Message from Mayor Kapszukiewicz
I want to thank everyone for joining me yesterday for the 2020 State of the City address in the Great Hall at the Toledo Zoo.

Successful cities invest in themselves, yet Toledo spends less per capita than any other big city in Ohio. Fortunately, there will be an issue on the ballot in 46 days – Issue 1 – that will make the kinds of investments that will help Toledo become the city we all know it can be.

In 2009, in the worst of the Great Recession, Columbus voters were presented with a plan identical to Issue 1 – and they passed it. Columbus is now one of the fastest growing cities in the United States.

Issue 1 will do a number of things, but more than anything else, it will fix our roads – once and for all.
I announced yesterday what roads would be repaved or reconstructed in 2020 and 2021 if voters approve Issue 1 on the March 17 ballot. We will be able to repave or reconstruct 391 roads in 2020 and 2021 totaling nearly 170 miles. Without passage of Issue 1, the city will be able to repave or reconstruct only 28 roads in 2020 and 2021.

Keep in mind, these are the roads we will fix in just the first two years of our ten-year plan. There are more roads that we need to fix in Toledo, and we will have the chance to fix them over the next eight years. So, we need your help. Look at the list . Your feedback will help determine the roads we resurface in years three though ten. Email us at roads@toledo.oh.gov .

As I mentioned last night, Toledo is improving. On a number of measures (public safety, economic development, regional water), we are much better off than we were last year, three years ago, five years ago, ten years ago. But, while our progress is undeniable, there is still so much more work to do.

It really comes down to this simple question: Are we going to be content with slow improvement, or are we going to fix our problems once and for all?

Issue 1 will do the following:
  • Allow us to spend $40 million a year on residential road repair, which is four times more than what was spent in the record-high repaving year of 2018 and ten times the typical annual funding. Toledo will be able to repave 45 times more roads – from 1.6 miles in 2019 to 72 miles per year, every year, for ten years.
  • Fund $20 million a year for police and fire vehicles, and non-road related capital projects, such as badly-needed improvements at the city’s parks, ball diamonds, tennis courts, basketball courts, shelter houses, and senior centers.
  • Invest in police by adding 100 additional police officers to Toledo streets over a five-year period, increasing the department’s sworn officer ranks from 600 in January 2018 to 700 by 2023. That will be the highest level of police staffing since 2003.
  • Invest in neighborhoods by fighting blight and funding incentives to fight lead poisoning.
  • Invest in youth and recreation activities six times more that what is currently funded, allowing every child in Toledo to participate in a sports league or other activity.
  • Keep pools open from Memorial Day to Labor Day.
  • Provide universal access to prekindergarten with a private sector match.

The most important part of Issue 1 is a promise that the new revenue raised to fix our roads must be spent on roads. It is written into the ballot language. This new revenue for roads will not be able to be redirected to any other use. By law, it can only be spent on roads.

If we want something different for our city, we cannot keep doing things the same old way. We have to be big, we have to be bold, and we have to be courageous. We should believe in ourselves enough to want to invest in ourselves, and that is what Issue 1 does.
Special Moment at Scott High School
The other exciting news this week was announced Wednesday . Pete Kadens, an Ottawa Hills native who now resides in Chicago, pledged to pay college tuition, room, board, and fees for graduating Scott High School seniors who want to attend a university or trade school. Mr. Kadens said he would also extend the same offer to one parent or legal guardian of each graduating student.

If I accomplish nothing else as mayor of Toledo, I will always take pride in helping make this program a reality. I will remember Wednesday's announcement, and the reaction of those students and parents, for the rest of my life.
Economic Development
The city of Toledo is thrilled to welcome Davis College back to downtown.

Davis College has a long-standing history in Toledo. It has been in our city for more than 160 years.

The college announced recently it will join the Renaissance of downtown with a move to Four Seagate on Summit Street.

