MOUNT VERNON — Mayor Matt Starr highlighted 2025 accomplishments and 2026 plans in his State of the City address to the Knox County Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday.
“2025 was a great year. It was a hard year, but we have been really accomplishing quite a bit, and there’s a great deal to be proud of,” Starr said.
“There’s a great deal to be proud of in terms of what we have going forward as well.”
Starr recounted how the city pivoted from plans to demolish buildings north and east of City Hall for a new courthouse and city annex to moving into Heartland Commerce Park.
It pivoted again when it bought the Central Ohio Technical College building at 236 S. Main St. for a Municipal Center.
Starr said administration officials received a lot of criticism about changing the plans.
“Just because we have a plan doesn’t mean that we can’t call an audible,” he said.
“You’re always adapting to what’s going around you and you’re balancing the future. You’re balancing the environment, public safety, and tax dollars, and that’s really what the artistry is in public service.”
Tax revenue strong in 2025
Financially, the city did well in 2025, with a record year of more than $22.2 million in tax revenue. Withholdings, commuter tax (people who live in Mount Vernon but work outside the city) and business profit taxes were all strong.
Lodging tax revenue increased from $179,115 to $196,774, due in large part to the Hampton Inn opening. Starr said the bed tax could bring in as much as $250,000 in 2026.
Grants brought in $10.9 million. Engineering permits and tap fees garnered $393,601.
Additional revenue streams were parks and recreation, cemetery fees, and EMS billing.
“If we just relied on on income tax, we would never be able to do what we do. So it’s important that we go seek grants, use our existing budget to leverage more money, and you can see this isn’t too shabby,” Starr said.
City council members approved this week a new community development/PIO position that will seek non-tax revenue.
Council members appropriated $66.621 million for 2026.
Starr noted the city will not necessarily spend $66.621 million. It means that when the money comes in, council members have identified where it will go.
“Even though we had a record year of tax revenues, we’re still being conservative because we know we’re going to be borrowing a lot of money,” he said.
Continued interest in housing
Starr said new-built homes dropped in 2024 but started to rebound in 2025 with more than $17 million of private investment. More units are on the way in 2026.
Starr noted the community’s skepticism about whether developers can fill the housing units.
“People want to live here; people want to rent here. That just blows everybody’s minds. … It’s not been hard at all,” he said.
Starr said the city will continue to grow, either inside city limits or through sprawl. He said the desire is to contain growth within the city, distinguish between town and country, and protect as much farmland as possible.
Public works, buildings & land
Starr highlighted 2025 accomplishments in the public works and building and land departments:
•118 loads of leaf pickup, 210 tons of street sweeping, and 10 miles of traffic line painting.
•Upgraded lights on Coshocton Avenue.
•31 winter events, more than 1,000 tons of salt.
•Opened Captain Hunter’s Landing splash pad.
•New equipment at Hiawatha Water Park.
•Softball field improvements, River of Glass at Ariel-Foundation Park.
•Expanded Mound View Cemetery.
•Bought land for second fire station.
•Increased activities through the police department’s community advocate, community officer/PAK United, and Citizens Academy.
Property enforcement: proactive vs. reactive
Starr said property code enforcement has “been a crowd pleaser.”
Previously, the city only had a property enforcement maintenance officer. In 2025, the city created the city and assistant city inspector positions and the code enforcement department.
“We knew this was one of the things that we wanted to go at because as we grow, we want to take care and make sure that all of our neighborhoods are in good shape,” he said.
Starr said that previously, property enforcement was complaint-based.
“Now, it’s more proactive and we are doing a much more thorough job when it comes to doing these things,” he said.
The department handled 1,181 incidents in 2025. According to Starr, more than 90% were resolved through a letter. Violations were split 50-50 between tenants and property owners.
Public utilities
Starr said if the city had a business, it would be the utilities. Utilities — water, wastewater, and stormwater — are required to be self-supporting.
That’s why the city raised water and wastewater rates after completing a 2025 water rate study.
The city has about 418 linear miles of water line. The scheduled replacement is 1 mile per year.
“It’s not sustainable. We can’t expect water lines to last that long. That’s why we applied for grants. That’s why we asked Congressman Troy Balderson for $5 million for a wastewater treatment plant,” Starr said.
“We’re constantly looking and prioritizing and juggling; we have a plan, but all of a sudden we have a water line break and that shoots the budget. So we’ve got to reset.”
2025 accomplishments:
•Launched Project H2Overhaul, an endeavor to replace water meters throughout the city. Thus far, 700-800 meters have been replaced.
•Repaired the second clarifier.
•Working on wastewater treatment plant upgrades; designs are about 50% complete.
•Conducted height elevation studies in the west end.
•Added two Level 3 water treatment operators.
2026 plans
The city’s current disinfection system uses chlorine dioxide. Starr said changes in the cosmetic and textile industries include the use of sulfur dioxide dye to provide color.
When sulfur dioxide has not had time to cure, and chlorine dioxide comes into contact with it, splotches result.
“If it was the water that was a problem, the entire garment would fade. But it’s always in splotches,” Starr said, adding that Hamilton has the same problem.
The city wants to change to sodium hypochlorite, which is not an oxidizer. It is also easier on PVC piping, which means the city no longer has to require iron pipes; Starr said that reduces home costs.
Additional 2026 plans include:
•West end water, stormwater, and sidewalk revitalization, including pickleball courts at Riverside Park
•Develop a vacant property and landlord/tenant registry
•Bridges and channels study to mitigate potential flooding in the west end.
•Continued removal of vegetation on the levee.
•Break ground on the State Route 13 realignment project.
•Use grant money to look at safety improvements to the North Sandusky/Cassell Road/Upper Fredericktown Road intersection.
•Modernize city buildings, new police station, and start design on new Justice Center.
•Work with Retail Strategies to market the city.