Bay Village State of the City 2021

Bay Village Mayor Paul Koomar presented his 2021 State of the City address before a limited live audience and Zoom viewers Thursday morning, May 20.

Despite the pandemic, Bay Village was busier than ever in 2020. Plans that resulted in a new library groundbreaking, Bay Creek housing along Wolf Road plus a walking trail to Lake Erie from Cahoon Park were just a few of the highlights.

“People do love to stay in Bay. They like to live, work and stay here and they love the lake,” said Mayor Koomar.

A Lakefront master plan survey measuring resident interest in lakefront recreational improvements brought a lot of interest and over 340 respondents.

A plan to overlay the commercial district with the Stay in Bay concept to accommodate an attractive business culture and housing that may include options for downsizing is another focal point moving forward in 2021.

With an annual overall operating budget of $34 million and a General Fund operating fund of $14.1 million, the city employs 104 full time, 47 part time plus seasonal employees.

Although property tax was flat from 2019, income tax was up 4 per cent. CARES Act funding was used to pay for pandemic related expenses including public safety, PPE and telework costs. The City received the Ohio Auditor of State award for Excellence in Financial Reporting for the past seven years.

Bay Village Police performed 11,295 service calls (a decrease over 2019) and officers completed 2,076 hours of combined training. 58 per cent of the staff have been trained in Crisis Intervention.

The Fire Department, consisting of 24 full time firefighter/paramedics, responded to 1,520 calls, 1,036 EMS calls, 28 structure fire calls and provided mutual aid 66 times. Fire Station upgrades, which have not come since 1973, are also coming with funding support.

Over $19 million was invested in the City through the Building Dept. 2130 building permits were issued and 20 new residential dwellings were constructed.

Community Services were very active. A Senior Produce Market ran monthly, January through March, serving 459 seniors who received fresh produce at no cost. A Farm to Families Food Box Program ran weekly from early June to mid-July. Over 40 Bay Village residents volunteered to run errands for seniors in the early days of the pandemic, Community Services staff called to check on the well-being of seniors who lived alone, The “Connections” newsletter was created to communicate with seniors to help them through the pandemic. Sent to 350 seniors, it included online activities, and activity pages with exercises, games and puzzles. Transportation resumed for medical appointments in mid-August. “Every step of the way we tried to get resources out to the community,” said Koomar.

Grant funding is an initiative started under Mayor Koomar and has taken hold with a number of funded projects, including new Bradley Road playground equipment and School Resource Officer and more.

Grant funding will be a large part of Bay Village’s Lakefront improvements as plans are developed over the long-term.

Stay in Bay is a community-led, city-sponsored endeavor to determine what Bay residents envision for the long-term development of commercial spaces. Focus is on the Bay Square area, Dover Junction area and Clague Parkway. A ‘zoning overlay’ will bring a collective understanding to the vision as well as new types of housing and the promotion of walking and biking opportunities.

Please visit the Mayor’s Page at CityofBayVillage.com for the complete slide-show of his talk.