On behalf of your City council and myself; a very big Thank-you to all who participated in Earth Day, and City clean up. I know groups consisted of students and faculty from STC, Juvenile home residents and chaperones, City employees and many community volunteers. We appreciate your time and effort and that you care enough for the place you call home to make a commitment to make it an even better place to live.
In keeping with the above statements please remember our ordinances during the mowing and gardening season. NO GRASS CLIPPINGS mowed into the streets and six inches in height, either infraction will be cause for fines to be levied, if you see any violators let’s work together and remind our neighbors, most will thank us.
Another Thank-you for all those using the City brush area, it is somewhat of a nuisance having to get to get a key, however, it beats the alternative having to close this convenience permanently. Please take license plate numbers of violators and give them to our clerk, we can take it from there.
It makes me extremely proud to serve in the capacity of Mayor of Toledo when I look around and see progress being made in residential, commercial, and city projects for which you can take credit because of personal involvement. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK.

A Letter from Your Mayor.

As citizens of Toledo what are yours and my responsibilities to make and keep this community a viable place to live, to raise families and just be proud to call this home. Before becoming Mayor I knew there were taxes to pay, the need to be involved in volunteering, shopping locally, and a great deal more. After two years of valuable learning experiences I now realize every resident has input and must be counted. This leads me to ask all of you to please fill out your Census Forms that will be coming to your mail box in March.
WHY!!! Cities are paid revenue to run certain programs by the federal government determined by population; also shopping locally returns sales tax to us which is how we run The Aquatic Center, keep our parks available for activities, so again please fill out your forms, and make the most of this great place in which we reside.

A letter from your Mayor.

We welcome you to 2010. A difficult year lays ahead for all government entities and consequently citizens are also affected, that being said you should know that we will try to always have the best long term interests of the city foremost in our decision making.

Once again a big Thank-you to our public works employees and part time help for cleaning and maintaining the streets, please remember there are laws pertaining to snow routes and removal of vehicles from parking during clean up, for information check our website at toledoia.com and click on ordinances.

School will be dismissed in June, summer activities begin, and Aquatic Center opens, so please remember to watch for young people on our City streets and neighborhoods. I have been giving considerable thought lately why one of my top priorities is the maintenance and upkeep of our property and homes in OUR CITY. I received my answer loud and clear this past week, Dwayne and I took a trip through Iowa, Missouri, and Arkansas, and these were the obvious observations:
Communities along the route had lost businesses for various reasons but the way citizens reacted was definitely a factor in how this is going to impact their cities and towns in the future. PRIDE in what was still there was so evident, and in contrast the NO PRIDE was just as evident. I believe we can always attract newcomers to this area because we do care and do have PRIDE.
In closing I received a reply to my last letter to you and am sharing this as a direct quote “I really appreciate knowing what I as a citizen can do to help the city prevent any unnecessary maintenance costs. I expect our council members to spend our tax dollars wisely. If I can help by not putting grass clippings in the street then I am happy to oblige. Thanks for educating us about the workings of the city”

Have a Great Summer, Pam.

A Letter from your Mayor.

A very BIG THANK-YOU to all of you who helped with clean up day, as a citizen I know that I did not appreciate all the work that goes into this day or even think about the fact this is a service provided to us at very little cost. Those involved in this year’s project were: Public works employees, staff and students of the juvenile home, prior city employees ex council members and police officers, local citizens who just want to keep our city looking good. Again Thanks.
As you are aware we as a city are in the midst of many changes, new highways, street closings, a new sewer plant, this unfortunately does not come at no cost to us, we do want you to know however that we are working with many entities to keep costs as low as possible during this process, also changes are mandated for upgrades to sewer and water systems by the federal government, to ensure for safety in both the health and environmental aspects of your city. As always I ask you to be a small part of the big picture that makes this community a place we are proud to call home.

                                      Pam Wood.

