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 receive two assessments — one for an individual condo parcel and another for a community reinvestment area — and that Connect Toledo and DTID “do not explain the math” behind the charges. He argued the special-assessment standard under Ohio law requires a showing of a special benefit to each parcel and cited the cases and authorities he said apply to that test.

Why it matters: The Assessment Equalization Board’s role is advisory; it recommends whether city council should approve assessments that, if adopted by council, would impose recurring charges on property owners in the DTID. Board members said they will compile today's testimony and other written submissions into a report for council; several speakers said they are prepared to sue if council approves the plan as currently drawn.

In the hearing the board also heard criticism of DTID’s petition and frontage calculations. Siroca said the city-produced petition spreadsheet lists total frontage figures that do not match the sums in renewal brochures and that, after reconciling signatures, the DTID does not have the 60% frontage support required to initiate the plan. He said the spreadsheet’s errors create a shortfall of “over 1,400 feet” of frontage and that roughly 20 property owners account for more than 82% of the approving petitions. Siroca said he can provide affidavits and audit materials and that Easy Street residents will file a supplemental written objection.

Fiscal and administrative concerns were raised as well. Siroca noted Connect Toledo’s 2023 Form 990 shows a CEO salary of about $130,000 and that a then-current job posting listed a salary range of $225,000 to $250,000; he also pointed to a roughly $170,000 “other” management expense line that he said was not itemized in the public filings.

Other downtown speakers raised related concerns about the DTID boundary. Paul Solubus and other residents said the proposed district extends beyond historic downtown and includes areas they consider distinct neighborhoods, arguing the map appears to group dissimilar areas for revenue purposes rather than consistent planning.

Board action and next steps: The board recessed the hearing and set a continuation for two weeks from today at 1 p.m. Board members said they will attach written public comments and the DTID/Connect Toledo summaries of proposed values to a report for council. The board reiterated that it has no authority to adopt assessments; it issues a recommendation to city council.

Votes at a glance: The board recessed the meeting until two weeks from today at 1:00 p.m.; the chair called for approval and the recess was ordered by voice vote.

The board invited any additional written objections to be submitted before the next meeting and accepted a supplemental written submission that representatives said they will file by close of business on the day after this hearing.