What makes Dublin, Ohio, an exceptional community? First and foremost, it is the people. From our visionary City Council and dedicated City employees to our engaged residents, hardworking corporate residents and generous volunteers, each individual plays a vital role in making Dublin a global city of choice and the best place to call home.
As we reflect on 2023 in this annual report, I am proud to
Courtesy of the City of Dublin
Megan O'Callaghan Dublin City Manager
Megan O'Callaghan Dublin City Manager
share that our City is in outstanding shape, with robust revenues and a diverse income tax base. We once again earned the rare “Triple Crown” distinction for fiscal health, transparency and accountability from the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA).
Our tax revenue surpassed a record-breaking $107 million last year, reflecting a 2.7% growth rate, and Dublin is showing no signs of slowing down, with abundant economic development opportunities on the horizon. We are enthusiastic about initiatives such as the revitalization of Metro Place, the continued growth in our health and biomedical sectors, and the investments in transportation, including Amtrak’s plans to expand passenger rail in Central Ohio and the regional LinkUS bus rapid transit initiative that includes the Northwest Corridor to and from Dublin.
The City advanced two significant development agreements that will add to the vibrancy of Downtown Dublin. COhatch announced plans to establish its headquarters in Historic Dublin while creating a first-of-its-kind coworking and entrepreneurship village. On the east side of the Scioto River, Crawford Hoying announced plans to build a premier boutique hotel and conference center in partnership with Cameron Mitchell.
We also negotiated an Economic Development Agreement with the City of Columbus, which adds more than five thousand acres to our potential growth area west of our corporate boundary. Additionally, we purchased land for the Emerald Connector, a future vehicular and pedestrian bridge that will cross over I-270 from Tuller Road to Emerald Parkway near the new Mount Carmel Dublin Hospital, which is set to open in 2025.
Because of our unwavering focus on strategic planning, we are confident in our foundation for a prosperous future for Dublin and its residents. Our most notable planning achievement over the past year has been the activation of Envision Dublin, our initiative to update our Community Plan. This endeavor has seen significant progress through public surveys, community engagement, stakeholder meetings and countless hours of work by our steering committee. The plan is nearing completion and is expected to be finalized this spring.
Also on the strategic planning front, we have nearly completed our Dublin Sustainability Plan, which establishes a goal of being a zero-waste community that is the model for sustainable community design, carbon neutral and supportive of its natural environment. We held many events supporting our sustainability efforts, including the first-ever Sustainable Saturday, which provided a one-stop experience for residents to dispose of items they no longer wanted in their homes while diverting waste from our landfills.
As we connected people to City services, we also made substantial progress in our quest to be the most connected city. Council's approval of an agreement with altafiber will provide all Dublin premises access to up to 10-Gig fiber. Construction begins this spring, and all Dublin addresses will have access to this vital public utility in three years.
We advanced efforts to ensure community resilience, as we finalized the Parks and Recreation Master Plan and Dublin Area Housing Study, successfully implemented the Safe Space Dublin program and hosted our many beloved events.
None of these achievements would be possible without the City’s remarkable staff, who are driven by excellence, better together and dedicated to service. Those are the tenets articulated in the City of Dublin Culture Playbook we built together in 2023 through extensive employee engagement. With these shared beliefs as our foundation, Team Dublin is unified in our promise to serve this exceptional community. I am privileged to collaborate with this talented team of professionals and inspired by their diligence, expertise and outstanding achievements.
Please take time to read our 2023 Finance Report and other City highlights and accomplishments in print.
