Gov. John Kasich's newly introduced off-year budget bill includes the property tax exemption sought for six months by the public operators of Nationwide Arena.

Gov. John Kasich�s newly introduced off-year budget bill includes the property tax exemption sought for six months by the public operators of Nationwide Arena.

With the arena�s 15-year, 99 percent tax abatement set to expire at the end of 2016, leaving the potential for an annual tax bill of about $4 million, the Franklin County Convention Facilities Authority has been looking for lawmakers to extend the facility a property tax exemption similar to what is provided to 15 other publicly owned sports venues in Ohio.

Kasich included the tax abatement as part of what he calls his mid-biennium review, part of a series of bills he has introduced over the past six weeks on various aspects of government, including water quality measures and higher education reforms. State Budget Director Tim Keen laid out the new budget bill Tuesday before the House Finance Committee.

Keen said the measure provides the tax exemption even if the arena is leased to a private enterprise. He stressed that it�s the same tax deal offered to other facilities.

The Facilities Authority paid $42.5 million for the arena, but it borrowed all the money from the seller, Nationwide, and has never made a payment on the loan. Payments will not start unless more casino-tax revenue materializes.

The authority has been receiving about $4.7 million a year in casino tax revenue, enough to cover maintenance for the home of the Columbus Blue Jackets, but not much else. The authority has said it has no money to pay a multimillion-dollar tax bill.

The tax exemption is not expected to impact a deal reached in December, when the Facilities Authority agreed to pay $586,000 a year to Columbus City Schools and give the district free access to the arena and the Greater Columbus Convention Center four times a year for events such as graduation.

Keen said the mid-biennium review also includes $18 million for the Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections for security, mental health improvements and the Treatment Transfer program that allows certain non-violent inmates to be moved into community facilities if they complete drug abuse treatment.

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