Public safety is the top priority as Cincinnati City Council considers the next fiscal year budget, members say. But this budget process will be more difficult than the last few years now that federal stimulus from the American Rescue Plan Act is no longer available to fill projected deficits.
Public safety tends to make up nearly 60% of the General Fund each year (police = 31.8%; fire = 26.7%) and that's not likely to change even with budget challenges.
What departments are asking for
The chiefs of the Cincinnati police and fire departments presented their budget needs Wednesday to Council’s Budget and Finance Committee. Police Chief Teresa Theetge is seeking money for recruitment efforts, saying staffing is her department's most difficult struggle.
"We are thinking so far outside the box on our recruiting efforts, more than we've had to do in many, many years," Theetge said. "The pool of people interested in joining law enforcement is smaller. You've got all the agencies in the country fighting for those resources. So we try and be as innovative as we can."
CPD is budgeted for 1,059 sworn officers but hasn’t reached that number in years. Theetge says the department is about 130 officers short right now, but the number fluctuates often as officers retire and recruit classes graduate.
Cincinnati Fire Chief Frank McKinley says one of his top budget needs this year is more money for vehicles. McKinley says fire trucks should be replaced every 10 years, or after 100,000 miles.
"This is a serious issue," McKinley said. "We continue to have apparatus out there as old as 1998. And it's very important that in order for us to do our jobs effectively, that our fleet is is current and is very well maintained."
McKinley says maintaining vehicles gets more difficult and more expensive as they get older.
City Council recently approved about $900,000 for the city fleet, but it’s not yet clear if that will go toward a new fire truck or new snowplows.
"What I expect from this budget process is data-driven decisions and a focus on basic city services: police, fire, streets and potholes," said Budget and Finance Committee Chair Jeff Cramerding.
The city recently released the results of a resident survey conducted specifically to get feedback on the city budget. Respondents identified resident and community safety as the top priority.
Council will continue hearing budget presentations from department chiefs over the next few weeks.
Council will then vote on a policy motion in early April; that's the document City Manager Sheryl Long will use to create the first draft of the budget.
Long is expected to transmit her first draft to Mayor Aftab Pureval by May 22, with a press conference expected May 23.
A final public hearing is scheduled for the evening of June 3. Residents also can give feedback on the budget proposal during regularly scheduled meetings of the Budget and Finance Committee (Mondays at 1 p.m.) and the full City Council (Wednesdays at 1:30 p.m.).
City Council has until June 30 to vote on the final budget, but typically the final vote occurs in mid-June.
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