Message from Mayor Kapszukiewicz
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Toledo City Council this week approved the 2020 operating budget, and while the budget builds upon our commitment to stretch tax dollars as far as possible, it is also a perfect illustration of why we need to pass Issue 1.
Having failed to invest in ourselves for nearly 40 years, Toledo finds itself way behind other cities in terms of basic services and quality of life. We are moving in the right direction, but we are still not where we need to be.
I want to thank the members of Toledo City Council for working with me to squeeze every last penny of savings out of this budget. They did a fantastic job, but it is still not enough. For us to be the sort of city we all know we can be, and to fix our terrible roads, we need to do what other successful cities do and invest in ourselves. We will have a chance to do that by voting for Issue 1.
This budget
includes a transfer of $8 million from the capital fund to the general fund. That transfer would be eliminated, and prohibited, when Issue 1 passes. It also requires that roads money be spent on roads, and a majority of the new money collected with Issue 1 will be spent on roads.
The 2020 budget is another step in the right direction. We are making progress, but to make the sort of substantial investment Toledo needs, we must pass Issue 1.
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Helping Ronald McDonald House Charities of Northwest Ohio
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Also this week, I would like to remind everyone to consider helping the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Northwest Ohio by rounding up when you make a purchase at your local McDonald’s restaurant. Remember to pick a healthy option, like I did in the video
posted here
.
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Any time a person orders a meal from McDonald’s, they have the choice of “rounding up” their change to the nearest dollar, and that money is donated directly to Ronald McDonald House Charities of Northwest Ohio.
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Toledo business and civic leader Richard Anderson
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Finally this week, I would like to offer our condolences to the family of Toledo business and civic leader Richard Anderson, who died Sunday. He will be remembered as a dedicated family man whose sound leadership in agribusiness and commitment to civic duty and philanthropy helped to shape our community. Richard was a great man and he leaves behind a legacy of talent, strong work ethic, and philanthropy.
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Site Selection Magazine for the fifth consecutive year ranked
Toledo
among the top ten in the nation for economic development among mid-size cities.
Site Selection's yearly analyses are regarded by corporate real estate analysts as “the industry scoreboard.”
“We continue to have amazing job growth in our city and we continue to push this trend with our partners, including the Regional Growth Partnership, JobsOhio, Lucas County, the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority, and most importantly, the businesses that decided Toledo is a great place to invest,” Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz said. “We continue to strive to be number one for our residents and our businesses.”
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Toledo Police have partnered with the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwestern Ohio “Bigs with Badges” program in an ongoing effort to build strong, trusting, and lasting relationships between local police and the communities they serve. Bigs with Badges is a one-to-one mentoring program that connects youth and those with badges in communities throughout Lucas and Wood counties.
The main goal of the program is to connect public safety professionals with youth in a positive way. In doing so, the program aims to reduce crime and youth/community violence, enhance the quality of children's lives, and emphasize the importance of education.
Bigs with Badges is a volunteer opportunity for Toledo Police officers. Mentees are matched with volunteer “Bigs.” The “Bigs” must be willing to make a minimum one-year commitment to mentoring and also commits to spending at least four hours per month with their mentee.
Current and retired first responders can volunteer by going online at
this link
and completing the online volunteer form.
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The Government Finance Officers Association (
GFOA
) has awarded the city of Toledo the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting.
The GFOA established the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting Program in 1945 to encourage and assist state and local governments to go beyond the minimum requirements of generally accepted accounting principles to prepare comprehensive annual financial reports that evidence the spirit of transparency and full disclosure, and then to recognize individual governments that succeed in achieving that goal.
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Val James to Visit Toledo
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Val James, the first American-born black player in the N.H.L. when he took to the ice with the Buffalo Sabres in 1982, will meet the public at the Ottawa Park Ice Rink, 2200 West Bancroft St., at
5:30 p.m., Sunday, March 8.
Mr. James played in seven leagues over the course of his career. From 1978-79 to 1987-88, he played in the minors, with several call-ups to the NHL – first with the Buffalo Sabres and then the Toronto Maple Leafs. Willie O’Ree, a Canadian, broke the N.H.L. color barrier in 1958, but Mr. James is believed to have been only the seventh black player to follow in the next 24 years.
The city of Toledo supports the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act. If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, please contact Joan Easler, ADA coordinator, at 419-245-1059.
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Levis Square Park Improvements Public Meeting
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The City of Toledo will hold a public meeting,
6 p.m. to 7 p.m., Wednesday, March 18
at Nexus Healthcare, 1415 Jefferson Ave. to present the second phase of improvements planned for Levis Square Park this summer.
Levis Square Park is a roughly three-quarter acre, primarily urban hardscape park located in the core of downtown Toledo near the intersection of St. Clair Street and Madison Avenue. Levis Square Park was developed nearly 50 years ago to serve as an outdoor lobby space for the Owens Corning’s new Word Headquarters, now known as the Tower on the Maumee, as well as the Toledo Trust Building and the Riverside Apartment Building.
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The
2020 Census
is nearly here and it is EXTREMELY important to
Toledo
and Lucas County. Review the dates here and remember to
Be Counte
d Toledo!
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How can we help you? The Engage Toledo app lets you make service requests 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, including holidays. We are committed to customer service.
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Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Amy Acton
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Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Amy Acton addresses fears of COVID-19. You can learn more about COVID-19 at
coronavirus.ohio.gov
.
Currently, there are no vaccines available to prevent COVID‐19 infection. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends typical infectious disease precautions, just as those used to prevent cold or flu.
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By The Numbers
(year to date)
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21,520
potholes filled
73
water main breaks repaired
309,373
feet of sanitary sewers cleaned
4,133
feet of storm sewers cleaned
690
illegal signs removed
228
trees trimmed
1,552
building inspections
1,189
contractor licenses
17,180
tons of salt used
9,041
EMS runs
916
fire runs
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NAMI of Greater Toledo holds kick-off event ahead of annual May walk
T
he need for mental health awareness in our state is at an all-time high. According to the Ohio Department of Health, suicides in Ohio are up 45 percent from 2007 to 2018 and up 56 percent among kids ages 10 to 24. In Lucas County, one in five people is afflicted with some form of mental illness, according to the NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) of Greater Toledo.
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