Council blocks Finkbeiner's budget fix

TOLEDO, Ohio - Toledo City Council has blocked Mayor Carty Finkbeiner's effort to put an issue on the November ballot to take money from the Capital Improvements Fund to fix the budget deficit.

Council voted 9-to-2 against the mayor's plan. Instead council members opted to stick with council's safety first plan, also known as Issue One, which will appear on the September 15 primary ballot.

"We've been debating this proposal for eight months," said Council President Joe McNamara. "It passes unanimously through council. The mayor signed a resolution in support of it. I mean, this is the course of action that we've taken to help the budget deficit with out raising taxes and putting safety first."

Mayor Finkbeiner did not attend Tuesday night’s meeting (read the mayor's memo here) , but did issue a memo to council that pointed out his proposal with limit the reallocation on the three-quarter-percent to this year only, and would be a back-up if Issue One failed.

The memo stated, “There has been much discussion from City Council, on letting voters decide how they wish to proceed, so I would hope that you would support providing the voters an alternative for their consideration.”

However, the majority on city council said the move would confuse voters and would only benefit this mayor. That is why they voted it down.

"He's splitting hairs and basically trying to lock down the future mayor and future council with a formula that he didn't use and didn't work for his administration," McNamara said.

The proposal that will on the ballot, Issue One, would split th thre-quarter-percent tax money between the general fund and police and fire operations for the rest of 2009. For 2010, 2011, and 2012, the allocation would be one-half to police and fire, one-third to the general fund, and one-sixth to capital improvements.

Its passage could put the city even closer to finally balancing the budget.

“If safety first passes that trims $3.9 million and takes it down to about $3.8 million," said McNamara.

There is another city-wide issue on the primary ballot. Issue Two is the proposal to reduce the size of council from 12 members to nine by eliminating the at-large seats and creating three "super district" seats. Toledo voters will get their say on that issue on Sept. 15.