“It’s been a great year,” Dayton mayor Ben Baker announced at the start of Tuesday night’s city council meeting.
Baker was delivering his six page State of the City report, a compilation of legislative and residential achievements over the past 12 months. The report also serves as the mayor and council’s vision moving forward into 2026.
Among those achievements, Baker highlighted the city’s park infrastructure, students and family support, and the growing list of events on the city’s calendar.
Parks and recreation
The first success Baker noted was improvements to Dayton’s Gil Lynn Park, where the city spent more than $600,000 on new playground equipment, pickleball courts, fencing, trees, and upgrades to existing park structures. The city also installed a new GaGa ball pit in collaboration with the Lincoln Elementary School student council, which Baker added was his favorite of the park’s additions.
He further revealed that the Cincinnati Reds Community Development Fund has agreed to help update the park’s baseball and softball field turf. The city is currently seeking other community partners to raise additional funding for the project.
In Sargeant Park, the city spent $120,000 on a trail restoration project, aiming to make the park more accessible to those with physical disabilities. A similar project is now underway at the city’s Riverfront Commons, where the interlocal Riverwalk project is expected to be completed by May 1. When completed, the city will have a three-mile loop of trails on the Ohio River.
Baker also announced a $1,000,000 stream clean-up and preservation project involving Covert Run Creek, which will be facilitated through the Northern Kentucky University Center for Environmental Preservation. This project is expected to take a few years.
At Monument Park, the city prioritized sustainable transportation by relocating Newport’s Red Bike station. The Cincinnati-based bike share has been slowly but steadily spreading throughout Northern Kentucky and offers riders a cheap and easy alternative mode of travel. A monthly pass costs $30 and offers unlimited two-hour rides on the titular crimson unisex utility bicycles.
“These improvements aren’t just amenities, they’re investments; investments in our health, investments in our play, and our connection to the city,” Baker said.
Schools and streets
Another investor in the city is the Dayton Independent School District. Baker observed that the high school’s new Green Devil Stadium and Field House added substantially to the school’s campus, and that the stadium “represents school pride, athletic excellence, and community spirit.” He went on to praise the school district staff, who meet every two weeks with city staff for collaborative planning sessions on how to better serve the community’s students.
As for the new Read Ready Dayton program, Baker lauded, “When we are investing in literacy, we are investing in a life-long opportunity for our residents.”
In addition to school improvements, there has also been work on the municipal arteries of the region. In 2025, the city convinced the State Highway Department to reroute Route 8 from Clay Street to Main Street, reducing incidents with pedestrian traffic near the schools and stadium.
Mayor Baker said that Dayton residents could expect to see around $1,000,000 in city repaving and street improvement efforts. The final half of the $325,000 Dayton Pike project should also be completed, which will completely connect the sidewalk between the city and nearby Fort Thomas.
Taxes and business
“Let’s talk about something that every one of us in this room feels,” Baker said before jumping into his written remarks on the city’s tax policy.
For the past two years, the city of Dayton’s property tax rate has been consecutively lower than before. In 2024, the rate dropped from $0.476 to $0.399 — an almost 15 percent difference, and the lowest the rate had been since the 2008 financial crisis. In 2025, the rate was further reduced to $0.398.
Baker chalks that up to sound financial policy and a growing economic base of businesses moving into the city. He especially noted the new residential developments in and around Manhattan Harbor, such as the Velo Apartments, which, when sold for $77,000,000 in 2024, brought in a windfall of money to the city’s coffers. Other businesses that got the mayoral spotlight included 6th Avenue classics Wayfair Tavern, Rump and Roll, and El Señor Pig.
Baker also gave a sneak peek at two soon-to-open businesses: the Namia Bar, at the former site of Barb’s Cozy Cottage on 626th Avenue and Little Minds Play and Learn at the old post office building on Dayton Avenue.
Community events
While the businesses may attract people to Dayton, it’s often the community that makes them want to stay. Baker mentioned many events that took place this year, including Summer Series classics like History on the Square, Yoga in the Park, and the Final Friday concerts. As the weather heats up, he hinted that we may see a return from some of these old favorites, in addition to other events.
Most importantly, though, as Mayor Baker reminded, these events do more than just entertain.
“They create shared experiences and strengthen the bonds that make Dayton feel like home. Every event reflects something about our city; creativity, inclusion, tradition, and fun.”
Robin Gee, Maggy McDonel, Kenton Hornbeck and Haley Parnell contributed to this reporting.