Ohio’s 135th General Assembly is working to hammer out its capital budget, a process our legislators undertake every two years that culminates in millions of dollars awarded to projects across the state in the spring.
Each of Ohio’s 88 counties jockey for a piece of this funding. It’s money that’s critical to economic development and moving key capital projects in our communities forward.
It’s money that helps fund some of the most important projects across the entire state.
I crunched the numbers from the last four General Assemblies, and Lucas County is solidly middle-of-the-pack when compared to Ohio’s other counties. There’s no reason for us not to be near the top, especially among our urban peers.
During the last GA, Lucas County received $5.4 million toward capital projects in our community. Divide that by our population of 431,279 as of the 2020 Census, and that breaks down to an investment of $12.53 per Lucas County resident.
The legislative session before that was similar, with a capital allocation of $4.97 million from the state, or $11.54 per resident; the 132nd GA gave Lucas County $4.3 million, or $9.97 per person; and the 131st GA awarded $5.73 million, or $13.27 per resident.