Councilmen pitch ideas for Toledo budget's extra money

Finance director Patrick McLean said the city of Toledo will take in $800,000 more this year than previously estimated. THE BLADE Enlarge | Photo Reprints

City administrators dangled an extra $800,000 in projected income-tax receipts before Toledo City Council on Monday, and representatives responded with numerous ideas on how to spend it.

From bolstering the number of blighted home demolitions to stashing the money away in an emergency fund, councilmen split predictably along party lines on what they would do with the additional dollars.

Finance director Patrick McLean said after revising the last two months of income tax collections, the city is confident it will take in $800,000 more this year than previously estimated. He spoke at a council finance hearing ahead of an expected vote Tuesday on the 2012 budget.

"We … are comfortable in making some movement" to extend income tax projections, he said. "Though I would caution it not be too much movement."

Altogether, budget amendments proposed by councilmen amounted to just over $330,000. Councilman Paula Hicks-Hudson, who represents District 4, brought forward two proposals that she passionately defended.

The first, hiring two additional inspectors for the city's division of code enforcement, would cost almost $103,000. The inspectors would replace two others who are leaving, she said, and more inspectors are needed to combat the scourge of blighted buildings in her district and in other parts of Toledo.

"I think we need to get ahead of the curve," the councilman said. "There's so many building structures that are not being maintained."

Building commissioner Chris Zervos, however, rejected the offer of more personnel. He said he is working to make building inspections more efficient through the use of technology, and asked instead for support with that effort.

He said the inspectors leaving the department are the least efficient at their jobs.

"We can easily do without personnel who don't produce," he said. "We need the funding for the technology, not for more people."

That plea did not satisfy Ms. Hicks-Hudson, who retorted that only people can carry out inspections on the street.

"You can't tell me that technology will be able to drive past all the houses that I drive past everyday that are open, that have not been boarded up," she said. "On this particular instance, I will fight to give the administration what you don't want, because it's what the citizens in my district need."

The councilman also asked for $30,000 in general fund money to hire a consultant who, with residents' input, would draft a preservation plan for Toledo's historic buildings.

Her request garnered the support of councilman Mike Craig, who said the recent demolition of the Playdium, a derelict, 110-year-old former nightclub and bowling alley in East Toledo, sparked an outcry from some people in his district.

"Maybe if we had a historic preservation plan that included structures in all neighborhoods, we could avoid some friction with the residents," he said. "It would give them an opportunity to comment on this."

Mr. Craig then produced his own amendment, requesting an extra $100,000 be allocated to the budget for blighted house demolitions.

Council president Joe McNamara, meanwhile, called for a $40,000 allotment to begin creating a new filing system for council records and to cover the expense of hiring a temporary employee while a staff member is on leave.

An amendment from councilman Lindsay Webb asked for $57,350 to reestablish the Toledo Youth Commission by hiring an executive director.

The various proposals, all put forward by Democrats, met with stark opposition from council Republicans, who called for a more cautious approach.

"Can we for once be austere … and work within the $236 [million total budget] that's been proposed?" councilman Tom Waniewski asked, likening his colleagues to "kids in a candy store.

"Let's show the taxpayers … that we are good stewards of their money," Mr. Waniewski said.

Finance committee chairman George Sarantou said the additional dollars should instead by placed in the city's emergency fund, currently empty.

"My feeling is that we need to be very careful," he said. "I don't want to see every nickel spent. I'd like to see some money in that fund."

But Mr. McNamara said the amendment requests amount to a tiny portion of the overall budget and would eat up less than half of the projected income tax growth.

"In looking at all of these amendments, I think they're pretty reserved," he said. "I think members did restrain what their actual, individual requests would have been."