Mayor vetoes order for $4.7M in street repair in 2 districts

Toledo Mayor D. Michael Collins

Toledo Mayor D. Michael Collins today issued his first veto, striking down a City Council ordinance passed last week allocating $4.7 million to repair streets in districts 1 and 3.

In a memo to council, the mayor said the ordinance infringed on the mayor’s responsibility under the city charter, which is to set policy, and to determine street repair priorities through the city’s engineering division.

The ordinance passed last week 10-2 after Council representatives for District 3, composed of East Toledo and the Old South End, and District 1, made up of the central city and Dorr Street corridor, complained that their neighborhoods were not getting their fair share of resurfacing money.

Council would only need 9 votes to overturn a mayoral veto.

Mr. Collins said the vetoed ordinance would result in the long run in an unfair distribution of funds.

“Allowing this ordinance to stand does not allow for the fair and equitable distribution of funds and creates a dangerous precedent that will result in funds being appropriated but not expended by my Administration consistent with established sound policy,” the mayor’s memo to council members said.

The memo also finds fault with the choice of roads named in the ordinance, saying one was already repaved and another is covered under the assessed fund, rather than the capital improvements fund.

Mr. Collins said his administration was planning to use part of the the money to  buy equipment, including a milling machine, that would speed up the repaving process for the whole city, and to pay down debt and replenish reserves.