Dayton’s city commission this week held its first meeting since the spring session of NATO’s Parliamentary Assembly ended. The NATO event saw hundreds of delegates, as well as their staff and families, stay in the Dayton region.
NATO does not reimburse host cities for expenses related to the event. But Dayton didn’t foot the entire bill.
Costs to prepare for NATO
Dickstein said some work to put together the event began nearly 10 months ago.
Dayton’s general fund covered $1.1 million in lighting improvements ahead of NATO’s arrival, as well as a “couple hundred thousand” in maintenance work, Dickstein said.
The city’s projects included the repair and replacement of lights in the area of Main and Monument Streets, where the statue of Civil War Pvt. George Washington Fair stands watch over the city, as well as the addition of string lights to Courthouse Square and other projects.
Dickstein said these updates were discussed prior to the announcement about NATO’s arrival.
Additionally, streetscape work that wrapped up before NATO delegates’ arrival was covered by federal funds approved by the Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission in 2022.
“It was scheduled to happen before and finish after NATO,” Dickstein said. “The staff did an amazing job accelerating all of that so that 90% of that work could be done ahead of time.”
Montgomery County earlier this month, too, unveiled the updated fountain at Courthouse Square. This project, also $1.1 million of work, was approved by the Montgomery County commission after the former fountain stopped working in 2020.
State and federal funding
Dickstein said the city did not spend money on the NATO program itself.
A total of $2 million was included in a House fiscal year 2024 bill to support holding the assembly in Dayton, according to U.S. Rep. Mike Turner’s office. The Dayton Republican was active in bringing the event to the city.
Ohio also approved $2.8 million for equipment and other costs to set up the NATO event. An additional $1.3 million in state dollars supplied 150 state highway patrol officers to cover the event, Dickstein told this news outlet.
The state of Ohio set aside more than $5 million for the event, including reimbursements to Dayton and direct expenses on things like Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers.
The city also didn’t pay for a fireworks display that lit up the sky last week — this event was privately funded by CareSource.
Some Dayton residents last week posted messages on social media asking what the loud noises were. The city of Dayton, who on social media advised residents of the fireworks event 30 minutes prior to its beginning, issued an apology after the event to residents.
“We understand that the sudden lights and loud noises were startling and may have caused stress, especially for families and their pets,” the city said in a statement. “We’re truly sorry for the inconvenience and concern this caused.”
Dayton plans on holding its annual fireworks display this July for all city residents to enjoy, Dickstein said.
Programs, peaceful protests
Dayton commissioners this week applauded the work of city workers during the NATO event.
“We created conditions for successful discussions by our diplomats, our US diplomats with partners and prospective partners worldwide that promote peace,” said City Commissioner Matt Joseph. “Not every city gets a chance to take part in that.”
City Commissioner Shenise Turner-Sloss called the event “well-orchestrated.”
“There was a lot of planning and organization that went along with that. And I just wanted to uplift the staff. The staff did tremendous work,” she said.
Turner-Sloss also thanked the community for its participation in events throughout the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, whether it was programs open to the general public or peaceful protests.
About the Author
