Opponent Testimony on Substitute House Bill 147 — The Port of Greater Cincinnati Development Authority

Summary

Opponent testimony on Substitute House Bill 147 to the Ohio House Development Committee, dated February 25, 2026, from Laura N. Brunner, President & CEO of The Port of Greater Cincinnati Development Authority. The testimony states that in 2025 alone the Public Finance Practice issued $518.5 million in financing across 18 projects in Hamilton County, and that from 2020 through 2025 The Port has issued more than $2.06 billion in financing. It objects that the bill would let a developer seek a sales tax exemption from the Ohio Tax Credit Authority if an agreement is not executed within 30 days. The testimony urges the committee to oppose Substitute House Bill 147.

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                              Ohio House Development Committee
                          Opponent Testimony, Substitute House Bill 147

                                 Laura N. Brunner, President & CEO
                        The Port of Greater Cincinnati Development Authority
                                          February 25, 2026

Chairman Hoops, Vice Chair Lorenz, Ranking Member Brownlee, and members of the House
Development Committee:

On behalf of The Port of Greater Cincinnati Development Authority (The Port), thank you for the
opportunity to provide opponent testimony on Substitute House Bill 147.

My name is Laura Brunner, and I serve as President and CEO of The Port, a public, mission-driven
economic development agency focused on transforming underutilized real estate in Hamilton County
into productive assets that strengthen communities and support long-term economic growth.

Port authorities across Ohio serve multiple roles in local redevelopment. In Hamilton County, that work
includes redeveloping blighted property, expanding housing opportunity, strengthening industrial
competitiveness, and structuring development transactions that align private investment with
measurable community benefit.

The development finance tools granted to port authorities under Ohio law are not one-dimensional
incentives. They are flexible instruments designed to address unique development challenges and
unlock transformative projects. Their effectiveness depends on local knowledge, deliberate negotiation,
and accountability to the communities directly impacted by these decisions.

That disciplined public finance practice operates within the governance framework established under
Ohio law.

In 2025 alone, our Public Finance Practice issued $518.5 million in financing across 18 projects in
Hamilton County. Those transactions are expected to support an estimated 1,500 temporary and
permanent jobs, create over 2,500 housing units, and leverage approximately $760 million in private
investment. Of those residential units, 1,243 will be affordable to households earning less than 80
percent of the area median income, and five projects were supported through the Low-Income
Housing Tax Credit program.

From 2020 through 2025, The Port has issued more than $2.06 billion in financing across nearly 100
projects, supporting an estimated 19,487 temporary and permanent jobs. These outcomes are not
automatic. They reflect careful fiscal analysis and locally accountable negotiation. More importantly,
they demonstrate what Hamilton County and Ohio’s port authorities can deliver when empowered to
use their tools responsibly and strategically.

Substitute House Bill 147 would alter that framework.

By allowing a developer to seek a sales tax exemption from the Ohio Tax Credit Authority if an
agreement is not executed within 30 days, the bill introduces a statutory deadline into complex
development negotiations. Transactions of this scale often involve due diligence coordination, layered
capital stacks, infrastructure planning, and alignment with local incentive programs. These are not
decisions that can be responsibly compressed into a fixed timeline without risking unintended fiscal
and community consequences.

In practice, public finance transactions are rarely standalone decisions. Our experience has been that
developers utilizing our public finance tools are typically coordinating with local jurisdictions and other
public partners as part of a broader capital structure. Those discussions occur in tandem, and projects
brought forward for port participation generally reflect substantial alignment across all parties
involved.

Port authorities are governed by locally appointed boards and operate under Ohio’s open meetings
and public records laws. Our role is to evaluate projects on a case-by-case basis to ensure viability and
alignment with local economic development priorities. Local board members are directly answerable to
the residents who live with the outcomes of these developments. The Ohio Tax Credit Authority – while
dedicated to statewide economic goals – does not operate with the same proximity or accountability
to neighborhood-level concerns. HB 147 shifts power away from the people most impacted and
toward a process that is further removed from local entities.

Ohio’s port authorities play a vital role in advancing the state’s economic development goals at the
local level. We work collaboratively with public and private partners to support projects that reflect
community priorities while safeguarding long-term fiscal health. The existing framework provides the
accountability and transparency necessary for that work.

For these reasons, The Port of Greater Cincinnati Development Authority respectfully urges the
Committee to oppose Substitute House Bill 147.

Chairman Hoops, and members of the House Development Committee, thank you for your time and
attention to this pressing issue. I’m happy to answer any questions the committee may have.


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