Message from Mayor Kapszukiewicz
Site Selection Magazine this week officially lauded Toledo for economic growth that was only possible because of the amazing work of everyone in our great city.
Dozens of people joined me Monday at ProMedica headquarters downtown to accept the award from the national magazine - the veritable bible of economic development. Toledo ranked third among midsized cities for economic development.
Toledo was graded against other "Tier Two" cities - those with a population between 200,000 and 1 million residents. The magazine looked at development projects with either $1 million of investment, 20,000 square feet in space, or that employ at least 20 people. Gary Daughter, senior editor with Site Selection magazine said: "Cities get growth when they want it and they get growth when they work for it and we're seeing that in Toledo, now."
We will continue to work for it. This is by no means a "mission accomplished" column. We know there is more work to do attracting new businesses, assisting existing businesses, rebuilding some of our neighborhoods, and fixing our infrastructure like those streets that have deteriorated after years of disinvestment for a variety of reasons.
I want to wish everyone a very Happy Easter. I hope everyone, not just people who celebrate this Christian holiday, has time this weekend to spend with family and friends to enjoy moments of peace and tranquility.
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Toledo City Council unanimously approved the 2018 general fund budget Tuesday –
the first time since 2013 the city’s annual spending plan has been approved without objection.
The amended 2018 general fund budget was created by a joint budget task force consisting of council and the Kapszukiewicz administration.
The vast majority of the 2018 general fund budget – 66.7 percent – is dedicated to funding police, fire, courts, and safety administration.
The general fund budget frees up millions for road repair and infrastructure.
The Kapszukiewicz administration plans to spend $8.75 million rebuilding and repaving residential streets this year.
The general fund budget reduced the transfer of capital improvement money to the general fund and shifts more federal Community Development Block Grant money that can be used for neighborhood projects.
The operating transfer from the capital improvement fund to the general fund is $2.1 million – a $3.1 million decrease from the proposed 2018 budget presented to council in November 2017 and an $8.9 million decrease from the 2017 budget approved by council in March 2017. The approved 2018 budget slashed expenditures from the previously-proposed $258.22 million to $255.2 million – a $3,010,550 decrease.
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Streets
The 2018 repaving program is already underway.
Monroe Street from Collingwood Boulevard to Summit Street will be resurfaced beginning Monday. There will also be work on Summit from Monroe to Lafayette Street. This work will be done in two phases running through August. Watch the
video
for more information.
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In February, Toledo City Council authorized spending up to $5.44 million from the Capital Improvement Fund for the 2018 "Matches and Planning Program," which is Toledo’s main roadway repaving program. This allocation is combined with nearly $15 million in grants and $412,000 in zero-interest loans. The city administration started this process early this year so bidding and construction would start on time.
Council approved spending $8.75 million Tuesday to rebuild and repave residential streets this year. Unlike the matches and planning program, the residential program is not eligible for matching grants. The list of residential streets in the 2018 program was posted in last week's
newsletter
.
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We have also started street patch work with hot asphalt on Harvest Lane and Parkside Boulevard.
Pothole repair and patchwork throughout the city will be more durable now that asphalt plants are open.
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Jamie Dickman and Stephen Machcinski, two Toledo firefighters who lost their lives battling a fire that was intentionally set in 2014, will be memorialized with a stretch of highway. Mayor Kapszukiewicz, state representatives Mike Ashford and Michael Sheehy, and Toledo Firefighters Local 92 President Jeff Koenigseker unveiled the new "Toledo Firefighters J. Dickman and S. Machcinski Memorial Highway" sign on I-75 Thursday.
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The Toledo Police Department received re-accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc.
Police Chief George Kral and the department’s accreditation and Inspections unit traveled to Texas to appear before the commission as the final step in the re accreditation process. In December, 2017 assessors from CALEA visited Toledo as part of the voluntary re-accreditation program.
Assessors reviewed the department to ensure it met the commission’s state-of-the-art standards in four basic areas: policy and procedures, administration, operations, and support services.
CALEA accreditation is a mark of law enforcement excellence and recognizes state-of-the-art police practices and departmental professionalism. The Toledo Police Department has held CALEA accreditation since 2003. This is the department’s sixth award for accreditation since 2003.
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Monroe County officials asked the city's Public Utilities Department for permission to open interconnects to the city of Monroe in the event of a water emergency. The city of Monroe has its own water treatment plant and does not currently receive Toledo water. Monroe needs to take one of its clarifiers out of service for a week. The plant will likely have the capacity it needs to provide water to its residents but the city of Monroe must have a backup plan in case of a water emergency, such as an inability to meet demand. The Kapszukiewicz administration is pleased to help Toledo's neighbors to the north.
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Monroe County receives Toledo water and has a 20-year water agreement that expires in 2031. The water agreement prohibits the county from allowing water to be distributed outside of the service area. To legally allow the county to provide Monroe with emergency water, the agreement needs to be amended.
Toledo City Council will have a special meeting at 1:59 p.m. Tuesday, April 3 to vote on amending the agreement.
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Toledo’s annual Mayor D. Michael Collins Blood Drive will be
9 a.m. to 3 p.m.,
Wednesday, April 4
at the Toledo Police Patrolman’s Association union hall, 1947 Franklin Ave. The blood drive honors the memory of Mayor Collins, who died Feb. 6, 2015. Donors may register at
redcross.org
.
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The Council District 2 regional water meeting will be 5:30-7:30 p.m.
Thursday, April 5,
at Bowsher High School, 2200 Arlington Ave.
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The city will hold six public meetings on the 2018 street repaving program in each of the Toledo City Council districts. The meetings next week are:
- District 2, Monday, April 2, 2018, 6-7:30 p.m., Bowsher High School, Auditorium, 2200 Arlington Ave.
- District 6, Thursday, April 5, 2018, 6-7:30 p.m., Friendship Park Community Center, 2930 131st St.
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By The Numbers
(
year-to-date
)
32,013
potholes filled
201
water main breaks repaired
587
new jobs
450
illegal signs removed
2,248
contractor licenses issued
2,545
building inspections completed
526
trees trimmed
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Text Alerts
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here
.
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From Councilwoman Sandy Spang
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Tuesday was my fifth opportunity to vote on a general fund budget, but it was also a first in several ways: greater involvement of council in the process, utilization of data from Priority Based Budgeting, and clearly defined goals.
As a member of the newly-formed, joint budget task force, I worked with fellow members of council and the administration to look closely at every department and fund. The task force moved back and forth between the Priority Based Budgeting data collected in the last year and the traditional line item budget. Priority Based Budgeting allows us to analyze the cost and effectiveness of more than 700 programs performed by city of Toledo departments. The discussion was robust and included areas to explore further after the budget was completed.
Three goals were adopted that we can carry over as we begin work on the 2019 budget:
- Reduce or eliminate transfers from the Capital Improvement Fund to the General Fund.
- Make more Community Development Block Grant dollars available for neighborhood improvement projects.
- Intentionally and incrementally increase our surplus.
The process was collaborative and focused on fiscal health and providing the greatest value to taxpayers and resulted in more than $3.1 million in spending cuts, reduction in the capital improvement fund transfer from $5.2 million to $2.1 million, and the first budget passed unanimously by Toledo City Council in five years.
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Toledo In The News
Metroparks awards contract for bike share
The Metroparks Toledo board Wednesday morning awarded a contract to Gotcha Bike, LLC, to provide bikes and equipment for a new bike share program in downtown Toledo.
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