RESOLUTION #12-2004

A RESOLUTION OF THE RICHFIELD TOWNSHIP BOARD OF TRUSTEES
TO OBJECT TO THE PASSAGE OF HOUSE BILL 175

Whereas, the Board of Trustees of Richfield Township, located in Summit County, has reviewed the proposed legislation of House Bill 175, which would create a statewide uniform residential building code that would require local entities that already have certified local building departments to submit to the standards of the statewide code,

Whereas, the proposed language of House Bill 175 provides not only for a MINIMUM building code, but also for a MAXIMUM building code,

Whereas, Richfield Township has long enjoyed a productive, interactive and responsive relationship with the County of Summit Department of Building Standards, the entity responsible for regulating and enforcing the residential building code for Richfield Township,

Whereas, the County of Summit Department of Building Standards is under the authority of the Executive’s Office of the County of Summit, which is the only county in the state of Ohio that has adopted the charter form of government,

Whereas, the charter form of government, also known as home rule, provides the County of Summit with the capability to implement and enforce regulations, including building code standards, more effectively than other non-charter entities,

Whereas, the County of Summit’s current residential building code already has standards that are in excess of the proposed uniform state standard and the effect of House Bill 175 would be to undercut the standards for residential construction already established in the county of Summit,

Whereas, the ultimate objective of a residential building code is to provide for the health, safety and welfare of the owners, occupants and guests of a residential structure, and to assure that residential construction adheres to a reasonable standard of quality, when compared to other residences in the surrounding community and region,

Whereas, the health and safety objectives can best be achieved by tailoring a code to meet the specific needs of a community or region, for example in regard to safety service resources available, location and availability of central water and sewer, and riparian issues such as steep slopes, unstable soils, & storm water runoff issues,

Whereas, the welfare objective addresses the necessity to preserve investment in the residential property base by assuring that new construction will meet the current standards of the surrounding community, providing not only a sound long-term investment for individual property owners, but a solid tax base for the local entity that must provide services to the residential area,

Whereas, there is no objection by this Board of establishing MINIMUM uniform statewide standards for residential construction to augment those entities having insufficient buildings standards,

Whereas, there is great objection by this Board to require adoption of MAXIMUM uniform statewide standards for residential construction where the effect would be to undercut existing local building codes and provide for a level of health, safety and welfare that is lower than the standards already established by the local community,

NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED by the board of Trustees of Richfield Township, Summit County, Ohio, that the Board recommends that House Bill 175, providing for a statewide uniform residential building code be REJECTED, or at the very least, AMENDED to allow for only minimum code standards, while allowing local entities to establish maximum standards that are keeping with the health safety and welfare objectives of that local community.

___________________ _____________________________
Date Trustee

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Attest:

________________________________
Township Clerk


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