By Eamon Baird

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TROY—Troy Mayor Robin Oda and Director of Public Service and Safety Patrick Titterington delivered the annual State of the City event on Thursday, April 25, at the Bravo Room in Hobart Arena.

“We continue to have a strong city team that works closely with Patrick and me to execute our mission, vision, and services. Troy wouldn’t be what it is today without this team of people,” Oda said during her opening remarks.

Economic development

Titterington discussed the city of Troy’s financial position and economic development projects.

“The overall financial position of the city, which is very strong. We’ve been able to keep our tax rates low but still reinvest in our staff infrastructure amenities. In 2023, we collected $8.1 million more than in 2022, almost 14%, that included over $10 million in grant awards,” he said.

“We don’t rely on one big company to support our income tax and our employee base. Rather, we have a pretty well-balanced mix of industrial and commercial businesses.”

In his address, Titterington also talked about Troy continuing its relationship with Takahashi, its sister city in Japan, particularly with the student exchange program.

“We restarted the student exchange program that we had had for a long time until COVID hit. This summer, we hope to send our students over to Takahashi and then welcome Takahashi officials government chamber and possibly school officials here in late 2024,” Titterington said.

Titterington said next month he will be traveling to Europe on a business trade trip, which will include presenting the benefits of Troy to the Southern Sweden Chamber of Commerce.

“So we have some potential to at least show off Troy and what we have to offer,” Titterington said. “I say it’s important because two to three of our companies, our European companies are about to announce major expansions.”

Engineering and public works

Oda talked about the importance of continuing developmental projects in Troy.

“Our biggest road project ever continues somewhat smoothly with West Main Street phase one completed last year, and phase two is currently underway and we hope to have that done by the end of the year.”

One concern Oda mentioned during the address was the amount of trash and recycling that was collected in 2023.

“The city collected 14.2 million pounds of residential trash in 2023, which was a 2.5% increase over 2022. Rumpke collected 3.6 million pounds of recycling which was a 3.4% decrease. We’re trying to get that to reverse a little bit. We can reduce those trash numbers if we can get recycling more on board,” she said.

“Finally, to support our continued industrial growth, we are embarking on citywide water and sewer master plans, which will target new investments to make sure we have adequate treatment and water for our residents and businesses in the coming decades, big projects, but we are on target.”

Public safety

Troy Fire and EMS responded to 5,604 incidents which was 9% less than 2022. Troy Police responded to roughly 23,000 calls in 2023 which was a 5% decrease from the previous year.

“So, seeing decrease, decrease, decrease. It’s good, whether it means we’re a healthier, more diligent population, I don’t know, but we’ll take it any year that we can, we can do that,” Titterington said.

The city of Troy also hired eight new officers and two police recruits to the OSHP Academy in 2023.

“Recruitment continues to be a challenge. But the chiefs are be commended. Our staffing has stayed fairly stable. It is a challenging atmosphere not only region-wide, but across the state and probably in the country,” he said.

Titterington added that Troy has made strides in hiring more female and minority employees to better keep up with city demographics.

Park board projects

In April of 2024, Troy was just recognized as a Tree City for the 38th consecutive year. Troy is also home to 29 different city parks.

Oda talked about 2023 projects conducted by the city in conjunction with the parks department, and what to expect in 2024.

“Last year the park department started sending out informal surveys to gauge the community’s opinions on various aspects of our parks, such as parks visited the number of times you visit and the things you use the parks again in 2024,” she said.

Quality of life

Miami Shores Golf Course saw an increase of 4% increase in rounds played in 2023 from the previous year. Oda said in 2024 there will be an increase in green maintenance, tree and landscaping projects.

“We will add safety netting to our popular driving range and we’ll replace another five golf carts that was also done on a daily basis to keep the current fleet current for outings and leagues,” she said.

Hobart Arena saw a 24% increase in events in 2023 from 2022, and public skating was up by 6%. The arena has a $1 million budget for events in 2024.

“This Hobart Arena staff works harder than anybody realizes when we have these events covering the ice putting down the floor coverings setting up chairs,” Oda said.

Oda thanked the community members in attendance at the event in her closing statement.

“We are a regional success story, we hear it all the time. Thank you to all of you for being a part of that. We look forward to many more years of collaboration.”