Toledo City Council to vote on downtown Tax Increment Financing district

​​By: Tim Schneider, Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce

At its regular meeting at 4:00 p.m. on October 15, Toledo City Council is expected to vote on Ordinance 468-19 which would establish a Tax Increment Financing (TIF) district for portions of downtown. The TIF area would generally be within the boundaries of the Maumee River and Swan Creek to the east, 21st Street to the west, Jackson Street to the north, and Washington Street and the Anthony Wayne Trail to the south. Payments in lieu of property taxes on improvements to parcels would be made into a fund designated for infrastructure upgrades within the territory for a period of 30 years. Also, payments from the fund would be made in lieu of taxes to Toledo Public Schools as part of an agreement with the school district.

Council is also expected to vote on Ordinance 491-19 which would approve $800,000 for the completion of a comprehensive study regarding an alternate water source for Toledo’s public water system. The scope of the study will include a vulnerability analysis and recommendations on capital, operating, maintenance and replacement improvements. In 2015, the Ohio EPA required the city to develop a contingency plan for the construction of an alternate source of water with the capacity to meet demand. It has been mandated by Ohio EPA that the report be completed no later than December 31, 2020.
 
Other items on which Council is expected to vote on include:

• Ordinance 382-19 which would approve $75,000 to create the position of Assistant City Auditor to support the city’s lead-safe housing program. The position would be responsible for seeking and monitoring grants to provide funding for a “lead conference”, lead test kits, education, and marketing.
• Ordinance 412-19 which would establish a point system against responsible parties of commercial property for code violations. Those assessed 12 or more points in a year period, or 18 in a two-year period, would be prohibited from commercial use of the property. Amendments are expected to be offered that would decrease the number of points assessed under the proposal for lesser misdemeanors and food establishment health code violations, and specify that the Director of Public Safety or a designee is responsible for the program.
• Two ordinances approving Community Reinvestment Area property tax exemptions. Ordinance 493-19 would approve exemptions for 15 years to the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 18 for construction of its new union hall at 2412 South Reynolds Road. Ordinance 494-19 would approve exemptions for 12 years to Phoenix Toledo Industrial Investors, LLC for remodeling of its building at 1411 Campbell Street. Both exemptions would be for the amount that would otherwise be generated due to the increase in assessed property valuation from the improvements.
• Two ordinances approving expenditures for the Division of Building Inspection. Ordinance 495-19 would authorize $40,000 to Accela Inc. for an online payment software adaptor. The Division’s current software does not support new banking requirements that went into effect July 2018, and it has not been able to process online payments since then. Ordinance 496-19 would authorize $15,000 to Selectron Technologies, Inc. for one year of support services for its interactive voice response system.

Ordinance 381-19, which would repeal the city’s current lead-safe housing law and enact a new one, will likely be held until Council’s October 29 voting session. The ordinance would designate the Department of Neighborhoods & Business Development, instead of the Toledo-Lucas County Health Department, as the enforcing entity. It would also expand residential rental properties included in enforcement to those with one or more units, instead of only those with up to four units.

Ordinance 413-19, which would expand the area around a subject property in which property owners are required to be sent mailed notices pertaining to zoning proposals, is expected to be referred to the Toledo Plan Commission for its review. The ordinance would require that notices be mailed to owners of property within one-quarter mile radius of the affected property. Currently notices are only required to be mailed to owners of property abutting or directly across the street from the subject property.

All Council meetings are held in Council Chambers on the first floor of One Government Center located on Jackson Boulevard in downtown Toledo.

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​Tim Schneider
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​As Manager for Local Government Advocacy, Tim Schneider advocates for local policies and laws that safeguard and foster a pro-business environment in the Toledo Region. Tim has more than 10 years of legislative and public policy experience with the local, state and federal levels of government.