Toledo City Council approves funding for youth programs, will consider new department

May 12—Toledo City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved spending $1.4 million of the city's soon-to-be-awarded American Rescue Plan funds on youth recreation, sports, and mentorship programs this summer.

Council members have been pushing for a greater focus on Toledo's youth after a year of isolation because of the coronavirus pandemic coupled with escalating gun violence, and last week Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz proposed allocating the $1.4 million to start.

About $662,000 will go toward programs at parks and community centers, while about $691,000 will go toward workforce development and mentoring, as well as marketing, advertising, and transportation to increase participation in the programs.

The ordinance that passed Tuesday technically appropriates the funding from the city's $283.1 million general-fund budget, since Toledo has yet to receive its anticipated nearly $189 million from the federal government. Half will be distributed this month, and the other half will come next year.

The mayor has said he is confident it will be an allowable use of the federal aid, which will reimburse the general fund for the $1.4 million appropriation.

Councilman Vanice Williams, who along with Councilmen Tiffany Preston Whitman and Cerssandra McPherson pushed for the programs to start as soon as possible, thanked her colleagues for their votes Tuesday. With schools letting out at month's end, she said, it's important for kids to have productive things to do this summer.

"We hope that it's impactful. We have to start somewhere, and I think this is a very important time for the city to take action and to help our city youth," Ms. Williams said. "Hopefully our summer programs will keep them pumped and keep them moving and keep them active and keep them fed."

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Councilman Cecelia Adams, who has been urging Toledo to take on a bigger role in youth and education initiatives since she joined council in 2015, noted at the end of Tuesday's meeting that she and the mayor have reached an agreement on forming a new department.

Because of a disagreement about process, the mayor in March vetoed the formation of a Department of Parks, Recreation, Youth Services, and Educational Engagement proposed by Ms. Adams and approved by her colleagues. Ms. Adams vowed to go back to the drawing board and work with the administration until they could see eye-to-eye.

She plans to next week introduce a new proposal that would form a Department of Parks and Youth Services with the mayor's blessing. The department would oversee three divisions: parks, recreation, and community enrichment; youth services; and educational engagement and workforce development.

The department would be led by a director, and each division would be led by a commissioner.

Ms. Adams said it is nearly identical to her proposal from March, with a couple exceptions. All park maintenance would remain the responsibility of the city's Department of Public Service, and the funding has been reduced from pulling $2.5 million out of the general fund to about $400,000.

That funding will pay for a director and three commissioners for the remainder of 2021, Ms. Adams said.

"This ordinance basically authorizes the hiring of highly qualified staff members to think, plan, and organize programming in these critical areas," she said. "I think it's going to be a great thing for us to put together, and we can start having the infrastructure that's necessary to make sure the work gets done that we've been talking about for a very long time."

Mr. Kapszukiewicz in a letter to city council Tuesday said the new department will help create a city where children have access to the resources they need to live happy, healthy lives.

"I am proud to support this ordinance, and I look forward to signing it as soon as Council passes it," he wrote.

Council could take a vote on the matter as soon as May 25.