Mayor touts city as ‘premier’ area in Dayton region
Establishing better relations with state is one goal, Duncan says.
Mayor Bill Duncan OAKWOOD — said in his State of the City address that Oakwood’s community engagement, thriving local business growth, schools and public safety have been hallmarks of the community.
“Oakwood continues to be the premier residential community in the Dayton region,” Duncan said as he addressed council.
Duncan noted that the city has approved its first balanced budget in the five years since the estate tax was eliminated. He said the city managed to handle fiscal cuts from the state during former Gov. John Kasich’s time in office, adding that Oakwood’s current administration looks forward to establishing better relations with the state under Gov. Mike DeWine.
The challenge of having a balanced budget arrived with the 2013 end of Ohio’s estate tax, which contributed an average of $2.6 million a year to the city over the past decade.
For 2019, the city plans to spend nearly $13.2 million for general city services, $1.5 million for refuse, $1.4 million for water and utilities, nearly $1.6 million for sanitary and sewer utilities and more than $362,000 for storm-water
utility.
The city began the year with a balance of $10 million, City Manager Norbert Klopsch said. That will go along with $9.6 million in projected revenue, he said, and will leave Oakwood in good financial shape.
A nod was given to the Oakwood schools, as Duncan said the district was ranked number one in the Dayton area in a report issued by US News and World Report.
Also, Wright Memorial Public Library in Oakwood will celebrate its 80th anniversary this year, coming on the heels of celebrating in 2018 the completion of the $500,000 Jack W. and Sally D. Eichelberger Historic Restoration project.
Public Safety Director Alan Hill was credited with leading the police department into new territory as the first Citizens Police Academy was started in 2018.
Duncan said the 10-week academy program was designed to educate citizens regarding the daily functions of the police department and how officers operate when policing the community.
Another community-based program is being developed, as the Assisting and Contributing to Oakwood Resident Needs (ACORN) will be implemented in 2019, according to the mayor. The outreach initiative by the city is designed to better connect residents with services.
Director of Personnel and Properties Jennifer Wilder has been with the city for a year in her post. Her office deals with a variety of issues ranging from zoning rules to city code enforcement.
The city issued 364 permits in 2018 and completed nearly 378 pre-sale property inspections. The city issued 183 property maintenance violations, but Wilder said 181 were resolved with only two making their way to Municipal Court. In 2019, city staff will continue to conduct an automobile tour of Oakwood to identify violations of the Oakwood Property Maintenance Code.
“By enforcing the Zoning and Property Maintenance Codes of the City of Oakwood, the city is working to protect property values. Call us, email us, reach out to us in any fashion when there is a property concern,” Wilder said.
This year Vectren is looking to complete a major project in the city. The company between May and July will replace underground gas distribution pipes and home service lines in certain areas. The work will also include moving indoor gas meters to outside wall locations.
Duncan said the goal for the city in 2019 is to keep Oakwood “well-governed, well-managed and financially strong.”