4.15.19 MEETING MINUTES - Laserfiche WebLink

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Minutes of the Regular Meeting of Council Monday, April 15, 2019 Page 2 on deposit with the Chagrin Township treasury: $3.88. Since then, the land comprising Mayfield Township has been split into 5 communities, including Mayfield Village and, I am happy to say, our coffers have increased. 2018 was another strong financial year in Mayfield Village. Our income tax collections totaled over $19.8 million, an increase of almost $1.4 million over 2017. The vast majority of the Village's revenue comes from income tax dollars paid by those employed in the Village; that tells us that our business base is healthy and continues to support the services and amenities enjoyed by residents of Mayfield Village. Our total general fund revenues for 2018, which include our income tax collections plus interest, land rental income, refunds of tax collection costs, miscellaneous revenues and reimbursements, property taxes and charges for sales and services provided by our Building, Recreation, Fire and Police Departments, totaled almost $23.5 million, posting an extremely healthy $2.7 million increase over 2017 general fund revenues. Again, this increase is due primarily to the increase in income tax collections for people employed in the Village. However, in 2018, the Village also saw substantial increases in successful grants, earned interest, charges for services, and other miscellaneous items. Many grant opportunities become available during the course of a year, and we do our best to take advantage of them. Applying for grant money is an important way for us to bring some of your tax dollars back home, and I encourage our staff to seek out available grants and take the time to apply. Several factors have contributed to our success in obtaining grants: (1) we are consistently proactive in planning for projects for which we seek grants, so we are prepared to go forward with plans and documentation when it is time to apply; (2) we budget our own money for improvements, showing our financial commitment to those projects; (3) we follow through consistently, and use our grant money as stated in our applications; and (4) we maintain strong, positive relationships with our elected officials, expressing our thanks for the assistance we receive. Most recently, I travelled to Columbus for a Lobby Day arranged by the Ohio Municipal League, and I was able to meet with our state senator and representative to discuss budget issues and relay our appreciation for the State grants we have received. Keeping in touch with our elected officials, and working with other local leaders to promote the interests of our communities, is a significant part of our role here. In 2018, our grant -writing efforts were particularly successful, and we received grant dollars totaling over $800,000. It appears that we will be continuing that success in 2019. Assistant Recreation Director Danielle Echt recently received almost $378,000 in grants from the State of Ohio to help fund the Parkview Inclusive Playground Project. The value of these grants is significant, as they will cover over half of the cost of the playground. In 2018, our general fund expenditures, exclusive of year-end transfers, were $14,817,097.00. This amount represents an increase in spending of $1.2 million over 2017, primarily due to an increase in Fire and Service Department full-time staffing, and the purchase of new vehicles and equipment.