Six Cincinnati council members have signed a motion proposing changes to the city's operating budget proposed by City Manager Patrick Duhaney and modified by Mayor John Cranley.
The council changes respond to at least two themes heard during three public budget hearings: fund the Center for Closing the Health Gap and restore funding to maintain the director of the city's Office of Environment and Sustainability.
Council Members David Mann, Chris Seelbach, Greg Landsman, Wendell Young, Tamaya Dennard and P.G. Sittenfeld have signed the motion.
If the six remain together, that's enough to overcome any vetoes from Cranley. That's possible on funding for the Health Gap, which the mayor vetoed last year, and then six members overrode his veto.
The motion would make the following additions or restorations to the city's general fund budget:
- $750,000 Center for Closing the Health Gap
- $12,500 Invest in Neighborhoods (adding to $37,500 from mayor's restoration)
- $10,000 Neighborhood Games
- $20,000 Urban Agriculture Program
- $100,000 Hillman Accelerator
- $41,250 CAT House (adding to $46,250 from mayor's restoration)
- $100,000 Bethany House
- $19,000 Clerk's office restoration
- $111,000 Office of Aging and Accessibility
- $20,000 Cincinnati Human Relations Commission
- $140,000 Wage Monitor in Economic Inclusion
- $175,000 Office of Environment and Sustainability
The six council members are proposing to pay for their additions and restorations with $881,000 of essentially surplus funds from the current fiscal year budget. The rest is covered with a holiday pay adjustment of the police department's recruit class, increased revenue from electric and natural gas aggregation fees, and a partial-year delay filling two vacant positions.
The same six also proposed the following changes to the city's capital budget:
- $112,500 Neighborhood Business District Improvement Program
- $96,000 Fleet EV Infrastructure Funds (electric vehicles for city fleet)
- $111,000 Neighborhood Transportation Strategies Restoration (reduced by mayor)
- $251,000 Restoring bike transportation program
- $18,000 ArtsWorks mural contribution
- $75,000 Over-the-Rhine Museum
These are covered with tax increment financing funds and money left over in some now completed and closed-out project accounts.
Council's Budget and Finance Committee is expected to approve budget ordinances on June 17 and the full City Council will consider them June 19.
