Cincinnati City Council wants to avoid layoffs and protect public safety in the next fiscal year budget, despite an expected $29.5 million deficit in the general fund.
All general fund departments were asked to estimate a 5.1% cut; several department directors said cuts that deep would require leaving vacant positions open, but also laying off current employees — that includes the police department.
A Council committee voted 6-3 Monday on a motion outlining budget priorities. City Manager Sheryl Long will use this guidance to prepare the first draft of the budget.
"If an organization is not mentioned or cause is not listed, that, of course, does not mean it's not going to be in the manager's budget — this is just our general priorities," said Budget Committee Chair Jeff Cramerding. "As we all know, this year is going to be challenging economically. The intent of the motion was try to be cognizant of that, but there's a lot in there, and the city manager is still going to have a very difficult task trying to meet a lot of these priorities."
You can see a full copy of the motion at the end of this article. Highlights include:
- Prioritize public safety so that all essential functions are maintained and the proposed recruit classes continue on schedule
- The Department of Public Services must have the resources necessary for improvements to year-round service delivery, including pothole repair and litter cleanup
- Fund the Office of Strategic Growth with adequate staffing and resources
- No budget cuts to personnel, outside of vacancy savings
Voting in favor: Jeff Cramerding, Evan Nolan, Mark Jeffreys, Anna Albi, Meeka Owens and Seth Walsh.
Voting against: Jan-Michele Lemon Kearney, Scotty Johnson and Ryan James.
"I'm glad we all agree that we cannot cut police, fire or public services," Kearney said. "I agree with my colleagues who say, 'Let's look at efficiencies and money left on the table rather than cutting services that we just cannot sacrifice,' and of course we don't want to cut staff, either."
Kearney says she voted against the motion because it does not include community violence intervention as a priority.
"The police are doing their job, but we are not doing ours," Kearney said. "It is our duty to make sure that every neighborhood is safe — to turn hot spots for violence into hot spots for vibrancy. We have to look at the false narratives that have made us afraid to implement a community violence intervention strategy."
Kearney says "media click bait" headlines falsely paint community violence intervention as "paying criminals to stop crime."
The motion outlines four priorities under "violence reduction:"
- Continue investment and implementation of ACT for Cincy violence reduction portfolio and action teams
- Maintain funding for "Boots on the Ground" and "Safe and Clean" grant programs
- Maintain funding for alternative response to crisis, community responders teams; victims liaison unit, and violence reduction partnerships
- Fund the installation of additional lights and cameras inside city-owned parks, playgrounds and recreational areas
The motion also includes $8 million for the Farmer Music Center project, which Council promised via a resolution last month. That vote passed 5-4, and the project's inclusion in the budget priorities motion contributed to Johnson's "no" vote.
That money would come from the capital budget, which is separate from the operating budget and would not affect the general fund deficit, but the exact source of the capital funding has not been identified.
Ryan James supported the resolution promising funds to Farmer Music Center, but opposed the budget priorities motion.
"I think there's just not enough here for working people," James said. "I am hard pressed to believe that when the nine of us put our heads together and think about priorities ... that under 'arts, culture and major events,' our only directive that we can provide is to fund the Farmer Music Center. ... We can do better."
Anna Albi, who voted in favor, highlighted the intention to extend a residential sidewalk repair pilot program that she advocated for in the last city budget.
"I'm really excited to keep that program going, because we know from the resident survey, sidewalks and roads were two very, very high priorities for our residents," Albi said.
The motion also calls for the city administration to improve the process for spending Cincy on Track funds, resulting from the sale of the city-owned railway in late 2023.
Ideas to increase revenue
Council can address a budget deficit by cutting expenses, or by increasing revenue. The motion passed Monday includes several ideas for bringing in more money. It's not clear how much revenue these ideas could generate.
Parking enforcement
Council identifies two areas related to parking enforcement. First, "Optimize parking revenue through new enforcement officers and enforcement citywide."
The motion also directs city administration to consider a resolution from the Cincinnati Accessibility Board of Advisors, which proposes a volunteer parking enforcement unit of Cincinnatians with disabilities to enforce accessible parking laws.
Fees for city services
The motion proposes charging higher fees for non-city residents for some city services, specifically calling out park rentals, summer camps (through the Cincinnati Recreation Commission) and golf fees.
The city's six golf courses are operated through a restricted fund; that means the money generated by golf fees can only be used to maintain and operate the golf courses. Additional revenue generated from golf fees would not help fill a deficit in the general fund.
Building inspectors
Council directs the city administration to continue expanding the Building Inspector Training Academy, specifically requesting inspectors to enforce the Vacant Building Registry. The motion says fees for that program are expected to cover "100%+" of the funding needed for that program.
Shared services
The motion directs city administration to "consolidate landscaping and facility maintenance for [Cincinnati Recreation Commission] and Parks where feasible."
"This was recommended in the Futures Commission [and] this has started," Cramerding said. "At some point, we'll want to hear from Parks and Rec to hear an update as far as where this is."
Reimbursement from state
Council wants the city to ask state agencies for reimbursement for some services. That includes Ohio Highway Patrol, which responds to crashes on interstates outside the city, but not within city limits (Cincinnati Police responds instead).
The other example is snow and litter removal on state routes within the city; the Ohio Department of Transportation takes care of those services outside the city, but Cincinnati's Department of Public Services performs those tasks on state routes in city limits.
See the full priorities motion below (article continues after):
What happens next?
Council's Budget, Finance and Governance Committee voted 6-3 Monday to pass the budget priorities motion; it will be up for a final vote of the same nine members of Council on Wednesday.
City Manager Sheryl Long will use this guidance to prepare the first draft of the budget, expected to be released by the end of May.
Council will hold a public hearing the first week of June, then deliberate on changes to the city manager's proposal. 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.).
Though City Council has until June 30 to vote on the final budget, typically the final vote occurs in mid-June.
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