The addition of 50 new police officers, the removal of 5 million pounds of debris, and the reconstruction and repair of 89 miles of streets and bridges are a few of the goals outlined in the city’s 2023 proposed budget.
Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz presented an overview of the city’s proposed budget during a Wednesdays with Wade live event at the Main Library in downtown Toledo. A handful of high school students joined a few residents to hear the presentation in-person, while 35 watched it online.
“We're always looking for new and creative ways to engage with the public,” the mayor said. “We do live in cynical times, we do live in times where people don’t trust government, and because of that we really have worked hard to find different ways to be transparent, to engage, to communicate with the public.”
The mayor’s presentation outlined proposed revenue and expenses for the city’s approximately $996 million total budget. About $324 million is designated to general-fund expenses to pay for police, firefighters, city staff, and core basic services, he said. Another $345 million is earmarked for utility operations.
Approximately $125 million is designated for capital projects, which includes buildings, vehicles, and infrastructure, according to the mayor’s presentation. Approximately $1.5 million has been designated toward improvement projects at 22 fire stations, but local officials have previously said that much more money is needed to update those buildings.
The budget calls for an $8.5 million appropriation to remove snow, $9.3 million to pick up leaves and sweep streets, and $8.3 million to mow 1,700 acres of grass for which the city is responsible.
In addition, the city plans to invest $4.1 million on landfill improvements and $5.3 to upgrade the wastewater treatment plant off Summit Street in North Toledo. According to the mayor, a much larger investment is needed to repair that plant.
“This is a pebble of sand in the Sahara Desert of work that has to be done at that plant,” he said.
The proposed budget also calls for $2.7 million to fund major projects at six city parks and lesser upgrades at others. Approximately $300,000 has been earmarked to fund the creation of Penn 7, a new park along the lower Maumee River near its mouth into Lake Erie. The mayor is personally behind that project.
“There aren’t many things in this budget that are mine, but this is mine,” he said. “I believe that it is such a blessing that Toledo is located on the Great Lake. Somehow for some reason we never embraced the water like other communities did. It’s almost as if our founding fathers years ago said, ‘My goodness, look at this waterfront property, what a delightful place to put a pile of salt.’”
Penn 7 will take full advantage of the river setting, he said.
The mayor also outlined additional projects underway using additional funding made available in the American Rescue Plan Act, including $10 million designated to replace private lead water service lines and $19 million to build a new Wayman Palmer YMCA.
The mayor fielded a number of questions on topics including the city’s roof replacement program, crime, street repair, and landlord rental issues. Many of his top staff were also on hand to field questions as needed.
Downtown Toledo resident Betsy Ujvagi enjoyed hearing the information, which she said was presented in a way that was easy for her to understand.
“It was a nice jumping-off point,” she said. “I have watched some of the online ones, but I thought this one especially would be good to come to.”
In January, Toledo City Council will begin a committee hearing process to review the budget, which has to be approved by March 31.
First Published December 8, 2022, 12:41 a.m.
