Richland County's New Development Tools: Port Authority and CIC Explained

Economic development officials from the Richland Area Chamber & Economic Development have been actively explaining two governmental tools poised to shape future business development: the new Richland County Port Authority and the City of Mansfield Community Improvement Corporation.

The Richland County Board of Commissioners—Cliff Mears, Darrell Banks and Tony Vero—voted unanimously on June 10, 2025, to create the Port Authority under Ohio Revised Code Chapter 4582. It has already closed three deals generating an estimated $32 million in projects.

Meanwhile, Mansfield City Council is considering legislation to convey about half of a city-owned parking lot at Fourth and Main to the CIC so Park National Bank can build a new branch there.

Both entities sit outside traditional elected government but wield public powers that include tax incentives, land acquisition and bond financing. As officials explain what these tools can do, the harder question remains unanswered: who will they actually serve, and how will Richland County residents hold them accountable?

Two agencies at different levels of government

The Richland County Port Authority is one of more than 60 Ohio port authorities formed under ORC Section 4582. County commissioners create a port authority by resolution under ORC 4582.02.

Richland County's commissioners appointed a governing board that includes Mark Masters as chairman, David Eichinger as vice chairman, Randa Payne as secretary, DeLee Powell and John Oliveri. Board members serve staggered terms ending between May 31, 2026, and May 31, 2029.

Community Improvement Corporations work differently. Ohio CICs are nonprofit entities organized under ORC Chapter 1724 to advance economic, industrial, commercial and civic development, and can be designated as a local government's agent for development-related activities. If a CIC is designated as an agency of a political subdivision, at least 40 percent of its board must be elected or appointed officials of those subdivisions. The Mansfield CIC operates at the city level as an agent for Mansfield development decisions.

What powers do they have?

Ohio port authorities have broad financing powers under Chapter 4582. They can issue revenue bonds, acquire and lease property, and serve as the issuer, project manager or escrow agent for tax increment financing transactions. Chapter 4582 also authorizes port authorities to appropriate property for public use, the Ohio law concept most closely associated with eminent domain.

Ohio CICs can buy, lease, sell and otherwise acquire real or personal property for development purposes, with fewer restrictions than ordinary public contracting in some contexts. They generally cannot grant tax abatements independently; those are typically created and approved by the governmental body with statutory authority, while CICs can help administer, recommend or facilitate development incentives.

The Port Authority's three deals to date illustrate how those powers work: tax-exempt financing for Avita Health System's Jody M. Baker Cancer Center equipment; a sales tax exemption for a 456,000-square-foot industrial building for Charter Next Generation at the Ontario Commerce Center; and a sales tax exemption for a 150,000-square-foot Adena Corporation building near Mansfield Lahm Regional Airport.

Such incentives redirect public tax revenue toward private projects—foregone sales or property tax revenue that would otherwise flow to schools, infrastructure and county services.

Oversight — and its limits

The Port Authority board was appointed directly by the three county commissioners, not elected by voters. Its decisions, however, are generally subject to state transparency laws.

Ohio port authorities are covered by Ohio's Sunshine Law, including the Open Meetings Act in ORC 121.22 and the public records requirements in ORC 4582.58. Meetings are ordinarily open to the public, final actions must be journalized and records must be available for inspection at reasonable times. A port authority board may close a meeting only when considering information that is not a public record under the statute, and the closed session must be limited to that topic. Some financial, proprietary and trade-secret information connected to economic development activity is exempt from public disclosure.

Ohio CICs are also generally subject to the Sunshine Law, Open Meetings Act and Public Records Law, with limited exceptions for confidential financial, proprietary or business-relocation information. Meetings where a decision or determination is required on business-relocation, location, expansion, improvement or preservation matters must be open to the public.

Those exemptions for proprietary and financial information mean key details of deals—who profits, what concessions were negotiated, whether alternatives were considered—can remain behind closed doors even when public dollars are at stake.

The debate over the proposed Park National Bank property transaction has shown how public scrutiny can affect the process. An anticipated City Council vote on the property transfer was postponed amid public concern over reduced downtown parking. The postponement demonstrates that public pushback can slow deals, but residents must learn about projects early enough to weigh in before decisions are final.

The stakes for Richland County

Park National Bank will permanently close its downtown Mansfield office at 3 N. Main Street after structural damage was discovered in the building. Under the proposed land swap, the city would convey about half of a municipal parking lot at Fourth and Main so Park National can build a new branch, and the bank would deed its 3 N. Main St. building to the city for redevelopment.

The proposal comes as other downtown projects receive public support. Two Mansfield redevelopment efforts—Downtown Mansfield Forward – B and the Hearth and Forge Hotel—were awarded state tax credits under Ohio's Transformational Mixed-Use Development Program, securing $600,000 and $528,220 respectively.

The projects show momentum in downtown Mansfield, but they also sharpen the question of whether the deals will create good jobs and accessible commercial space for local residents or primarily benefit out-of-town investors and large institutions while displacing public assets such as parking.

The Port Authority's early deals have focused on large industrial and healthcare projects, leaving open whether smaller communities and Main Street businesses across Richland County will see similar support.

How residents can follow the deals

Because the Port Authority and CICs are subject to Ohio's Open Meetings Act, residents can attend board meetings and request advance notice of agendas. Public records requests under ORC 4582.58 and the Public Records Law can surface details of deals, though proprietary and trade-secret exemptions may shield some information.

For each proposed deal, residents should ask: How many jobs will be created, at what wages? Who owns the benefiting company, and do any board members or public officials have financial ties? What tax revenue is being foregone, and for how long? What alternatives were considered?

Residents can also press county commissioners and city council members to demand regular public reporting from the Port Authority and CIC on job creation, tax abatement costs and project outcomes.

Tom Vanderhorst, finance specialist with the Richland Area Chamber & Economic Development, and other officials are conducting outreach to explain these tools. Residents can use those forums to ask hard questions about accountability and community benefit.

The stakes—who controls Richland County's economic future and whether development serves the many or the few—demand that residents stay engaged.