Here’s a quick quiz to get the week started…

1. What does Michigan have that Ohio doesn’t?
2. What do Texas, Massachusetts, California, and the Virgin Islands have in common? (hint: It’s not the weather.)
3. What does $943,445,837 represent?

May I have the envelope please?

​By: Tim Schneider, Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce

​At its regular meeting at 4:00 p.m. today, Toledo City Council is expected to give first reading to Ordinance 116-19 which would extend the moratorium on applications for special use permits for residential drug and alcohol treatment facilities within Council District 4 until the end of the year. The moratorium currently in place expires April 15 and is to allow Council time to review what impacts the concentration of such facilities may have on neighborhoods. The Toledo Plan Commission was recently presented a completed study and recommendations on the topic from its staff, which will be presented to Council’s Zoning & Planning Committee tomorrow at 4:00 p.m.

By: Bill Wersell, Vice President Business Development Services,
Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce

Wednesday March 20th marks the third annual SBDC Day, a national, collective proclamation of the impact America’s Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs) have on America’s small businesses.

The 62 state and regional Small Business Development Center networks provide free one-on- one consulting to small businesses at nearly 1,000 locations throughout the nation. Today, a new business is opened by an SBDC in-depth client every 35.7 minutes; a new job is created in the U.S. by an SBDC in-depth client every 5.6 minutes; $100,000 in new sales are generated by SBDC in-depth clients every 7.5 minutes; and $100,000 in capital is obtained by SBDC in-depth clients every 8.9 minutes.*

Bringing things a little closer to home, the Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce is the proud host of both a Small Business Development Center and Ohio SBDC Export Assistance Network.  Last year we helped 320 clients create 156 new jobs and retain 350 existing jobs. We were instrumental in getting 37 business start-ups off the ground and we assisted local small businesses access $13M in capital infusion. We invite you to review our 2018 Community Report to learn more and to hear from some of our clients about the impact our work has had on their businesses.

We also want to hear from you. Please reach out to us if you:

• Have a business idea, but don’t know where to start?
• Need help with your financial projections?
• Curious if exporting is for you?
• Know a customer or supplier who is struggling?

​Our services and free, confidential and Chamber membership is not required. To learn more visit https://www.toledochamber.com/small-business-development-center.html
 
 
                                                                                                                                   *Source: America’s SBDC

By: Brian Dicken, Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce

​​The state of Ohio’s transportation budget for 2019-2020, HB62, has moved to the Ohio Senate for its consideration. The House of Representatives passed the bill last week by a vote of 71-27. Included in the bill is an increase in the motor fuel user fee of 10.7 cents per gallon over the next two years. The user fee on diesel and other fuels will increase by 20 cents per gallon over the next three years. Both fees are proposed to increase on October 1. Also included is a registration fee for hybrid and electric vehicles. It is expected that these increases will generate an additional $870M per year for roads and bridges across Ohio. Governor DeWine originally proposed an increase of 18 cents per gallon that would have generated an additional $1.2B per year to address the current shortfall for roads and bridges. The Ohio Senate is expected to put forth yet a third option for consideration on the table before a conference committee works out the final version at the end of the month. By law, the transportation budget must be signed by the Governor by April 1st.

​By: Tim Schneider, Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce

Welcome to the following new members who joined the Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce in January and February:

​By: Tim Schneider, Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce

At its regular meeting at 4:00 p.m. today, Toledo City Council is expected to vote on Ordinances 89-19 and 90-19 to approve Metroparks Toledo’s zoning applications for its planned riverfront metropark on roughly 89 acres in the Marina District area of East Toledo. The first ordinance would change zoning at the site from regional commercial and general industrial to parks and open space designations. The other would approve a required special use permit for community recreation use of the site. Both requests were previously approved and advanced by Council’s Zoning & Planning Committee. 

​​By: Brian Dicken, Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce

Over the next several weeks, we’ll be taking a deeper dive into the Chamber’s public policy agenda. This week we’ll be taking a look at the transportation section. It is important to understand that the Toledo region is within a day’s drive of more than 100 million people in the United States and Canada. Therefore, it is critical to our economic success to have an efficient and well maintained transportation infrastructure in order to move people, goods and materials. ​

By: Tim Schneider, Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce

At its regular meeting at 4:00 p.m. today, Toledo City Council is expected to vote on Ordinance 42-19, Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz’s proposed 2019-2023 Capital Improvement Program (CIP) budget. The proposal includes $11,512,546 for projects in 2019, of which $8,100,000 is designated for matching and planning dollars, $237,546 for the 1% for the Arts program, and $3,175,000 for new projects. These new projects include $250,000 for the city’s IT network, $400,000 for updates to Levis Square, $150,000 for building inspection permit system updates, $425,000 for landfill EPA compliance, $500,000 for parks and recreation infrastructure, $200,000 for city facility mechanical upgrades, $325,000 for police training range updates, $125,000 for brine equipment, and $800,000 for sidewalk replacement. 

​By: Brian Dicken, Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce

​Every two years, the Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce updates its public policy agenda to reflect the issues of concern of the membership. The process is comprehensive, taking into account the results of member meetings, expertise from committee members, and an understanding of the issues generally impacting the business community in the region.