She said the city has removed about 40 percent of vacant and blighted structures in the city and the greater downtown housing market may be hotter than it has ever been.
MORE: Dayton area gets $8M to battle blight
She said downtown is now home to about 1,300 market-rate housing units and about 630 more are on the way.
Last year, Dayton voters approved raising the city’s income tax rate to 2.5 percent from 2.25 percent, which is expected to generate an additional $11 million annually.
Whaley said this puts Dayton on solid financial footing for many years to come and will allow the city to address some serious quality-of-life issues in local neighborhoods.
“Once again, the people of this city have answered the call for sacrifice and courageous action,” she said.
The mayor said challenges remain, including stemming the tide of drug overdoses and adequately preparing the workforce for the job market.
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