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Seneca County Collaborative pitches citywide strategic plan; council to review funding request
Summary
Bryce Riggs of the Seneca County Collaborative introduced a proposed citywide Tiffin strategic development plan that would extend prior downtown plans citywide. The group seeks a $147,000 city contribution (split over two cycles) plus $25,000 from the county and $25,000 from the Collaborative; council agreed to discuss the proposal in committee.
Bryce Riggs, president and CEO of the Seneca County Collaborative, asked the Tiffin City Council to consider creating a new citywide strategic development plan to guide investment, redevelopment and infrastructure decisions over the next 10 to 20 years. "Tonight is simply an introduction to the proposed citywide strategic development plan," Riggs said, adding the proposal builds on the 2010 and 2016 downtown plans and expands the focus to six city areas where planners expect long-term impact.
Riggs described a two‑phase work program: Phase 1 would focus on discovery, data collection, market analysis and community engagement; Phase 2 would refine concepts, evaluate financial feasibility and produce an implementation roadmap. He said the project would run about eight months beginning this fall and stressed the plan is intended to produce action items that can be tracked and implemented. "One of the main strengths about this proposal is the team that we've developed," Riggs said, listing consultants and a local steering committee assembled to guide the process.
Riggs outlined the proposed cost sharing: the Collaborative and Seneca County Commissioners each indicated support of $25,000 and the Collaborative asked the city for $147,000 to be budgeted over two funding cycles. "So it'd be one time over two cycles — basically split over this fiscal year and next year," Riggs said when a council member asked whether the $147,000 would be paid in one or two installments.
Council members asked clarifying questions about how the six focus areas were chosen, the plan's relationship to past downtown plans, and whether the request should go to committee. Several council members and the mayor expressed interest in moving the project forward but preferred to review funding and committee placement before authorizing expenditure. Council scheduled a Committee of the Whole for Aug. 17 at 6 p.m. to discuss the plan and potential legislation. "If this goes to committee, you're not going to get legislation introduced until your first meeting in September," the law director said, adding that the city's economic development fund has been used for similar efforts in the past.
