Dollars Fall With Trotwood’s 13.7% Unemployment

By Bruce Kettelle

The news this month on the job front is stark. Trotwood reached a 13.7% unemployment rate in the state’s April report, the highest rate in the region.

“A lot of our residents work in places like GM which has downsized dramatically,” said Catherine Armocida Trotwood’s income tax administrator. “Our income tax collections are down about 1.5% from last year.”

She said the collections would be worse if it weren’t for her department’s efforts to improve collections from non-filers and delinquent taxpayers. Employers pay 80% of the city’s income tax payments through withholdings. Those collections are down about 7%.

To make matters worse for the city, budget projections developed last fall predicted a modest increase in income taxes this year to $5.2 million. This could lead to an alarming shortfall in the city budget by the end of the year.

Armocida said they we’re still completing estimates

Mayor Darreyl Davis said some cuts in this year’s budget will be necessary. “We are looking at a mid-year budget process in July to look at adjustments that need to be made,” said Davis. “We are going to have to make some tough choices.”

Trotwood is not alone with recent cuts announced in the City of Dayton and at the Montgomery County offices. “Let’s face it, we’ve lost a lot of businesses regionally,” said Armocida. “It’s not just a problem here, others are impacted even more.”

Davis is hearing the same thing from most of the local Mayors he has spoken with. But for Davis it is not just about accepting the numbers, he and city council are looking for ways to help get Trotwood’s job economy turned around.

“We are working on jobs, training and collaboration,” said Davis. “There are some upcoming workshops hosted by EMTEC to assist Trotwood in business and job creation in new technologies.”

And he has not lost sight of the regions number one employer. “I am also working on hosting an employment workshop in Trotwood with Wright-Patterson Air Force Base on the federal hiring process.”