TOLEDO, Ohio — The rate of violent crime continues to tick downward in Toledo, but that doesn't mean the "Save Our Community" program had any plans of slowing down.
Malcolm Cunningham, the program's newest leader, brought a big ask before Toledo City Council on Tuesday: a $2 million funding request.
"About 1.25 (million) of that two million will be going to staffing, is going toward support for community-based initiatives," Cunningham said. "So that other three-quarters of a million dollars will be going toward community efforts."
It might all sound vague, but Cunningham said that is because members plan to cast a wide net. Plans include doing everything from beautification efforts in blighted neighborhoods, neighborhood outreach, rapid exits for families who have been caught in the crossfire and anything to break the cycle of violence.
While council members have a week to decide if they want to vote "yes," Toledo City Council member Cerssandra McPherson has already made up her mind.
"Yes, I whole-heartedly support Save Our Community," McPherson said. "I see some positives from our interrupters in the community, and talking to our kids and in our schools and building relationships."
McPherson said to pay for the program's upgrade, the city can pull from the millions it received from the federal government during the pandemic.
But city finance leaders say that by 2025, those dollars are expected to run dry. So in the long run, McPherson said they need to find new funding to keep Save Our Community going, especially in the critical window where violent crime is on the decline.
"We're going to have to look at our city budget and then we're also going to look at grants to help fund the program," McPherson said. "It'll cost us, but if we pay now, we won't be paying to the cemeteries and the funeral homes."
But McPherson is only one vote on city council. WTOL 11 will keep you updated if they pass this measure when it comes to a vote on Tuesday.
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