OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

City Council Meeting Summary - November 6, 2025 (Quarterly Financial Briefings)

City Commission — Thursday, November 6, 2025
BodyDayton, Ohio
SessionCity Commission
DateThursday, November 6, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:06:43

Transcript — Verbatim
0:05

There, commissioners.

0:06

This is the September uh briefing.

0:10

As we do with our quarterly briefings, we also will include a briefing from water with regards to water funds, water sewer funds, and the air.

0:25

Oh, all right.

0:26

And the airport uh funds.

0:28

So I will now turn it over to Jones.

0:35

Thank you, City Manager.

0:36

Good afternoon, Mayor, Commissioners.

0:39

As the city manager mentioned, we will start with the general funds, quarter three results.

0:45

We'll start with the short statement here.

0:48

We'll walk through briefly the revenues, previous categories and revenues and expenditure before we dive deeper into the for each of those categories.

0:59

As for the solutions for quarter three, as you can see here, sources were $3.5 million lower compared to your to date budget, and nearly $300,000 higher compared to 2024 for the same period.

1:19

Sources includes the sources that we're going to talk through today, includes uh income tax, property tax base collection, local government fund, and other revenues.

1:28

And as you can see here, income tax is 3.9% or $4.9 million lower.

1:35

Deeper into the income tax in the next slide.

1:39

For property tax and other taxes, they are uh $10.7 million above 2024 amounts, and this is largely due to the millage rate change.

1:50

Um we'll also discuss that more in detail.

1:53

Um for waste collection um we are seeing a 0.6% increase.

1:59

Um, our CPI for waste collection.

2:01

Um we do an adjustment in the rate annually.

2:04

Um for 2025 rate adjustment was 2.6 percent.

2:08

Um we are seeing um just a slight increase in waste collection, and that has largely to do to do with the uh build credits.

2:16

Um we'll add deeper in base collection in a little bit too.

2:20

Um for local government fund, um we are seeing a big increase of $2.4 million year over year.

2:27

Um, and this is largely due to the U meeting the prior obligations for revenue collected uh for through the reinforcement program.

2:39

Um, and so now we have caught up and we are uh simply uh getting the reduction for the past 12 months.

2:46

Um that's why we're seeing this big increase in 2025.

2:49

Um for other revenue, um, we are seeing 21.6 percent decline.

2:55

Um, this is uh only two categories are seeing decline.

2:58

One is income tax and the other is the revenue.

3:01

Um the other revenue is uh largely due to the uh transfer that's booked.

3:06

Um last year we did five million dollars in transfer in to the general fund from the poor enforcement fund, and this year that transfer is 3.8 million dollars.

3:14

So that's why we're seeing that decline in other revenue.

3:18

For total uses, um, they are um down compared to budget by 3.4 million dollars.

3:25

Um, however, they are up 14.3 million dollars or 8.8 percent compared to 2024 amounts.

3:32

Uh personnel costs are up 6.4% or 7.2 million dollars, um, largely in personnel cost, the 7.2 million dollars is reflective of uh civilian wage growth, uh which is approximately 2.3 million dollars in uh sworn wages grew about 3.6 million dollars.

3:52

For contracts and materials and other uses, um we saw 12% growth or $4 million year over year.

3:59

Um, contracts and material largely went up due to the RDC payment, um, NATO expenses, um, as well as our payment to the Miami Conservancy District, the tax payment for the levy protection system.

4:13

Um, for the other uses, uh, which includes transfers, um, we have done most of those transfers.

4:20

Um, we uh have few transfers that are remaining to be done that will be done at the end of the year, um, which includes the 27th pay.

4:29

Um it uh also includes the employee professional development, uh, which is about 580,000, uh, which supports the employee professional development uh for the organization, um uh which is carried out by HR department, um, but it also includes 300,000 for the fire department, which funds the paramedic training program.

4:52

Um most of the transfers, as I said, um are done earlier in the year.

5:01

Um, and so they are uh completed in the beginning of the year.

5:05

Um, the other thing I want to point out in the transfer section or the investment section is the euro dollars year neighborhood.

5:11

Um, as you can see, it's up 28.7%.

5:15

Um, and this is largely due to the change in allocation from issue nine to issue six.

5:22

Um, we did uh increase resurfacing, it was previously $3.4 million, now it's uh $5.9 million dollars, and then we also added the um new housing program, which is $650,000.

5:35

So that's what we're seeing the change in your dollars your neighborhood.

5:40

Um, all in all, um, at the end, uses exceeded sources by $5.8 million dollars the end of third quarter.

5:48

All right.

5:49

For income tax, um, as I said previously, overall income tax collections were down $4.9 million dollars or 3.29%.

5:58

Um with holding collections, um, they are used to be slightly um about $800,000 compared to 2024.

6:07

Um, tax on business profits declined by 32.5% or six million dollars, which has nothing to do with the um one-time payment that we received in July of 2024.

6:20

Um, as I was saying, so business profits uh saw the biggest decline 32.5 percent, um, and that has uh to do with the one-time payment and business profits that we received in July of 2024.

