Brian Arnold

This Sustainability Report for the City of Dayton details the progress and achievements of its five-year Sustainability Plan from 2020 to 2025. The plan's overall purpose is to build a cleaner and more resilient future for residents, focusing on three strategic areas: saving residents and the city money, reducing emissions, and keeping the community clean and vibrant. Key outcomes include reduced greenhouse gas emissions, financial savings through energy efficiency, expanded clean energy infrastructure, and improved air quality across neighborhoods.

The 2018 Dayton Riverfront Plan serves as a roadmap to enhance the city's riverfronts for future generations. It outlines six core goals: leveraging rivers for economic development, diversifying programs and experiences for equitable distribution, enhancing Dayton's identity through placemaking, promoting health, safety, and wellness, improving access and connectivity across the riverfront, and promoting ecological health while ensuring flood protection. The plan aims to create a more connected, activated, and healthier resource by implementing an overall framework for the greater downtown area, developing conceptual designs for ten riverfront parks, and integrating with the regional trail network, with a long-term vision for transformation over the next decades.

The meeting featured a presentation and special award concerning the overwhelmingly positive evaluation report of the City's Mediation Response Unit (MRU) for 2024-2025, detailing successes in interpersonal conflict resolution, case volume increases, and its role as an innovative model for other cities. Commissioners discussed areas for potential improvement, such as longer-term case management support. In City Manager's comments, a contract modification for Residence Park amenity upgrades and a development agreement with a law firm to retain high-salary jobs and create new ones were highlighted. Legislation included the second reading and adoption of an ordinance amending the Official Zoning Map for a property on Valley Street. Commissioners provided comments recognizing achievements in environmental management, promoting community events, and sharing cultural experiences.

The meeting commenced with an invocation and the pledge of allegiance, followed by a roll call which noted the absence of Commissioner Shaw, whose absence was excused. Key discussions focused on approving the minutes of the January 14, 2026 meeting. Significant time was dedicated to presenting and discussing the proposed 2026 city budget during a public hearing. The budget presentation highlighted that the general fund was balanced using $14.8 million in one-time sources, including health insurance holiday savings, FEMA reimbursement, interest earnings from ARPA funds, and cash reserve utilization, alongside budget cuts and new revenue identification. The commission also addressed the first and second readings of an emergency resolution to appoint a member to the Montgomery County Convention Facilities Authority, appointing Colleen Ryan. Commissioner Beckham inquired about how the police department's cultural improvement consulting agreement complements the organization-wide cultural evaluation initiative, which was explained as being directly born from that broader effort.

This work session provided an update on the Housing Steering Committee's policy work, which stemmed from recommendations identified years prior. The discussion covered the implementation status of the housing policy, the structured coordination model involving five subcommittees for 2026 activities, and the ongoing work related to data management, capital strategy, market conditions (including updating the Bowen study), outreach and education, and rental housing issues. Key initiatives mentioned include expanding home repair programs, launching a rental health initiative focusing on abatement and energy efficiency, and continuing regulatory modernization efforts like zoning text amendments for density management and accessory dwelling units. Financial updates highlighted that since 2021, over 4,000 residential units were impacted (newly constructed or rehabilitated/preserved), leveraging $767 million. The Housing Investment Fund subcommittee's progress as a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) was also reviewed, noting past investments in affordable housing preservation and new construction projects, and the need to develop a regional investment fund to enhance competitiveness for state and federal funding.