Toledo City Council Meeting – March 31, 2026: Budget Approvals and Amendments

The Toledo City Council met on March 31, 2026, to consider and approve several budget-related ordinances and resolutions for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2026, and beyond. The meeting included multiple amendments to the administrative budget, a capital improvement budget, and a resolution urging future budget reductions. Votes were recorded on each item.

Consent Calendar

• No separate consent calendar was identified; all items were discussed and voted on individually.

Public Comments & Testimony

• No public comments or testimony were recorded in the transcript.

Discussion Items

• Ordinance 553-25 (carryover to 125-26): Appropriating funds for current expenses and other expenses of the city for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2026. Multiple amendments were proposed and voted on sequentially:
  • Exhibit A (Administration amendment): Transfer of a position from building inspection to code enforcement. Passed unanimously (11-0).
  • Exhibit B (Council amendment): Reduction in operating expenses and elimination of some vacant positions, but no removal of currently filled positions. Councilman Sarantu explained the goal was to cut office supplies ($120,000) and delay hiring without laying off staff. Passed unanimously (11-0).
  • Exhibit C (Councilmember Gaddis amendment): $125,000 for a consultant for local landmark designations, a carryover from the mid-year 2025 budget adjustment. Councilmember Gaddis spoke in support, noting community-led preservation efforts. Passed 9-2 (Meldon and Sarantu voted no; Williams voted no? Transcript shows Williams no, but final tally: Meldon no, Saranto no, Williams no – three no? Let's recount: Jones yes, Colmives yes, Kramer yes, Martinez yes, McPherson yes, Meldon no, Morris yes, Saranto no, Williams no, Driscoll yes, Gaddis yes – that's 8-3? Actually 8 yes, 3 no. Passed.)
  • Exhibit D (Councilmember McPherson amendment): $40,000 for the fifth annual Glass City Jazz Fest, funded from ARPA interest, reduced from the usual $50,000 due to budget constraints. Passed 10-1 (Meldon voted no).
  • Exhibit E (Councilmember Meldon amendment): $500,000 for a new community police outpost in West Toledo to replace the closed Northwest substation. Councilmember Meldon argued it was a new approach to community policing, but Councilmembers McPherson and Martinez expressed concerns about lack of a concrete plan and suggested delaying to mid-year review. Passed 7-4 (Jones no, Martinez no, McPherson no, Williams no; others yes).
  • Exhibit F (Councilmember Morris amendment): $225,000 for renewal of ShotSpotter gunshot detection technology for one year. Councilmember Morris spoke in favor, citing fast response times. Councilmember Colmives opposed, noting that over 45 cities have canceled contracts due to lack of effectiveness and bias concerns, citing Indianapolis and Dayton examples. Councilmember Kramer echoed opposition, mentioning alternative innovations like drones. The amendment failed 4-7 (Jones yes, Colmives no, Kramer no, Martinez yes, McPherson no, Meldon no, Morris yes, Sarantu no, Williams no, Driscoll no, Gaddis yes).
• Ordinance 553-25 (main vote): After amendments, the ordinance was passed unanimously (11-0) with an emergency clause.
• Ordinance 554-25 (carryover to 126-26): Approving the capital improvement budget and road improvement budget for 2026-2030, authorizing appropriation of $34,947,820 (amended down from $77,447,820). Passed unanimously with emergency clause.
• Resolution 110-26: Urging the mayor's office, in conjunction with city council, to reduce the 2027 and 2028 budgets by $10 million per year. Councilman Sarantu introduced it, stressing budget challenges. Councilman Driscoll noted the current budget relies on the stabilization fund and that the structural deficit must be addressed. Council President Williams acknowledged the hard work and commitment to avoiding layoffs. Passed unanimously (11-0).

Key Outcomes

• Ordinance 553-25 (Appropriations): Passed with amendments A through E approved; amendment F (ShotSpotter) failed. Final vote: 11-0.
• Ordinance 554-25 (Capital Improvement Budget): Passed as amended (11-0).
• Resolution 110-26 (Budget Reduction Goal): Adopted unanimously (11-0).
• Next Steps: The council will work with the administration to achieve $10 million in reductions for the 2027 and 2028 budgets.