Davis College is a two-year school offering programs in business and health care.
From the Toledo Lucas County Health Department
Flu and the common cold are both respiratory illnesses but they are caused by different viruses. Because these two types of illnesses have similar symptoms, it can be difficult to tell the difference between them based on symptoms alone.

Take preventative actions to stop the spread of germs:
  • Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze, or cough into your sleeve. After using a tissues, throw it away immediately and wash your hands.
  • Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water aren’t available, use an alcohol-based hand rub.
  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth Germs on your hands can transfer into your body.
  • Stay home or keep your distance when you are ill or not feeling well. CDC recommends that you stay home for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone.
  • Clean and disinfect surfaces and objects that may be contaminated with germs.

Coronavirus Update
The Health Department continues to work with the Ohio Department of Health and Centers for Disease Control (CDC) regarding the 2019 Novel Coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan City, China. CDC considers the U.S. to be low risk at this time. People who have traveled to the affected areas outside the U.S. where 2019-nCoV outbreaks have been identified and feel sick with fever, cough, or difficulty breathing, should seek medical care right away. Before you go to a doctor’s office or emergency room, call ahead and inform them of your symptoms and travel. If you have not traveled to China or have not been in contact with a person known or suspected to have the illness, there is no reason to be concerned at this time.
Mark Your Calendars
Review of the Toledo Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing

There will be public hearing at 4 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 4 in Toledo City Council Chambers, One Government Center to review the Toledo Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing that was conducted by the Fair Housing Center .
Toledo Regional Water Commission Meeting

There will be a Toledo Regional Water Commission meeting at 8 a.m., Wednesday, Feb. 5 in Toledo City Council Chambers, One Government Center.
Toledo Police 66 th Academy Class Graduation
Members of the 66 th Toledo Police Academy class will receive their badges and take their oath of office as the newest Toledo Police officers at 6 p.m., Friday, Feb. 7 at Owens Community College Center for Fine & Performing Arts,
7270 Biniker Rd. Perrysburg, Ohio 43551. The doors open at 5 p.m.
Wednesdays with Wade
Wednesdays with Wade will be 4:30 to 6 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 19 at the Mott Branch Library, 1010 Dorr St.

Residents and business owners are encouraged to ask questions on any topic, meet neighbors, and learn about city projects. The meetings are held at different library branches throughout the city on the first Wednesday of the month.

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.
We're Hiring!

Click this  link   for the most current job postings in the city of Toledo.
By The Numbers
(2020 totals)
6,840 potholes filled
6 water main breaks repaired
108,182  feet of sanitary sewers cleaned
1,229  feet of storm sewers cleaned
16 illegal signs removed
18 trees trimmed
658 building inspections
828 contractor licenses
6,166 tons of salt used
4,270 EMS runs
418 fire runs
Great thanks to the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority for installing this wonderful new sign at Toledo Express Airport, which will soon be dedicated as Eugene F. Kranz Toledo Express Airport.

Check out great flight deals at this link .
Toledo In The News
Mayor Kapszukiewicz delivers State of the City from Toledo Zoo The mayor’s proposal to increase Toledo’s temporary income tax by half a percentage point was central to his 2020 State of the City address on Thursday. “Forty-seven days from today, Issue One will be on the ballot. It is a plan to invest in ourselves and to begin to become the sort of city we want to be,” Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz, a Democrat, told the crowd gathered at the Toledo Zoo’s newly renovated Great Hall.

TPS announces donor will pay to send Scott graduates to college When Scott High School seniors don their maroon and white graduation gowns and walk across the stage to receive their diplomas this spring, they won’t be thinking about how they’ll pay for college. They won’t have to.

 City of Toledo announces energy conservation and facilities improvement project The city of Toledo is expected to enter a new contract in an effort to reduce utility and operating costs. Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz announced the city's plan to join in on an energy savings performance contract with Leopardo Companies, Inc. to provide comprehensive energy management and infrastructure-related capital improvement services.
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