Lima Mayor Sharetta Smith is one of more than 250 mayors attending the U.S. Conference of Mayors in Tampa this weekend. Smith says some of the topics addressed include economic development, infrastructure, and housing.
It was a busy night at Lima City Council with multiple pieces of legislation being passed. First, Council voted for the approval of purchasing the VFW Post 1275 building and the adjacent parking lot located within the 100 block of East Elm Street. Council also received an update that the construction of the $11.5 million Aquatics Center project is coming along, on time, and on budget. Council also gave Mayor Smith the green light to go after 2 grants from the U.S. Conference of Mayors.
The City of Lima is looking at buying some property in Downtown Lima, and they will get an update on another multi-million dollar project that is moving right along. Council will also vote to go after two grants from the U.S. Conference of Mayors.
The Lima mayor joined other mayors from Ohio and Michigan to urge the federal government to make housing affordability a top priority. A group from the U.S. Conference of Mayors met in Detroit to tour one of their housing projects and to call on whoever takes office in January to move housing issues to the top of their agenda. Mayor Sharetta Smith said 64% of households that earn $50,000 a year spend 30% of their income on housing. The median household income in Lima, Ohio, is $42,000, and housing costs are impacting residents' bottom line.
Findlay Mayor Christina Muryn was in Honolulu, Hawaii over the weekend for the U.S. Conference of Mayors. The conference is for mayors of cities with populations of 30 thousand or more, over 220 mayors attended this year's conference. Some of the big topics that were discussed included opioids, census counting, and innovation and infrastructure.
