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ISSUES
SUPPORT FOR SAFETY
• Establish a standing Wood County Fire and EMS Collaboration Council to provide a consistent space for communication and coordination.
• Hold quarterly meetings that bring together fire chiefs, township trustees, mayors or city administrators, EMS providers, County EMA, dispatch and 911 leadership, and county finance and grants staff.
• Use the council to surface shared challenges, explore regional solutions, and identify opportunities for coordinated planning and outside funding.
• Provide county support for neutral, third-party feasibility and governance studies when communities are exploring collaboration.
• Ensure communities considering shared services, joint staffing, or district formation have access to clear, objective financial and operational data.
• Support decision-making that is transparent, informed by facts, and driven by local needs rather than assumptions.
• Offer targeted micro-grants that encourage departments and jurisdictions to work together.
• Support shared training opportunities, joint equipment purchases, standardized EMS protocols, and regional specialty teams.
• Reduce unnecessary duplication while strengthening response capability and service quality across the county.
• Assist communities that choose to pursue joint districts under ORC 505.371.
• Help connect communities with technical, legal, and financial resources during planning and formation.
• Emphasize long-term sustainability, transparency, and measurable improvements in emergency response.
SMART GROWTH, INFRASTRUCTURE, & LOCAL CONTROL
• Require fiscal and infrastructure impact analysis for large-scale developments.
• Fully account for impacts on roads, bridges, utilities, emergency services, and long-term maintenance costs.
• Prioritize growth that makes efficient use of existing infrastructure and minimizes long-term public liability.
• Oppose development patterns that generate short-term revenue but long-term public expense.
• Seek clear agreements so new growth does not shift infrastructure and service costs onto existing residents.
• Prioritize maintenance and reinvestment in existing infrastructure before expanding outward.
• Provide county-level planning, engineering, and fiscal analysis to townships and municipalities when requested.
• Help local leaders evaluate complex or fast-moving proposals while preserving local control.
• Ensure local officials have the information needed to make decisions that reflect their community’s priorities.
• Support early and meaningful public input on major development proposals.
• Ensure residents have access to clear, understandable information about fiscal, infrastructure, and service impacts.
• Promote open decision-making processes that build public trust and accountability.
• Partner with residents for input and ideas by holding Quarterly Community Conversations around the county.
• Encourage development that aligns with workforce availability, infrastructure capacity, water and energy use, and public safety resources.
• Respect community priorities, environmental considerations, and quality of life.
• Promote countywide and regional planning to address shared challenges.
• Encourage cooperation among communities to strengthen long-term fiscal health and infrastructure stability.
• Avoid competition between communities that undermines long-term fiscal health and infrastructure stability.
FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY
• Prioritize the use of carryover funds and reserves for capital improvements, infrastructure needs, and technology modernization.
• Avoid reliance on one-time funds for recurring operating expenses.
• Maintain healthy reserves to protect taxpayers from emergencies, economic downturns, and sudden tax increases.
• Treat cybersecurity as a core component of responsible financial stewardship.
• Invest in prevention measures, system redundancy, and staff training to reduce risk.
• Support regular risk assessments and cost-benefit analyses for major IT systems and upgrades to prevent high cost failures.
• Develop a multi-year funding strategy for bridges, roads, and county facilities.
• Address maintenance proactively so small issues do not become costly emergencies.
• Coordinate county investments with available state and federal funding programs to maximize impact.
• Support economic development strategies that broaden and stabilize the county tax base.
• Reduce pressure on residential taxpayers by growing commercial and industrial investment responsibly.
• Use cost-benefit and return-on-investment analysis when evaluating tax incentives.
• Favor incentives that are performance-based, time-limited, and tied to measurable outcomes.
• Encourage coordination with employers, schools, and regional partners on workforce development.
• Establish clear, objective criteria for what constitutes a responsible bidder.
• Award contracts based on demonstrated ability to deliver quality work on time and on budget.
• Use prequalification standards that consider experience, financial capacity, safety record, and past performance.
• Support reporting practices that ensure compliance with tax and labor laws.
PARKS & RECREATION
• Support Wood County Parks, trails, and cultural resources as essential public assets.
• Advocate for sustainable funding and long-term planning that protects these resources for future generations.
• Support river access projects, water quality initiatives, and trail connections.
• Expand safe, inclusive recreational opportunities along the Maumee River corridor.
• Encourage coordination between the county, park district, municipalities, and townships.
• Help communities leverage grants, share best practices, and align park and recreation investments.
• Use community input, surveys, and usage data to guide park and playground improvements.
• Ensure investments reflect actual resident needs and priorities rather than assumptions.
• Promote walkability, connectivity, and accessibility in park planning.
• Consider the needs of families, seniors, and people with disabilities across Wood County.
Economic Development That Works for Wood County
• Support economic development that strengthens the local tax base and helps reduce the burden on homeowners.
• Prioritize projects that deliver long-term, sustainable public revenue rather than short-term gains.
• Carefully evaluate tax abatements and incentives to ensure clear benefits for residents, schools, and local services.
• Encourage a broader range of housing options, including downsizing-friendly housing for seniors and attainable housing for young adults and families.
• Support redevelopment and infill housing that makes efficient use of existing infrastructure.
• Work with local governments to remove barriers to housing that reflects current demographic and workforce needs.
• Support partnerships between schools, colleges, and local employers to create clear career pathways.
• Encourage internships, apprenticeships, and workforce training programs that help graduates stay in Wood County.
• Promote quality-of-life investments that make Wood County a place people of all ages choose to build their futures.
• Focus economic development efforts on supporting existing businesses and encouraging local entrepreneurship.
• Align economic development strategies with workforce availability, training capacity, and local labor market realities.
• Use economic development incentives thoughtfully, transparently, and with accountability.
• Coordinate with school districts, municipalities, and townships to ensure incentives do not create unintended fiscal impacts.
• Measure outcomes to ensure public investments deliver real returns for the community.
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