Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Economic Development topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Public commenter urges council to probe stalled minority lending locally
Summary
Johnny Williams asked the Lima City Council to contact the Ohio Department of Development and raised concerns that minority loan programs have failed to deliver comparable results in Lima versus nearby Toledo, where minority loans produced millions in lending, he said.
Johnny Williams addressed the council during the public-comment period and urged elected officials to contact the Ohio Department of Development and examine local access to minority lending programs. Williams said that in Toledo minority lending programs produced larger loan volumes and implied Lima had been shortchanged: "For 13 years, the main building nothing... in Toledo... was doing 6 to $8,000,000 a year in minority loans," Williams said, arguing that Lima's minority communities are suffering from a lack of investment.
Williams recommended the council pursue state-level contact and attention to the issue so the city and its minority residents can access comparable lending opportunities. The council thanked Williams for his remarks; no formal motion or referral was recorded during the meeting on this specific request.
