|
To me, it is
a no-brainer. There should always be a willingness to
support that which we love. Too often, however, we claim a
love of country or city but are not willing to support it
financially.
Issue 1, authorizes the City of Toledo, Ohio
to increase the local income tax from 2.25 percent to 2.75
percent for 10 years beginning July 1, 2020 through December
31, 2030. The revenue from the tax would be leveraged in the
bond market to generate approximately $660 million to
upgrade our neglected residential roads and $220 million to
be allocated to “improve emergency services, parks and
recreation, and pre-kindergarten education.”
Below are
the relevant details of this “must-support” income tax
measure which is on the March 17, 2020 ballot.
Improve Residential Roads:
Toledo’s roads have been left to deteriorate as a result of
funding streams that we used to rely on from the State of
Ohio’s budget. Central city residential streets have
declined disproportionately as, in the words of one unnamed
politician talking about the need to raise taxes, “we’ve
been pushed into this beggar’s banquet where something falls
off the table and then we all scrap each other for it, where
the king is eating filet mignon and we’re trying to pick up
a French fry.”
Why it Matters:
The city was able to scrape enough funds to pave four miles
of residential roadways in 2018 and a mere 1.6 miles in
2019. Should Issue 1 pass, the administration calculates
that roughly $660 million will be spent on roads over the
course of 10 years. Thus 70 miles of residential roadways
are expected to be paved per year rather than less than two
miles.
Universal Pre-K:
Approximately $4 million per year will go towards universal
pre-K and another $6 million per year added from private
industry. This investment helps young Toledoans enter school
prepared to succeed and later become a valuable asset to
themselves, their families and our community.
Why it Matters:
Toledo, unlike many other municipalities of similar size,
does not offer universal Pre-k at a time that 81 percent of
children enter school lacking key elemental skills and are
not kindergarten-ready. This communicates to our community
that “children don’t matter,” and that young black and brown
lives, in particular, are not valuable or of “no account.”
Safety Forces:
Since taking office, Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz has sought to
expand the police department with the intention of getting
officers out of their cars and onto the streets interacting
with people. The U.S. Justice Department guidelines
recommend 25 officers for every 10,000 citizens. That means
that there should be 725 officers in Toledo, far above our
current staffing level. In addition to new personnel, we
also desperately need new police cars, fire rigs and
equipment for our safety forces.
Why it Matters:
The most recent police and fire
classes were the most diverse since 1983. Cleveland, Ohio’s
safety leadership has recently called Toledo to learn how
they can also become more successful in recruiting a more
diverse team of safety forces. In addition, passage of the
tax measure propels us towards community policing, a model
which improves police-community relations.
Parks:
We have 130 parks in Toledo, and 83 percent of the current
parks’ budget goes towards grass cutting. Although recent
investments at Wilson Park are an exception, The City is
only able to upgrade one or two basketball courts with the
remainder of the budget.
Why it Matters:
Wilson Park is only one of 130 throughout the city that has
recently received major, regular improvements. However, with
the passage of Issue 1, upgrades will take place in every
single corner of the city.
Neighborhood Stabilization:
The tax increase also promises to provide “neighborhood
stabilization,” a term that suggests the implementation of a
financial strategy to counter the structural disinvestment
that has occurred in the central city over the past several
decades.
Why it Matters:
In the past, the City’s administrative leadership has
responded to requests for investments in central city area
(such as 43607) with pitiful claims of “We don’t have the
money.” Should the measure succeed – and it cannot pass
without black support – the minority community will be
shouting “Where’s ours?!” Although street paving is
important, the investment in African-American wards will
have to exceed that of street upgrades and include grants to
minority businesses and other community development
initiatives.
Issue 1,
then, is an opportunity for the citizens of Toledo to invest
in themselves. It enables us to create a community we want
to live in and are “able to thrive in rather than merely
survive.” Most of all, passage of the tax shows that our
city is one that we love.
Contact Rev. Donald Perryman, D.Min, at
drdlperryman@centerofhopebaptist.org
|
