Bell to announce plan for street improvements, fire station repairs
12/7/2012Toledo Mayor Mike Bell today announced the city's 2013 capital improvements budget - a move that breaks from the past norm of releasing the plan months into the year that it will be enacted.
The budget emphasizes roads, modernization, and fire station improvements, said a statement from the mayor's spokesman, Jen Sorgenfrei.
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"The budget places an emphasis on reconstruction and resurfacing of major streets and residential roads, but also looks toward modernization with improvement of the human resources recruiting system, on going improvement of the city’s document management system; construction of a new facility for the storage of road salt, and fire station rehabilitation and construction," the statement said.
Last month, Mr. Bell said the city would spend a record amount on streets: $21 million from the city's own capital improvements program, which doesn't include $11 million expected from state and federal matching grants. The Bell Administration is proposing to repave or reconstruct 51 lane miles of road next year. There is also another 10 lane miles in the plan funded by previous years budgets.
City Finance Director Patrick McLean said the early release would save the city money since construction plans could be made and locked-in earlier.
The total cost of the proposed projects will take $32 million in city funds and will further incorporate loan money and state and federal grants. The proposed budget will be before Toledo City Council on Dec. 11 for review but will not get a vote. Council must also approve the mayor's general fund budget, which Mr. Bell presented on Nov. 12.
Spending across all of the city’s funds next year will total $609 million. The proposed general fund budget predicts $243.59 million in spending and an equal amount in revenues — up from $238.98 million in revenues and the $238.9 million in spending in the 2012 budget.