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At its regular meeting scheduled for 4:00 p.m. today, Toledo City Council is expected to vote on Ordinance 454-16, which would make temporary appropriations to cover city expenses for the first quarter of 2017. The temporary appropriations are necessary until a permanent budget can be passed, which must occur on or before March 31, 2017. Council has scheduled hearings on Ordinance 455-16, Mayor Paula Hicks-Hudson's $257,602,700 operating budget proposal for 2017: • On Thursday, January 5 at 10:00 a.m. the Regional Growth and Development Committee will review the budget for the Department of Economic and Business Development. • On Thursday, January 5 at 1:00 p.m. the Education, Recreation and Employment Committee will review the budgets for the Division of Parks, Recreation and Forestry; Youth Commission; and Board of Community Relations. • On Monday, January 9 at 1:00 p.m. the Neighborhoods, Community Development and Health Committee will review the budgets for the Lucas County Regional Health Board and the Department of Neighborhoods. • On Wednesday, January 11 at 4:00 p.m. the Zoning and Planning Committee will review the budget for the Toledo Plan Commission. • On Wednesday, January 18 at 2:00 p.m. the Public Safety and Criminal Justice Reform Committee will review the budgets for the Toledo Municipal Court, Department of Police Operations, the Department of Fire and Rescue Operations, and the Department of Law. City Council will also likely vote on the following legislation: • Ordinance 484-16 which would establish a 120-day moratorium on issuing variances for installing animated changing signs. City law has been restrictive on such signs, resulting in a significant number of variances being sought from the Board of Zoning Appeals. The moratorium is being requested to allow the Toledo Plan Commission time to review recently proposed legislation to update municipal code pertaining to the signs. • Resolution 506-16 which would demonstrate the City’s support for the ongoing study by the Toledo Metropolitan Area Council of Governments (TMACOG) of a regional bulk water supply system. This resolution is based on template language developed by TMACOG’s ad hoc Regional Water Committee and is being considered by other regional jurisdictions. • Ordinance 507-16 which would allow the City to pre-qualify contractors prior to the competitive bidding process for the Toledo Waterways Initiative Downtown Storage Basin Project. According to the City, this process is expected to ensure that only bidders with actual capacity to undertake the project are considered. Information on applying for pre-qualification for this project is posted on the City’sPlanetBids vendor portal under invitation number 10002396. Businesses must be registered to use the PlanetBids system to submit responses for advertised projects. • Ordinance 508-16 which would disappropriate $14,685,000 in the Sewer Replacement Loan Fund and Sewer Replacement Fund, which represents the remaining balances that were budgeted for now completed projects. The ordinance would free-up the encumbered funds to be used on future projects. All Council meetings are held in Council Chambers on the first floor of One Government Center, located on Jackson Boulevard in downtown Toledo.