Mayors Letter

It is that time of year when we think of cleaning closets opening windows and enjoying all that nature provides. Please take this time also to meet your new neighbors, keep our community alive by shopping locally. The economic trickle down affects us all from governmental decisions to many actions we take as citizens wherever we reside. If we spend our dollars locally this enables your city government to collect sales tax on goods and in turn these dollars are then available for budgeted items, fixing roads, salaries, and so on. The biggest advantage however is that we keep our stores open and not lose our great small town.
We are a community with many strengths, The County Seat, Grocery Store, Retailers, Restaurants, Banks, Commercial Business,
Aquatic Center, Library, Daycare Center, Reinig Center, Theatre, Viable downtown, Motels, Parks, Churches, Schools, Civic and Fraternal Organizations, Medical Facilities, Recreation Trail, Summer and Winter Youth activities, Senior Citizen Center, News papers and for many more reasons that I have definitely missed.
Please remember in some way or another we are dependant on each other, lets enjoy our small town living and support from friends, co-workers, young, old and in between. Make each day count.

A Letter from your Mayor

Thank-you for your questions and comments over the months, I believe this column has allowed citizens and government to express ourselves, and also to address problems and solutions.
  I received a letter this week in regard to our brush pile and what our plans are for usage this year. Citizens of Toledo Only, will be able to bring yard waste and brush, to the location and deposit them at the designated areas. If we experience use of the site for garbage dumping; violators will be issued a fine. The question also was asked about property owners using trash barrels for burning, our ordinances allow specific yard waste, however fines may be levied if household garbage is burnt, I mentioned in a previous letter that we should be good neighbors and this is another time we should be considerate, if there are clothes on the line, windows open, burn at a different time. Please also be aware that our brush pile is monitored by the DNR, and can be closed by them at anytime for violations. If you see our laws being broken, please take the culprits License Plate number, and report it to City Hall or our Police Department. You can be a partner in allowing this area to stay open.
  If you noticed a slight increase in your water and sewer bill, this is necessitated for several reasons, Construction of a new sewer plant, upgrades in underground pipes and lifting station, and also landfill usage, all residents are assessed this fee.

  Thank-you again for being a part of a great community.

A MESSAGE FROM YOUR MAYOR

WOW!! Winter has arrived for sure. We have certainly made a tremendous effort to keep the streets cleaned and passable, as everyone is aware shortages of salt all across Iowa are making things difficult on two fronts, obviously not enough to cover all streets fully, and our cost has tripled, we promise we are doing the best we can under difficult circumstances.
   Our Web site is now up and running, some linkages are still under construction, the address is http://www.toledoia.com
   The Department being covered this month is The City Clerks Office. Carolyn Brownfield is our City Clerk, which is a full time position, Julie Wilkerson is our billing clerk, and Shirley Otterman is a part time employee.
  The City Clerk position contains many faceted sides of government and way too many to list, besides running day to day business, budgets have to be met, a knowledge of all codes and ordinances, informing Mayor and City Council of any changes by State Government agencies that may effect the city, attending council meetings and keeping minutes.
  Carolyn has made her impact for The City of Toledo on an International basis, she represents Region Six of Iowa as Director, these States include Minnesota and Wisconsin as well as Iowa, and in this capacity is on The International Board of Municipal Clerks.  Carolyn has worked for The City of Toledo for 32 years.
  Julie works on the water bills, other billing procedures and at the front desk, and is able to fill in when needed.
  Shirley is our on call person to enable staff to be out of the office on different occasions, (meetings vacations, etc :)
 I would like to Thank all of My Department Heads for their patience and help in this first year of office.
 

 A MESSAGE FROM YOUR MAYOR

I would like to start by wishing all of you and our surrounding neighbours a wonderful Holiday Season.
  My topic is as promised our Police Department;
The department is headed by our chief, Jeff Harnish, Sergeant Bob Kendall, and officers, Brian Randall Kimberly Schwartz, and Ben Engle, also Christopher Knouse and Bill Heber, are part-time officers.
  I truly believe first and foremost our officers should be respected; they were hired by the city to protect and serve the citizens, also to enforce the laws that enable them to perform those duties.
  We do not and I repeat do not have quotas on the number of speeding tickets issued, and I believe you would all be pleasantly surprised by the percent of warnings written.
  Our officers spend many hours doing volunteer work which is not always visible, this past spring and summer they were visible in other communities helping with tornado and flood damaged areas, also they visit our schools, business establishments, and local organizations. I just learned this past weekend from a handicapped citizen that an officer assisted her to enter her home when her garage door broke. Thanks Bob!
  In closing Thanks to all of our officers for making this a safe community in which to live, and may the pride you take in your job, make us proud also.

                             Pam Wood Mayor.