(A) The board of county commissioners of a county solid waste management district and the board of directors of a joint solid waste management district may fix reasonable rates or charges to be paid by every person, municipal corporation, township, or other political subdivision that owns premises to which solid waste collection, storage, transfer, disposal, recycling, processing, or resource recovery service is provided by the district and may change the rates or charges whenever it considers it advisable. Charges for collection, storage, transfer, disposal, recycling, processing, or resource recovery service shall be made only against lots or parcels that are improved, or in the process of being improved, with at least one permanent, portable, or temporary building. The rates or charges may be collected by either of the following means:

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(1) Periodic billings made by the district directly or in conjunction with billings for public utility rates or charges by a county water district established under section 6103.02 of the Revised Code, a county sewer district established under section 6117.02 of the Revised Code, or a municipal corporation or other political subdivision authorized by law to provide public utility service. When any such charges that are so billed are not paid, the board shall certify them to the county auditor of the county where the lots or parcels are located, who shall place them upon the real property duplicate against the property served by the collection, storage, transfer, disposal, recycling, processing, or resource recovery service. The charges shall be a lien on the property from the date they are placed upon the real property duplicate by the auditor and shall be collected in the same manner as other taxes.

(2) Certifying the rates or charges to the county auditor of the county where the lots or parcels are located, who shall place them on the real property duplicate against the lots or parcels. The rates or charges are a lien on the property from the date they are placed upon the real property duplicate by the auditor and shall be collected in the same manner as other taxes.

The county or joint district need not fix a rate or charge against property if the district does not operate a collection system.

Where a county or joint district owns or operates a solid waste facility, either without a collection system or in conjunction therewith, the board of county commissioners or board of directors may fix reasonable rates or charges for the use of the facility by persons, municipal corporations, townships, and other political subdivisions, may contract with any public authority or person for the collection of solid wastes in any part of any district for collection, storage, disposal, transfer, recycling, processing, or resource recovery in any solid waste facility, or may lease the facility to any public authority or person. The cost of collection, storage, transfer, disposal, recycling, processing, or resource recovery under such contracts may be paid by rates or charges fixed and collected under this section or by rates and charges fixed under those contracts and collected by the contractors.

All moneys collected by or on behalf of a county or joint district as rates or charges for solid waste collection, storage, transfer, disposal, recycling, processing, or resource recovery service in any district shall be paid to the county treasurer in a county district or to the county treasurer or other official designated by the board of directors in a joint district and kept in a separate and distinct fund to the credit of the district. The fund shall be used for the payment of the cost of the management, maintenance, and operation of the solid waste collection or other solid waste facilities of the district and, if applicable, the payment of the cost of collecting the rates or charges of the district pursuant to division (A)(1) or (2) of this section. Prior to the approval of the district’s initial solid waste management plan under section 3734.55 of the Revised Code or the issuance of an order under that section requiring the district to implement an initial plan prepared by the director, as appropriate, the fund also may be used for the purposes of division (G)(1) or (3) of section 3734.57 of the Revised Code. On and after the approval of the district’s initial plan under section 3734.521 or 3734.55 of the Revised Code or the issuance of an order under either of those sections, as appropriate, requiring the district to implement an initial plan prepared by the director, the fund also may be used for the purposes of divisions (G)(1) to (10) of section 3734.57 of the Revised Code. Those uses may include, in accordance with a cost allocation plan adopted under division (B) of this section, the payment of all allowable direct and indirect costs of the district, the sanitary engineer or sanitary engineering department, or a federal or state grant program, incurred for the purposes of this chapter and sections 3734.52 to 3734.572 of the Revised Code. Any surplus remaining after those uses of the fund may be used for the enlargement, modification, or replacement of such facilities and for the payment of the interest and principal on bonds and bond anticipation notes issued pursuant to section 343.07 of the Revised Code. In no case shall money so collected be expended otherwise than for the use and benefit of the district.

A board of county commissioners or directors, instead of operating and maintaining solid waste collection or other solid waste facilities of the district with county or joint district personnel, may enter into a contract with a municipal corporation having territory within the district pursuant to which the operation and maintenance of the facilities will be performed by the municipal corporation.

The products of any solid waste collection or other solid waste facility owned under this chapter shall be sold through competitive bidding in accordance with section 307.12 of the Revised Code, except when a board of county commissioners or directors determines by resolution that it is in the public interest to sell those products in a commercially reasonable manner without competitive bidding.

(B) A board of county commissioners or directors may adopt a cost allocation plan that identifies, accumulates, and distributes allowable direct and indirect costs that may be paid from the fund of the district created in division (A) of this section and prescribes methods for allocating those costs. The plan shall authorize payment from the fund for only those costs incurred by the district, the sanitary engineer or sanitary engineering department, or a federal or state grant program, and those costs incurred by the general and other funds of the county for a common or joint purpose, that are necessary and reasonable for the proper and efficient administration of the district under this chapter and sections 3734.52 to 3734.572 of the Revised Code. The plan shall not authorize payment from the fund of any general government expense required to carry out the overall governmental responsibilities of a county. The plan shall conform to United States office of management and budget Circular A-87 “Cost Principles for State and Local Governments,” published January 15, 1983.

(C) A board of county commissioners or directors shall fix rates or charges, or enter into contracts fixing the rates or charges to be collected by the contractor, for solid waste collection, storage, transfer, disposal, recycling, processing, or resource recovery services at a public meeting held in accordance with section 121.22 of the Revised Code. In addition to fulfilling the requirements of section 121.22 of the Revised Code, the board, before fixing or changing rates or charges for solid waste collection, storage, transfer, disposal, recycling, processing, or resource recovery services, or before entering into a contract that fixes rates or charges to be collected by the contractor providing the services, shall hold at least three public hearings on the proposed rates, charges, or contract. Prior to the first public hearing, the board shall publish notice of the public hearings as provided in section 7.16 of the Revised Code or once a week for three consecutive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation in the county or counties that would be affected by the proposed rates, charges, or contract. The notice shall include a listing of the proposed rates or charges to be fixed and collected by the board or fixed pursuant to the contract and collected by the contractor, and the dates, time, and place of each of the three hearings thereon. The board shall hear any person who wishes to testify on the proposed rates, charges, or contract.