A Cincinnati Council committee voted Monday to re-allocate over half a million dollars in railway sale funds to get money out the door more quickly.
The money was previously set aside for wall stabilization and landslide correction. Budget Director Andrew Dudas says the change doesn’t mean those projects won’t happen.
"The expectation for wall stabilization is those funds aren't needed until the fall, so they would be replenished between now and that time," Dudas told Council members Monday.
Most of the money, $500,000, will now go toward improving the HVAC system at the Cincinnati Police Academy, and improvements to the roof at the fleet garage on Beekman.
"We're reallocating these funds just because there's projects that are ready to go — we want these projects done," said Budget Committee Chair Jeff Cramerding. "We can backfill the other projects through the budget process."
The funding comes from the voter-approved sale of the Cincinnati Southern Railway. The sale means a lot more money to spend on existing city-owned infrastructure, but officials face criticism for not spending the money fast enough.
The city had $56 million to spend in fiscal year 2026, which wraps up at the end of June. City Council approved a budget to spend all of that money, but only about 12.5% has been spent, with another 25% under contract. The city reports on Cincy on Track spending on a public dashboard.
State law dictates the funds can only be spent to maintain or replace existing city-owned infrastructure. That means the money cannot address the estimated $29.5 million deficit in the city’s next operating budget.
The measure is up for a full Council vote Wednesday.
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