A question for Toledo
City Council will hold a committee hearing tomorrow at 3 p.m. to discuss whether or not Toledo voters should have the opportunity to weigh in on an important issue.
The ordinance up for discussion would put a non-binding question on the ballot in November. It doesn’t raise taxes, it would simply allow voters the opportunity to answer the question:
“Shall the City of Toledo make a comprehensive effort to improve the 100-year-old Bayview Wastewater Treatment Plant in order to safeguard our community from sewage overflows and backups, reduce landfill waste, and protect Lake Erie?”
The Bayview Wastewater Treatment Plant provides critical processing and treating of sewage generated throughout the City of Toledo. The plant was built in 1932 and the last significant renovation occurred in the 1980s. Modernization of the system has been put off for too long. Continuing to wait could lead to a critical system failure requiring federal and state regulators to intervene and put the City of Toledo in a position to pay significantly more to correct the issues in response to an emergency.
This modernization could require a significant ratepayer investment over the next 20 years. Given the consequential nature of the expense of bringing the wastewater treatment plant up to date, I believe voters should have a chance to weigh in on the issue. This is not something that’s legally required of us, but it’s something I believe is good practice in our democracy.
As Mayor, my administration has not shied away from tough issues. We tackled a decades-long challenge to create a regional water commission and we got it done. We put a levy on the ballot so we could afford to fix our crumbling roads and we got it done. Bayview needs to be modernized - and we will get it done.
We have to get it done. The health of Lake Erie is at stake if we can’t adequately process our wastewater. Our basements and backyards are at risk of more sewage backups if we can’t keep up with the volume. We have avoided this question for far too long, and the voters should have a chance to answer it for themselves.
Have a great week, Toledo.