Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority seeks renewal of .4-mill property tax
TOLEDO – Voters will be asked on the Nov. 5 ballot to renew a levy for the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority – funding that the agency said it uses in part to support local economic development projects.
“With your support, we can keep momentum going,” said Robin Whitney, chair of the Committee for Jobs, during a kickoff press conference Thursday at Ironville Terminal, located at 2863 Front St.
The Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority was established in 1955. Its core responsibilities involve cargo and passenger transportation via the Port of Toledo, Toledo Shipyard, Eugene F. Kranz Toledo Express Airport, Toledo Express Airport and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Plaza.
But as explained at the levy kickoff and on the Committee for Jobs website, the agency’s impact goes beyond the sites under its jurisdiction, and supports a range of economic development projects.
Over the last few years, we have adopted the model that the Port Authority is ‘more than a port,’
Thomas Winston, Port Authority president and CEO
The real estate levy is for all of Lucas County. It has been on the books for decades, and was last passed in 2018. It is a five-year renewal of .4 mills using historic valuation, starting in 2024, with the first payment due in 2025.
For many taxpayers, Winston explained, the amount works out to about $8 in taxes a year for each $100,000 in property value.
Lucas County commissioner Anita Lopez, one of the presenters at the press conference, said in her previous role as Lucas County auditor that the port authority tax amounts were so minimal that it was “the levy no one complained about.”
But that collection results in about $2.5 million a year for the Port Authority, or about 7 percent of the agency’s overall budget. This is the money that supports capital improvement projects for maritime and aviation transportation services; investment into wetlands restoration and sustainability projects; along with providing local support toward economic development.
In some cases, the local financial support helps leverage state or federal funding.
Specifically, the Port Authority runs the Northwest Ohio Bond Fund, with 100 new business or business expansion projects financially supported since its launch 36 years ago. The bond fund earned a national rating of “A” earlier this year from S&P Global Ratings. Recent examples, according to the Committee for Jobs website, include the Toledo YWCA building renovations.
Administrative costs and salaries in the Port Authority’s budget, along with other operating expenses, come from other sources, such as revenue generated by its services.
Those speaking Thursday on behalf of the port authority work and the levy renewal request included Waterville mayor Tom Pedro and Wendy Gramza, president and CEO of Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce.
