TOLEDO, Ohio — Toledo residents will be voting on an increase to the Toledo temporary income tax come March.
Tuesday night, Toledo City Council approved the decision 11 to 1 with most of the money being levied going to road repairs.
There are still plenty of details to be worked out and shared about this money and how it can be spent, but now the final decision is up to Toledo taxpayers. The goal is to take the amount of roads currently being repaired per year from about two miles to 70 miles annually.
"It's about developing a plan of action, it's not just about allocating money generally for streets, it's about specifically identifying how you're going to address the problem," Councilman Tyrone Riley said.
Riley was the one "no" vote on whether or not an increased temporary income tax should end up on the March ballot. He says he wants to see more of a plan first.
While there were 11 yes votes, that doesn't mean everyone else was in favor of the initiative actually passing.
"When only 42% of the population pays the income tax, that's really oppressive for that 42%," Councilman Rob Ludeman said.
While others, including Councilman Nick Komives and outgoing councilman Peter Ujvagi said their "yes" vote isn't just for the tax increase to be on the ballot, it's also in full support of increasing the temporary income tax by a half a percent.
"We are responsible for ourselves, and I think one of the greatest examples of how we've begun to tackle that issue is to look at water," Komives said.
Councilwoman Sandy Spang voted "no" the last time an increase in the income tax was proposed, but this time she believes the city is in a better place, and having better roads could bring in more business.
"It is also difficult to attract business to a community that invests in its own infrastructure," Spang said.
This legislation that Toledoans will be voting on in the spring also has safeties put into place so the money designated for roadways can't be transferred by the city and used in another way.
The mayor's office estimates it will cost the average Toledoan about $8 more per paycheck.