City considering $75,000 in funding for Elyria Community Partnership

ELYRIA — City Council will consider another round of funding for the Elyria Community Partnership, a nonprofit that works to attract redevelopment in Elyria. Elyria Community Partnership Executive Director Monét Roberts went before a joint meeting of the Community Development Committee and Finance Committee, both made up of City Council members, to ask for $75,000 in funding for her organization in 2025. Last year, the city gave the organization $100,000 of what was considered startup money. Roberts told the joint committee that her organization was working hard to achieve financial stability and independence, but said additional city funding would be a good investment toward future redevelopment. "We're still looking for support from you all, and the support that you all give goes a long way," Roberts said. "You may not see it, you might not understand it fully, but I want you to know that this funding goes a long way in making sure that downtown has someone who is consistently working it, consistently working to look for opportunities for our property owners (and our) business owners." The joint committee voted to send the funding request to City Council as a whole for final approval. Finance Director Ted Pileski said that if Council approves the funding, the money would come out of the city's economic development fund, which is provided by its one-half percent income tax. Roberts presented Council with an "impact report" updating it on what the Community Partnership brought to Elyria in 2024. The organization said that it helped attract four new businesses, $13,000 in public investment, $11,500 in private investment and nearly $50,000 worth of public art investment to downtown Elyria alone. Roberts additionally touted more than $222,000 worth of grant funding acquired. The biggest investment the partnership has worked on is yet to be completed, as the organization has been integrally involved in the redevelopment of the former Thomas Jefferson School on Foster Avenue. The Community Partnership and Pivotal Housing Partners, of West Chester, are working together on a plan which would see the blighted former school demolished and replaced with 100 units of senior housing. That project is expected to draw $15 million in investment and see the school demolished by the end of the year. Councilman Kenny Oswald, D-4th Ward, said that despite being a vocal early supporter of the city funding the Elyria Community Partnership, he was concerned that with the city's current finances paying the organization might be too big and expense. "I have a hard time saying this because I've backed and supported (the Elyria Community Partnership) for a long time and I think you've come a long way," Oswald said. "But it is getting harder and harder for us to keep donating … I feel like I want to, but I feel like we should maybe put this on hold." Roberts said she understood that continuing to fund her organization was a burden on the city, but argued that it would cost much more for the city to assign its own employees or hire new ones to do the economic development work that the Community Partnership already carries out. "I know sometimes it doesn't make sense, but the investment you're making, if you were to put this into staff time, you're saving dollars by investing in us," she said. "We can have our volunteers, our board members who have the expertise and then myself, really dedicate ourselves toward this." Councilwoman Mary Siwierka, D-3rd Ward, said that last year she was initially a "doubting Thomas" about giving money to the the partnership, but that after seeing the work it had done in 2024 and attending some of the organization's events, she believed in its efficacy. "My feeling as of today is you've given us enough of a book report that substantiates the dollar request," Siwierka said. The Elyria Community Partnership rents space at and operates out of The Chronicle's headquarters at 225 East Ave. Contact Owen MacMillan at (440) 329-7123 or omacmillan@chroniclet.com.