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Council Members Present Alternate Budget

Several members of Cincinnati council have introduced their own version of the 2016-17 fiscal year budget for the city. 

In a motion filed with the city clerk Monday, council members David Mann, Chris Seelbach, Yvette Simpson, PG Sittenfeld and Wendell Young say they have continued the city manager's focus on public safety and transportation, but are also fully funding programs to combat heroin, provide youth employment, and are boosting spending for an effort to reduce infant mortality.

Their motion also increases the amount of funding for streetcar operations, and provides a grant to the group seeking to re-open a grocery store in Clifton.

Some of the cuts come from the contingency fund, the parking facilities fund, and from canceling a pair of studies.

The motion has the support of five council members, but six votes would be needed to overcome a veto from the mayor.

Meanwhile, five city council members have signed amotion directing the administration not to move forward with a plan civilianizing sworn positionsin the police department.  The police chief and city manager want to hire ten, non-sworn personnel to handle crime scene investigations.  The sworn officers now in those positions would be re-assigned.

Five members also signed a motion asking city administrators to wait three months before initiating the "Capital Acceleration Program."  The city manager is proposing to borrow additional money to re-pave more city streets and upgrade the city's aging vehicle fleet.  The council members are asking for the delay to study the amount of debt city council "desires to issue on a one-time basis."  The five also want to determine the city's priorities in addition to streets and fleet.

Council member Charlie Winburn issued a series of motions making changes to the city manager's proposed budget.  All of these motions include only his signature.   Council member Kevin Flynnalso introduced five budget motions, which also only contained his signature as the maker of the motions.

Council's Budget and Finance Committee meets Wednesday morning to begin discussing the various budget motions.  The full council is expected to approve a spending plan June 17th.

Jay Hanselman brings more than 10 years experience as a news anchor and reporter to 91.7 WVXU. He came to WVXU from WNKU, where he hosted the local broadcast of All Things Considered. Hanselman has been recognized for his reporting by the Kentucky AP Broadcasters Association, the Ohio Society of Professional Journalists, and the Ohio AP Broadcasters.
Bill Rinehart started his radio career as a disc jockey in 1990. In 1994, he made the jump into journalism and has been reporting and delivering news on the radio ever since.