DAYTON — Investing in many projects including the city’s youth was a focus of Dayton Mayor Jeffery J. Mims Jr. during the State of City address Wednesday morning.
Mims spoke of many accomplishments and progress the City of Dayton has made during his first year in office, but more work still needs to be done.
“We still know we have work to do,” said Mims.
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During the address, the mayor covered many topics, from fixing roads, revitalizing downtown, investing in neighborhoods, and investing in the youth of Dayton.
“Right now, the youth represent 20 percent of our population but they’re 100 percent of our future. And how we put them in position to be their best self is very important to us,” said Mims.
According to Mims, generated tax revenue from Downtown Dayton is 50 percent of the city’s budget and is a focus area for him. However, 75 percent of the money is spent in neighborhoods, with continued investments to tear down abandoned and vacant homes.
“We have neighborhoods that we still have not gotten to yet. For those individuals who look out their windows and your doors and you see things that you don’t like. Understand we are on our way,” said Mims
The city has been no stranger to dangerous activity, from hooning to car thefts, and Mims would like to put a stop to it.
Since the summer of 2022, Dayton has seen a rise in car thefts due to social media challenges and how-to-videos. In October 2022, the Auto Theft Suppression Task Force was created with the Dayton Police Department and surrounding agencies to help battle the rise in car thefts. Recent data released by the Dayton Police Department has shown the task force is finding success in recovering at least 40 stolen vehicles.
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Most recently, a group of people was seen doing donuts and drifting in six different locations in Montgomery County, including Downtown Dayton.
“These individuals are very well organized. We are looking at better ways to address that situation,” said Mims.
After the address, News Center 7′s Xavier Hershovitz spoke with the mayor to get more specifics on the key areas of focus.
Mims was asked if he is working with state lawmakers to address some of the dangerous activities Dayton has been experiencing.
“Yes. State law and federal laws because, like I said, this is happening across the nation. It’s not just happening here, kind Dayton Ohio. So trying to find ways to address that., said Mims in response.
In December, Dayton City Commissioners passed the budget during an emergency meeting after the commission was initially deadlocked, leaving questions if the city government would be forced to shut down on January 1.
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“What happened shouldn’t of happened, but we have it on lock right now, and it’s moving in the right direction. It won’t be a problem again in the future,” said Mims.
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