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Council members propose landmarking consultant, vacant-lot reuse study and small grants
Summary
Several council members submitted midyear requests including a $7,500 allocation for a reconstituted Hispanic Affairs Commission, funding to hire a consultant for local landmark designations, and a study to guide reuse of city-owned vacant lots.
Council members used the Finance Committee forum to present several council-originated midyear requests and studies that would guide long-term land use and community engagement.
Councilman Martinez requested $7,500 to support the recently reestablished Hispanic Affairs Commission for leadership training, marketing and programming. Martinez said the amount is likely a one-time request and that the mayor—s office and the Department of Equity, Diversity & Inclusion would manage the funding.
Councilwoman Gaddis proposed hiring a consultant to do the labor-intensive work of preparing local landmark designations flagged in a prior planning study; she called it a one-time ask to move 39 properties identified after a moratorium study toward formal landmarking. Gaddis also asked for a vacant-lot reuse study to identify high-potential community uses for city-owned parcels, reduce the city—s grass-cutting maintenance burden and align vacant-land work with neighborhood plans, the climate action plan and Forward Toledo. City staff told the committee that the city maintains a database of city-owned vacant parcels in GIS but has not completed a reuse study.
Council members suggested potential program links to recently approved city initiatives and funds. One councilmember noted a pending $5 million program the administration previously approved that could potentially be aligned to support vacant-lot reuse work; staff said they would explore whether existing funds or new grant sources could fund the study.
Ending: Committee members said they would consider the requests and that referrals and further detail would be provided at subsequent hearings to inform budget decisions.
