Toledo leaders advance plan to ask voters for temporary 0.25% neighborhood safety income tax

Deputy Mayor Abby Arnold told Toledo City Council on July 7 that the administration wants to place a temporary 0.25 percentage‑point earned income tax on the November 2026 ballot to bolster neighborhood safety funding.

"We cannot cut our way out of this deficit," Arnold said, urging council to send the measure to the board of elections. She said the proposal would make Toledo's tax rate comparable to the state rate and would "generate $25,000,000 annually," money the administration says would be used for police and fire staffing, violence‑interruption work, demolition of unsafe structures, neighborhood investments and other public‑safety activities.

The measure is structured as an earned‑income levy, Arnold and legal staff clarified: "That is correct," she said in response to council questions, adding the tax would not apply to retirees or Social Security recipients. The administration emphasized that the council vote next week would only place the question on the ballot; any annual spending decisions would remain subject to the city's normal budget process.

Council members pressed for clearer messaging and more specific examples of how revenue would be allocated, saying voters are more likely to approve a tax if they see concrete line items. Dr. Jones and others asked that the administration describe how proposed uses — such as training classes, station repairs and violence‑interruption programs — would be phased or prioritized.

Legal staff told council the item can be advanced as an emergency ordinance so the question can be delivered to the Board of Elections by the state deadline (materials must arrive by Aug. 5). Arnold framed the request in the context of long‑term revenue losses: she said the city has lost significant state funding since 2008 and estimated recurring cuts at roughly $16 million a year; the proposed levy, she said, would not fix every budget shortfall but would help avoid deeper service cuts and potential layoffs.

Council members said they plan further public outreach and recommended that the administration provide clearer, voter‑facing language and a more detailed explanation of priority spending areas before the Nov. vote. A council vote to place the measure on the ballot is expected next week.

The council discussion was procedural and preparatory; no formal spending plan was adopted during the July 7 meeting.