TOLEDO, Ohio — Toledo City Council voted unanimously on Wednesday to increase the city's contract with Lucas County Canine Care and Control to $100,000 and extend it by one year.
The contract, previously $75,000 in years past, includes LC4 responding to calls about problem dogs in the city. That responsibility caused some council members to question renewing it due to repeated yearly exceedances of the funds and confusion about what calls the shelter should respond to and what calls Toledo Police Department should respond to.
An increased amount of calls to LC4 about problem dogs is commonly believed to be the driving factor behind why the city has had to pay more than the contract's price tag for the past three years.
The vote on the amended contract came a day after council met with representatives from LC4 and TPD to review the partnership and clear up confusion.
Council also approved $48,609.65 for an accessible playground at Schneider Park, the latest in a series of work slated for the south Toledo park as part of a larger renovation project intending to turn the park into a local soccer hub. The city also expects to start construction on a two-million-gallon water tank at the park in 2026.
The city will also enter a loan agreement with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to purchase furniture, fixtures and equipment for the Delta Hotel by Marriot on the University of Toledo Medical Center campus.
An additional street sweeper truck will also be added to the city's fleet for urban beautification programs.