Cincinnati budget

A trio of proposed pilot programs aims to improve financial empowerment for Cincinnati residents.

Supporters of the idea showed up in droves to public budget hearings over the last couple months.

Mayor Aftab Pureval is recommending "financial freedom" pilot programs, including medical debt relief and a guaranteed income study.

Each city department this week identified its 10 most critical needs based on criteria like public and employee safety, accessibility, impact on the public, shovel readiness, and projects in under-served areas.

About 30 people spoke to Cincinnati City Council at the second public hearing for the next budget Monday night.

One topic dominated the first public hearing for the next Cincinnati city budget: support for building the city's first skate park.

Officials are already planning to pass the next Cincinnati budget by the end of June.

The process for outside organizations to get funding from the city of Cincinnati is changing ahead of the next budget. The new process requires organizations to formally apply for a one-time grant, instead of lobbying council members directly, like they do now.

Council usually allocates funding directly to specific private projects as part of the carryover budget, based on requests from organizations to individual council members. This year, city administration wants to have those organizations go through a formal request for proposals, or RFP, process.

More than $85 million is left over from Cincinnati’s last fiscal year budget, which ended June 30. The surplus is thanks to federal stimulus as well as revenue, like income tax, coming in higher than expected.