Income tax

Funding shortfalls present a difficult decision for some districts: whether to put a property tax or an earned income tax levy on the ballot to raise more revenue.

Mayor Pureval says he supports the likely property tax levy for Hamilton County Children's Services, but an earned income tax for Cincinnati schools isn't a good idea.

Several local districts say they're struggling to balance their budgets and need additional funds to stay afloat. New money has been hard to come by.

The mayor established a Futures Commission of local business and labor leaders to do a comprehensive analysis of the city's financial position and recommend changes.

House Bill 1 proposes a flat tax of 2.75%, but critics say schools and libraries suffer.

Lawmakers voted to lower the income tax after the state brought in more tax revenue than expected in recent years, creating historic budget surpluses. But critics say the measure will blow a hole in the state’s revenue-generating mechanism and lead to higher sales taxes on essential items.

New projections for Cincinnati's income tax revenue over the next few years are more optimistic than previous reports, even though the city is expected to lose about 1.4% of jobs over the next 10 years.

Cincinnati Council voted 7-2 Wednesday to oppose a proposal to ask voters for a small income tax increase to fund affordable housing. Council Member Chris Seelbach proposed the charter amendment, which would have appeared on the November ballot if approved.

The proposal from Chris Seelbach would raise the city's earnings tax 0.1% and use the revenue for the Affordable Housing Trust Fund.

Cincinnati Council Member Chris Seelbach announced Monday he is proposing a charter amendment to raise the city's income tax from 1.8% to 1.9% in order to…