TOLEDO, Ohio — Toledo City Council is considering a partnership with Owens Community College as the Wood County-based school conducts a feasibility study to consider bringing new educational opportunities into the Glass City.
Council member Katie Moline, who is on the council committee that oversees the city's budget, said she planned to vote on pushing the vote back for two weeks. She claimed they would need more time to discuss the topic.
"What do we get by conducting studies?" Moline said. "Some of them I think can be very useful, but if we have spent millions of dollars that don't result in outcomes, where else could we have put those funds and how better could they have served the city of Toledo?"
Owens is asking the city of Toledo to allocate $27,625 to finance half of the $55,250 study, which would look at the need for the college to offer classes in the city.
Although votes were split during Tuesday's council meeting, members ultimately decided not to declare an emergency and to vote at a later time.
Moline said she is concerned about there not being a feasible reason to invest, and said past studies have taken taxpayer dollars yet not turned adequate results.
If the proposed survey is to pass it will be conducted by the end of summer allowing for the Owens expansion to begin later this year.
Council is considering the Swayne Field shopping center on Monroe Street as a potential location.
"Owens is trying to figure out if it makes sense to have a footprint within the city of Toledo and Swayne Field and that's the whole point of the study but again, I want to ensure that council has its oversight to see, before making this investment, that we have actually made proper investments in the past," Moline said.