6:33

Um, that is not present in 2025.

6:36

And so that's why we're seeing that large decline in business profits.

6:40

Um, for individuals, um individuals increased by 8.4% or $354,000.

6:48

Um, in addition to the uh three categories, uh, refunds also saw a slight increase year over year.

6:55

Um, it's not huge, but it's it's increased by about 1.3%.

7:00

Um, and then the other thing to note here is that uh 2024 has one additional five Friday month as opposed to 2025.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Budget Equity Analysis████████████████████████████████████████40%
Water And Wastewater Management██████████████████████22%
Airport Operations██████████████████18%
Public Works███████████11%
Economic Development█████5%
Affordable Housing██2%
Public Safety██2%
Summary of Proceedings

City Council Meeting Summary - November 6, 2025 (Quarterly Financial Briefings)

Commissioners convened for a series of quarterly financial briefings covering the General Fund, Water Fund, Sewer Fund, and Airport Fund as of the end of Q3 2025. City Manager Jones and department heads presented data indicating that while revenues generally tracked or exceeded previous year-to-date figures in most utilities, the General Fund experienced a deficit where uses exceeded sources by $5.8 million. Key themes included wage inflation, the impact of the federal government shutdown on regional employment, specific millage rate changes affecting property tax revenue, and the continued execution of the Dayton Recovery Plan.

Consent Calendar

  • No specific consent calendar items were discussed or recorded in the transcript.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No public comments, testimony, or member inquiries from the public were recorded in the transcript.

Discussion Items

  • General Fund Revenue Analysis

    • Income Tax: Revenue was $4.9 million (3.29%) lower year-over-year. The City Manager attributed a $6 million (32.5%) decline in business profits to the absence of a one-time payment received in July 2024. Individual income tax increased by 8.4% ($354,000), and withholding collections decreased by approximately $800,000.
    • Property Tax: Revenue was $10.7 million (roughly 11%) higher than 2024. Jeanette confirmed this increase is driven by a millage split change from a 4.5/5.5 split favoring the bond fund to a 50/50 split, rather than property revaluation, which occurred in 2023.
    • Local Government Fund: Reported a $2.4 million year-over-year increase. This is attributed to the resolution of prior-year obligations related to state-mandated reductions in traffic enforcement camera revenue (Lyme sales). The fund saw a $6 million reduction in 2024 but is now returning to a baseline of approximately $4 million.
    • Other Revenue: Declined by 21.6% compared to 2024. This is primarily due to a reduction in transfers from the photo enforcement fund, which dropped from $5 million in 2024 to $3.8 million in 2025. Cable franchise fees also declined approximately 32.5% due to timing lags in revenue distributions.

  • General Fund Expenditure Analysis

    • Personnel Costs: Increased by 6.4% ($7.2 million). The City Manager's office cited $2.3 million in civilian wage growth (due to filled positions and inflation) and $3.6 million in sworn wage growth (attributed to later contractual increases and earlier-than-usual recruit class graduations).
    • Contracts, Materials, and Other Uses: Rose by 12% ($4 million). Major drivers included payments to the Regional Dispatch Center (RDC), NATO-related expenses, and a $900,000 increase in the tax payment to the Miami Conservancy District for the levy protection system.
    • Health Insurance: Costs decreased by $1.1 million (8.3%) due to a health insurance holiday taken in June 2025.

  • Water and Sewer Utilities

    • Water Fund: Sources exceeded uses by $2.5 million. City customer revenue increased 7.9% ($1.9 million) due to a 9.3% rate increase and higher usage. Limestone sales up 16.8% driven by rate adjustments.
    • Sewer Fund: Revenues increased 6.9% ($2.4 million). Budget performance was strong, with only a $22,400 variance. Other revenues increased 21.9% due to the R&G project at Water Reclamation. Personnel costs were down 1.2% due to vacancies and wage decreases at Water Reclamation, though overtime remained a factor.
    • Fleet Availability: Commissioner inquiries noted improved fleet availability, which was attributed to the return of vehicles for operational efficiency rather than a permanent reduction in fleet size.

  • Airport Fund (Jim Turner Aviation/Gil Turner)

    • Employment: Total employment increased by 15,000 (3.2%) year-over-year. United Airlines was the primary driver, adding 12,000 jobs.
    • Revenue: Total sources were up $2.6 million (2.6%) but $1.1 million under the to-date budget. Airline revenue decreased by $120,000 due to loss of a Wisconsin tenant and lower terminal rental rates. Non-airline revenue surged by $2.6 million (18.7%), driven by a $1 million increase in rental car settlements, increased parking rates, and higher concession sales ($116,000).
    • Expenses: Personnel costs rose 9.9% ($755,000) as the airport filled previously vacant positions. Utility costs decreased 18.3% due to delays in billing from AES (a citywide issue).

  • Dayton Recovery Plan

    • Progress: 60 projects total; 9 completed, 4 pending completion. Total awarded contracts are nearly $90 million, with $54.8 million spent.
    • MBE Compliance: 96% compliance achieved against a $23.1 million goal ($22.1 million spent).
    • Remaining Projects: The United Homes (United Church Homes) project ($1.5M) is pending historic tax credit approval; the Fairview pool house ($600K) is pending design finalization; a software tool for MBE compliance ($115K) is in negotiation; and secure housing ($200K) involves third-party software procurement.

