McDONALD — Mayor Ray Lewis said the village saw improvements to the parks, roads and other areas of the community in 2025, while officials also dealt with declining revenue after the closing of McDonald Steel in 2023.

Lewis said at his state of the village address last week at the first council meeting of the year that the village, with the help of KO Consulting, applied for 40 grants totaling $1.2 million and received $250,000 for various projects. Officials are hoping to receive more grant funding this year.

Lewis said he plans to travel to Columbus to speak to state officials about the village’s needs.

“I want to make sure that McDonald stays on their map. We appreciate what our state representatives are doing and want to make sure that continues in 2026,” Lewis said, noting he makes a trip to Columbus each year.

He said the police department is at full staff for the first time in decades with seven full-time officers.

Lewis said the fire department also has more volunteers than in the past.

MILL CLOSES

He said the McDonald Steel mill itself has been taken down.

Officials have said there was an approximate $200,000 loss in income tax revenue for the village since the mill’s closing.

“Right now, officials are looking to find a business for that property. We do not want to see that area remain vacant,” Lewis said.

The village has gone through two steps to mitigate the loss of revenue: decreasing expenses by passing the cost of trash collection onto the residents, and increasing revenue through the income tax credit reduction for income taxes paid to other municipalities.

Trash collection is approximately $14 per month or $45 a quarter per resident.

Council also recently passed legislation allowing only a 1% tax forgiveness credit to those residents who work in other communities and pay income tax elsewhere. It used to be a 2% tax forgiveness. Lewis said the loss of jobs in the community has negatively impacted the municipal income tax collected by the village, which necessitated the change.

In his 12 years in village politics, Lewis said the current council is the most engaging and cohesive, and has had to make some difficult decisions.

“The village is in good standing. We are maintaining our dollars. However, the pool of funds is not growing,” he said.

He said ‘s are proactive in finding ways to increase revenue.

As for celebrations, Lewis said the summer homecoming festival and the fall Oktoberfest were very successful. He said many community members stepped up to help with the two festivals and residents also have helped with spring and fall cleanups.

COLLABORATION

Lewis said he is looking for more collaboration between the village and the school district, noting National Honor Society students from the high school have helped paint fire hydrants and make other improvements at the park playground.

Lewis said he has stayed in contact with the mayors of Niles and Girard on finding ways for the three communities to collaborate and work together.

“The three communities have had good working relationships. It is important that this continues,” he said.

Lewis said Woodland Park saw some improvements, such as a walkway, and the village community room was updated. Also, streets were paved and work was done to the water tower.

Two businesses opened in the village: Village Creamery and P&D Powerwashing and Painting. Lewis said both business owners have been active in the community.

Lewis said in 2025, he and officials hosted a State of the Village community meeting to update residents on what has been done in the community and what is planned for the future. He said plans are to have a community meeting every other year.

“2025 was a productive year thanks to council and village workers. We want to continue that in 2026. Council will hold discussions and make decisions for the betterment of the village,” Lewis said.