Toledo City Council to vote on joining Chamber to urge restoring USPS mail processing to Toledo

​​By Tim Schneider, Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce

At its regular meeting at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, April 13, Toledo City Council is expected to vote on Resolution 178-21 which would join the Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce in urging the United States Postal Service (USPS) to return mail processing to its facility in Toledo. Complaints of untimely mail service have persisted in Northwest Ohio since USPS transferred sorting operations from the Toledo processing facility to the Michigan Metroplex Facility in 2012. The resolution cites a recent Chamber survey of its members in which all respondents indicated that delays in USPS mail delivery are negatively impacting their businesses and their customers. Currently, elected officials from 20 area local governments are planning to vote or have already voted to approve resolutions joining the Chamber on urging USPS to consider this change.

Also at the meeting, Council is expected to vote on the following:
 

• Ordinance 154-21 which would amend local preference requirements for evaluating bids for city contracts. Currently in the municipal code:

1. ​Bids from businesses with their principal location in Toledo are evaluated on a 3 percent reduction basis on contracts of $40,000 or more, and a 5 percent basis on contracts of less than $40,000.
2. Bids from businesses located in Toledo with their principle location outside the city are evaluated on a 2.85 percent reduction basis on contracts of $40,000 or more, and a 4 percent basis on contracts of less than $40,000.
3. Bids from businesses outside Toledo but in Lucas County are evaluated on a 2.75 reduction basis for contracts of $40,000 or more, and a 3.5 percent basis on contracts of less than $40,000.
4. Bids from businesses located outside Lucas County but in nine surrounding Ohio counties are evaluated on a 2.25 percent reduction basis on contracts of $40,000 or more, and a 3 percent basis on contracts of less than $40,000.

​The ordinance would specify that bids from businesses located in Toledo with their principle location outside the city cannot be evaluated on a reduction basis when competing against a bidder whose principal location is in the city. The same exception currently exists for bids from businesses located in Lucas County but not in Toledo when competing with a bidder located in Toledo, and for those in the county region when competing with a bidder located in Lucas County. Also, the ordinance would add Monroe and Lenawee Counties in Michigan to the surrounding county category.

• Resolution 180-21 which would urge Congress to include in its renewal of the Surface Transportation Reauthorization bill $25 billion for capital projects and $300 million for operations over five years as part of Amtrak’s proposed Corridors Development Program. The resolution also urges providing in the Transportation, Housing & Urban Development, and Related Agencies appropriations bill $5 billion for capital projects and $60 million for operations to fund the program. Under Amtrak’s proposal, service to Toledo would be expanded by three daily trains in each direction via a route between Cleveland and Detroit. 
• Ordinance 182-21 which would require that beverages listed on children’s menus at restaurants in the city be sparkling water or flavored water with no added sweeteners; non-fat or one-percent milk or non-dairy alternative containing no more than 150 calories; or fruit juice with no added sweeteners of no more than eight ounces. Customers could still request a different beverage. The ordinance would be effective six months after passage. Similar ordinances were adopted last year in Ohio by Columbus and Cleveland city councils. 
• Two ordinances that would adopt the recommendations of the Salary Review & Recommendation Commission to adjust salaries for the Mayor and members of City Council. Ordinance 184-21 would increase the Mayor’s salary from $122,400 to $136,000 effective next year, which was the previous salary level between 2002 and 2009. Ordinance 185-21 would increase the City Council salary from $27,500 to $45,000 effective next year for at-large members and 2024 for district members. The current $4,500 addition for the member serving as Council President would remain the same. The recommended increases are meant to be comparative with surrounding cities of similar size and provide equitable compensation for time commitments.

 
Also, Council is expected to give first reading to Resolution 181-21 which would adopt the “Five I’s of Disability Justice Policy Framework” for use in developing approaches for inclusion of individuals with disabilities in the areas of employment, education, housing, healthcare, transportation, physical access, and social opportunity. The framework includes using the principles of “Involvement, Independence, Inclusion, Implementation and Intersectionality” in the development of disability-friendly public policy.
 
The public may watch the council meeting online by visiting https://toledo.legistar.com and scrolling down to the April 13 meeting and clicking on “in progress”.

---

Tim Schneider
​
​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.