A representative group of business leaders has been selected to lead the Medina County Port Authority as it begins its operations. The Board of Directors was chosen by the Commissioners from a group of 25 applicants. The members of the Board of Directors is as follows:

• Ron Paydo, FirstMerit Bank NA
• William Frantz, Sandridge Food Corp.
• James Gerspacher, James Gerspacher Real Estate
• Robert Kenderes, Kenderes Insurance
• Dean Harris, Metro Regional Transit Authority
• Robert Krisowaty, Westfield Group
• Tammy Antonille, Hubbell, Inc.
• Ralph Berry, Jr., Largent, Berry, Preston & Jamison
• Robert Trimble, retired
  

The first meeting of the Medina County Port Authority was held on Monday November 3, 2003. The Board took action to select Ron Paydo as Chairman, William Frantz as Vice-Chair and James Gerspacher as Secretary. The post of Treasurer will be filled at a later date. The Board has determined that it will meet bi-weekly. The Medina County Economic Development Corporation (MCEDC) will serve, as the administrative team of the Port Authority while the Medina County Finance Department will be its fiscal agent.

The initial responsibilities of the Port Authority will include ownership of the land that is set to become the Medina County Business Technology Park. This 65-acre tract of land, located in Lafayette Township, is directly adjacent to the site that will be home to the Medina County University Center. The Port Authority, working in collaboration with MCEDC, will be responsible for marketing the parcels to attract high tech businesses.

What is a Port Authority?

1. What a port authority is:

1. A body corporate and politic created pursuant to either O.R.C. 4582.02 or 4582.22.
   Front-half port authorities (Cleveland & Toledo) v back-half port authorities (all other Ohio port authorities.
2. Can be created by any or a combination of a city, county, or township, and after
   creation, other subdivisions which are contiguous may join.
3. The creating entities (e.g. city and/or county) appoint the board members who
   Govern the port authority. If two or more creating entities, they decide which one appoints which board members. Typically, city appoints half and county appoints half. Board then hires operating staff. No member of port authority is elected. Nonetheless, it does help to separate the port authority from the political process to some extent to make it more effective in dealing with the private sector.
4. Since port authority board members are not elected, what controls are there by the
   Elected creating entities to restrain a “renegade” port authority?
   1. Creating entities can restrict powers. Dayton=Montgomery County Port Authority, for example, is not permitted to put a property tax levy on the ballot in Montgomery County to fund operations. Also, Dayton-Montgomery County Port Authority cannot be involved in an economic development project, which relocates jobs from one municipality to another without the approval of both municipalities.
   Only two port authorities in Ohio have restricted powers—Dayton and Cincinnati. All other port authorities have all the powers provided under Chapter 4582 (but that is the limit of their powers). Creating entities cannot confer more powers than those set forth in the statute.
   
   2. Power to appoint or reappoint board members when terms expire.
   3. Power to dissolve port authorities.

2. What a port authority is not:

1. Not a nonprofit corporation. A port authority is a unit of local government.
2. Not a part of the city or the county—a separate political subdivision.

1. Appropriations from the creating entities.
2. Port activities -- dockage, wharfage and landing fees.
3. Economic development finance fees.
   

4. What makes for an effective port authority:

1. Cooperation and support from creating entities. Good political environment in which the city, the county and the port authority are all pulling in the same direction.
2. Identification of the right role or niche for the port authority. Port authority should be engaged in economic development activities that are different from but complementary to the activities undertaken by the city and the county.

Coordination with the private sector -- Chamber of Commerce or its equivalent.