Downtown property owners and condo association say DTID assessment process lacked notice, threaten litigation; board recesses

Ben Siroca, speaking for the Easy Street Condo Association, urged the City of Toledo Assessment Equalization Board on the record to reject or delay a proposed Downtown Toledo Improvement District (DTID) special assessment, saying the process lacked required notice and statutory support and threatened litigation if council approves the current map and assessments.

Siroca said the association — which includes at least one parcel on Washington Street — has an ongoing procedural objection that notice for the July 9 hearing and the continuation held today was “insufficient.” He told the board that, “Under Ohio Revised Code section 727.16, the clerk of council needed to supply notice to all objectors via certified mail at least 5 days prior to this hearing,” and asserted the city did not meet that requirement.

The association’s lawyer and other downtown residents also challenged the assessment methodology and the district boundary. Siroca said owners…