LIMA (WLIO) - This evening, Lima Mayor Sharetta Smith held her "State of the City" address at Lima Senior High School.
The Lima community, along with its city workers and council members, filled Joe Henderson Auditorium to listen to Smith as she dove into the many works and projects that she and her team have spear-headed in the previous year - as part of efforts to improve the city of Lima.
Smith informed those in attendance about the targeted issues that her administration and the city are working towards improving. She also talked about recent projects and programs she says have had a positive effect on the Lima community.
"We purchased the Riverfront One property late last year in 2023. Right now, we are in the process of asking for developers to come in and issue a request for qualifications, so there will be some activity happening at that location. In addition to that, we'll look to install wayfinding signs in the downtown area, but we'll also continue to make investments in our neighborhoods," said Smith.
Smith added that they are listening to the public's concerns and are working hard to follow through on the promises they have made.
March 21, 2024 Press Release from the City of Lima: Last night, Mayor Sharetta Smith delivered the 2024 State of the City address, providing updates on several key priorities for the Lima community:
Maintaining City Services
- Issued 1,582 building permits, and reviewed 521 commercial and residential plans - resulting in $3.4M in residential improvements in the city and $94.3M in commercial investments across Allen County
- Replaced 15,346 square feet of sidewalk and 608 linear feet of curb - a 19% increase from 2022
- Collected 292 loads of leaves, up 12% from last year
- Added kayaks to Schoonover Lake and our parks served approximately 67K athletic participants and spectators
- Demolished 87 blighted structures (a 45% increase from 2022) and cleaned 23,000 feet of sewer lines
- Maintained our strong A1 credit rating and increased our cash reserves
Job Creation and Economic Growth
- Awarded contracts to 11 small businesses for 2024, up from 8 in 2023, and 2 in 2022 through our Lima Mowing Program
- Invested $14 million in water and wastewater infrastructure to support major employers that rely on Lima water
- Launched the Arctaris-Lima Opportunity Zone Fund – a $25M commitment to invest capital in growing companies and community infrastructure projects located in Lima’s Opportunity Zones
- Awarded nearly $40K through small business funding initiatives
- Awarded the first 2 recipients of the Lima Creates grant supporting our creative entrepreneurs and local artists
Safe and Livable Neighborhoods
- Negotiated both a police and fire contract where for the first time in decades - officers and firefighters received hourly, as well as yearly wage increases
- Took 154 guns and 260 impaired drivers off the streets
- Violent crime decreased by 16 % and overall crime decreased by 10% from 2022-2023
- Homicide clearance rate was 83% compared to the national average of 52.3%
- Added street lights to 8 new locations, and will add additional street lights to 14 more locations in 2024
Youth, Parks, and Recreation
- Broke ground on the new Lima Community Aquatic Park
- Celebrated 4th year of the afterschool program through a partnership with Lima City Schools, Allen County Juvenile Court, the Mental Health Recovery Services Board, and Open Doors Academy
- Launched the GenNext Makers Camp introducing middle school students to careers in advanced manufacturing, through hands-on simulation camps taught by local employers
- Helped 4 area young people find permanent jobs through the GenNext Summer Youth Employment Program
Quality and Affordable Housing
- Processed over 100 applications - an increase of over 1000% since COVID - allocating more than $5k to improve the quality of Lima’s housing stock
- More than 400 families have started on the path to homeownership, and more than a dozen have qualified to purchase a home - in just 1 year
- Allocated new dollars for both New Lima Homes and Habitat for Humanity
- Lima City Council passed legislation enacting a rental registration and licensing program
On-Going Challenges
- It will take more than additional police to keep us safe
- Our kids are missing too much school, and our youngest learners are starting behind
- We need to return to being a majority homeowner city
“The state of our city is strong, growing, and rising together.” - Mayor Sharetta Smith
