Mayor Bell has said tax hikes might be a part of a budget solution.
TOLEDO -- As the the City of Toledo continues to deal with its mounting budget gap, residents may be facing some tough times and tough choices in the months ahead.
The word of the day: painful.
That is what reporters kept hearing at the mayor's weekly budget conference held at Cousino's Navy Bistro.
That is where a broad cross section of city and community leaders from various walks of life worked to try to find cooperative solutions to the budget crisis.
It was a full house Friday for the second round of what one might call "Budget Solutions 101." The group of Toledoans learned quickly that there are no easy solutions.
"The reality of it is that this deficit situation is going to affect the entire community," said Roosevelt Gant, Toledo businessman.
"The solution will be painful, we're all going to have to go down a road we'd rather not," said Roosevelt.
Bottom line: Toledo's budget gap for this year is now at over $48 million and could be worse if the city income tax revenue keeps falling.
An income tax hike of a quarter percent has been offered as a possible and partial solution from Mayor Mike Bell. But even he knows the public will not take that sitting down and will first demand more severe belt tightening and cutbacks.
"Those are the options we are looking at. We have to get our fiscal house in order before we can imagine the voters even supporting increased taxes," said Steve Herwat, Mayor Bell's Chief of Staff.
"Without raising taxes? Sure, you would have to cut services and lay people off, in theory, it's possible," said Toledo City Councilman Joe McNamara.
But what is not a theory, to this group, but a pressing matter of fact is that the state-mandated deadline for a solution and a balanced budget is only two weeks away.
Mayor Bell is still hoping to get some of the city's unions to agree to concessions so that he can take the tax increase plan to the voters in may and show them that everyone is sharing the pain and it is not just the taxpayers along who are picking up the tab for a bailout. So far the unions have remained firm in their opposition to any givebacks.
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