  • Economic Indicators

    • Employment: Dayton region job counts are 5,900 higher than the 2020 pandemic low but slightly behind state of Ohio growth (1.5% vs 2.1%).
    • Federal Shutdown Impact: Research indicates approximately half of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base employees (30,000+) were furloughed. A full-quarter shutdown could reduce GDP growth by 1.2 to 2.4 percentage points.
    • GDP: Nationwide GDP grew 3.8% in Q2 2025 but is projected to slow in Q3 and Q4 due to tariff uncertainty and the shutdown.

Key Outcomes

  • General Fund Status: Uses exceeded sources by $5.8 million as of Q3 2025.
  • MBE Goal: The Dayton Recovery Plan achieved 96% compliance on minority business enterprise goals.
  • Strategic Directives: The City Manager emphasized the need for continued prudent monitoring of the General Fund beyond 2025 to ensure a balanced budget, specifically regarding ongoing wage inflation and contract growth.
  • Budget Variances: The Fire and Police departments showed a variance due to higher overtime (NATO and staffing), while the Your Dollars Your Neighborhood fund showed a 93.5% variance due to front-loaded investments.

Meeting Transcript

There, commissioners. This is the September uh briefing. As we do with our quarterly briefings, we also will include a briefing from water with regards to water funds, water sewer funds, and the air. Oh, all right. And the airport uh funds. So I will now turn it over to Jones. Thank you, City Manager. Good afternoon, Mayor, Commissioners. As the city manager mentioned, we will start with the general funds, quarter three results. We'll start with the short statement here. We'll walk through briefly the revenues, previous categories and revenues and expenditure before we dive deeper into the for each of those categories. As for the solutions for quarter three, as you can see here, sources were $3.5 million lower compared to your to date budget, and nearly $300,000 higher compared to 2024 for the same period. Sources includes the sources that we're going to talk through today, includes uh income tax, property tax base collection, local government fund, and other revenues. And as you can see here, income tax is 3.9% or $4.9 million lower. Deeper into the income tax in the next slide. For property tax and other taxes, they are uh $10.7 million above 2024 amounts, and this is largely due to the millage rate change. Um we'll also discuss that more in detail. Um for waste collection um we are seeing a 0.6% increase. Um, our CPI for waste collection. Um we do an adjustment in the rate annually. Um for 2025 rate adjustment was 2.6 percent. Um we are seeing um just a slight increase in waste collection, and that has largely to do to do with the uh build credits. Um we'll add deeper in base collection in a little bit too. Um for local government fund, um we are seeing a big increase of $2.4 million year over year. Um, and this is largely due to the U meeting the prior obligations for revenue collected uh for through the reinforcement program. Um, and so now we have caught up and we are uh simply uh getting the reduction for the past 12 months. Um that's why we're seeing this big increase in 2025. Um for other revenue, um, we are seeing 21.6 percent decline. Um, this is uh only two categories are seeing decline. One is income tax and the other is the revenue. Um the other revenue is uh largely due to the uh transfer that's booked. Um last year we did five million dollars in transfer in to the general fund from the poor enforcement fund, and this year that transfer is 3.8 million dollars. So that's why we're seeing that decline in other revenue. For total uses, um, they are um down compared to budget by 3.4 million dollars. Um, however, they are up 14.3 million dollars or 8.8 percent compared to 2024 amounts. Uh personnel costs are up 6.4% or 7.2 million dollars, um, largely in personnel cost, the 7.2 million dollars is reflective of uh civilian wage growth, uh which is approximately 2.3 million dollars in uh sworn wages grew about 3.6 million dollars. For contracts and materials and other uses, um we saw 12% growth or $4 million year over year. Um, contracts and material largely went up due to the RDC payment, um, NATO expenses, um, as well as our payment to the Miami Conservancy District, the tax payment for the levy protection system. Um, for the other uses, uh, which includes transfers, um, we have done most of those transfers. Um, we uh have few transfers that are remaining to be done that will be done at the end of the year, um, which includes the 27th pay. Um it uh also includes the employee professional development, uh, which is about 580,000, uh, which supports the employee professional development uh for the organization, um uh which is carried out by HR department, um, but it also includes 300,000 for the fire department, which funds the paramedic training program. Um most of the transfers, as I said, um are done earlier in the year. Um, and so they are uh completed in the beginning of the year. Um, the other thing I want to point out in the transfer section or the investment section is the euro dollars year neighborhood. Um, as you can see, it's up 28.7%. Um, and this is largely due to the change in allocation from issue nine to issue six. Um, we did uh increase resurfacing, it was previously $3.4 million, now it's uh $5.9 million dollars, and then we also added the um new housing program, which is $650,000. So that's what we're seeing the change in your dollars your neighborhood. Um, all in all, um, at the end, uses exceeded sources by $5.8 million dollars the end of third quarter. All right.

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