PRESS The
Since 1972
Bay Metro Suburban Maumee
Press A supplement to The October 28, 2013
Voters’ Guide
Serving Oregon and Jerusalem Twp.
See second section
Oregon inks pact on enterprise zone for $652 million energy project
P
The
Oregon Voters’ Guide
October 28, 2013
FREE
RESS
Serving The Eastern Maumee Bay Communities Since 1972
Wildcats-Comets Game of the Week See page 18
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By Kelly J. Kaczala Press News Editor kkaczala@presspublications.com
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uote of The Week
OK, let’s just not do anything. Councilman Jon Fickert See page 16
Toledo Mayor Mike Bell and contender D. Michael Collins answer questions concerning East Toledoans during a debate at the East Toledo Senior Center. (Press photos by Ken Grosjean)
Mayor’s debate
East Toledo: A second tier portion of Toledo? By J. Patrick Eaken Press Staff Writer news@presspublications.com Incumbent Mike Bell was on the defense during much of a Toledo mayoral forum hosted by the East Toledo Club and The Press Thursday. On the offense? Challenger D. Michael Collins, a District 2 city councilman. Toledo voters will determine on November 5 whether Bell remains mayor for four more years or if Collins takes office in 2014. Collins hit home while speaking to 75 residents who showed up at the East Toledo Senior Center in Navarre Park Thursday afternoon. “Unfortunately, East Toledo has not been addressed as a part of the city except when it’s convenient for East Toledo to be addressed as such, and that’s a shameful statement to make,” Collins said. It must have been what residents wanted to hear because they burst into applause before Collins could finish answering a question about housing issues. “I plan on rebuilding our neighborhoods,” Collins continued. “What I believe we need to do is get our community service officer, code inspector, and a nuisance abate-
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Unfortunately, East Toledo has not been addressed as a part of the city except when it’s convenient for East Toledo to be addressed as such...
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Oregon council on Monday will consider entering into an enterprise zone agreement with Oregon Clean Energy LLC., for a tax exemption of 100 percent for 15 years on the increase in the assessed value of real and tangible property. Oregon Clean Energy plans to construct an 800 megawatt energy generation facility for $652 million on a 30 acre parcel of land at 816 North Lallendorf Road, located within the enterprise zone. Upon completion, the facility will convert clean natural gas to electricity. There will be enough new electricity for 500,000 homes. “We think this is a great arrangement,” Mayor Mike Seferian said at a committee of the whole meeting last Monday. “We’re really proud of this project.” The Enterprise Zone Act allows counties, with the consent of affected municipal corporations or townships, to execute such agreements for the purpose of establishing, expanding, renovating or occupying facilities and hiring new employees and/or preserving jobs within the enterprise zone in exchange for tax incentives. The project is expected to create about 450 construction jobs over three years, and 26 new full-time, permanent jobs once the facility begins operations, with a total annual payroll of about $3.2 million. The city has already approved an agreement with Clean Energy for the plant’s use of the raw water intake system that will generate about $1 million per year, which will help keep the water and sewer rates low, said Administrator Mike Beazley. The Oregon City school board has also approved a tax incentive donation agreement with Clean Energy, which will annually contribute funds to the district for 15 years. For the first five years, Clean Energy will pay the district $850,000 annually. The amount increases to $1.2 million annually for the next five years, then $1,450,000 annually for five years afterwards. At the end of the 15 year agreement, the district will have received payments totaling $17.5 million from the Clean Energy agreement. “The schools come out ahead. It’s a
ment director and have them specifically assigned to the sector that belongs to East Toledo. “They would be reporting to the mayor’s office through the chief of police every quarter as to what the outcomes have been, what they have done, and they will work as a team and they will work exclusively to the neighborhoods because what has to happen is the neighbors have to believe and have trust in the city. The city has to have the trust of the neighborhoods. “We will bring that trust back together. East Toledo is part of Toledo and not a stepchild which identifies itself as a zip code,”
Collins said. Bell responded, “It’s like we’re treating East Toledo like it’s some type of second tier portion of our city. I’m telling you that we don’t. We are actually creating an environment by (rebuilding) seven or eight roads that we’ve tore up and put back together. But we have 84 square miles that we have to look after and we have to be fair to all of it.” The razing of the Collins Park pool was one item Collins used to emphasize his point — saying it never would have happened under his watch, adding that he would turn recreation over to a public-private partnership. Bell responded that the pool was in such poor shape that opening it would have risked the lives of youth swimming there and the city did not have the money to renovate it. $8 million or $48 million? The candidates were at odds over the amount of the budget deficit when Bell took office four years ago. Bell says there was a $48 million deficit, which has been eliminated, while Collins says the deficit was $8 million. Bell says the priorities of his first term
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