Committee suggests quick fixes for county, stops short of 'unigov'

BY JOE VARDON | TOLEDO BLADE

July 20, 2007

 

TOLEDO - With a month remaining until its final report is due, a committee of community leaders charged with identifying ways to improve or change Lucas County government has produced a rough draft of 18 suggestions, which was obtained by The Blade.  Some of the group's proposed quick fixes for what ails the county's various governments include improving customer service and promoting joint purchases between jurisdictions.  But the section of the report reserved for what would be the committee's most influential and controversial recommendation - the long-term planning section - falls short of calling for a regionalized form of government, or unigov, in Lucas County, and instead opens with the following suggestion: Form another committee.

 

Most of the suggestions focus on smaller improvements or changes that could be made without undertaking a major overhaul.  They include:

 

• Designating a county employee to ensure county residents' needs and concerns are being promptly addressed.

 

• Consolidating services, like grounds maintenance, recycling, and tax collecting, so they are executed based on geographical areas, rather than by jurisdictions.

 

• Placing the functions of the county auditor and recorder in one office for all land transfers.

 

• Simplifying the county's information technology structure to eliminate duplication of functions and "departure from standard systems and platforms."

 

• Emphasizing annual goal-setting for all governmental departments to create more production.

 

• Engaging public officials in discussions to encourage them to support eliminating the duplication of many government services that cost the taxpayers more money.

 

I grew up in Anthony Wayne, and let me tell you, I went to my parents this weekend and I almost threw up as soon as I pulled into their driveway.  What was once a nice rural farming community, is nothing but sprawl and cheap manufactured construction housing.  What they call vilas would be called trailers where I live now.  I say this as an urban planner.  Rural is great, Cities are amazing, uncontrolled sprawl is horrible.

 

That being said, I went down to the Party in the Park this weekend.  I was impressed by how well downtown looked.  The park along the river has come along way since I moved away 5 years ago.  We took our boat down to the docks and watched the concert and had a great time.  That was until we tried to find a bathroom.  Not one public bathroom for the whole concert unless you wanted to pay $8.  We paid $15 to dock the boat but we were not allowed to use any of the services of the concert.  This is why Toledo can't attract young professionals, and most of them are moving to larger urban areas.  Who charges people to park their boats, and refuses to let them go to the bathroom?  We spent a total of 110 just at the dock alone having drinks and food brought to the boat.  How can Toledo get away with charging people for a concert and docking and not having restrooms?  I would actually move back to Toledo if my cards played right, but if they can't even throw an event together without proper planning, why would I even bother?  Some of my friends on the boat actually pissed in a parking garage.

 

I've always told my friends in Cleveland that Toledo's water front is 10 or 15 years ahead of theirs, and that is true in terms of entertainment, but they don't seem to get the little things about urban planning, like public restrooms.

I agree with your take on the "Ohio" appeal.  I love Ohio, but the perception of Ohio is way different than what it actually is.  Everyone thinks Ohio is full of farms and hillbillies, but they seem to forget about the five cities that top 300,000 and the three metros at over 500,000.  Ohio's future for the next 50 years will be decided in the next five, we need to bring ourselves into the 21st century and start being innovative like we were 100 years ago.

 

Oh and we did the bush thing  8-)

I stand corrected....

 

I meant bush as in your mentioning of the Savannah way...but I like the way you think!