Committee files TIF audit and advances multiple ordinances, grants and contracts

The Cincinnati Budget and Finance Committee filed a report auditing current tax‑increment financing (TIF) policies and advanced a slate of ordinances, resolutions, grants and contract amendments at the meeting.

The TIF report summarizes existing TIF policies, three ordinances and a memo outlining community engagement responsibilities. Committee members noted the city’s TIF policy documents dated to February 2007 and said the audit will help clarify policy history and inform updates.

Among the measures advanced or filed:

• Job‑creation tax credit amendment: An ordinance would authorize a second amendment to a 2021 job‑creation tax credit agreement with Core Specialty Insurance Services Inc., 201 East Fifth Street. The proposed amendment would extend the credit term from four to seven years, increase the credit from 35% to 45%, and anticipates 50 new jobs with an annual payroll approaching $4.8 million and $1.5 million in fixed‑asset improvements.

• Street lighting assessments: A legislative resolution for lighting group 3 was introduced as the first step of a three‑step assessment process. Lighting group 3 includes just over 2,300 lights with a total assessment value of approximately $915,000.

• Sidewalk assessments: A resolution was presented to place emergency sidewalk repair costs on property tax as assessments for 238 parcels, with a combined assessment value of about $551,000.

• Environment and sustainability appropriation: The committee advanced a transfer and appropriation ordinance to move $31,524 from the revolving energy loan fund to capital accounts to support city facility lighting and solar improvements; staff said projects are expected to generate Inflation Reduction Act credits back to the city.

• Advanced air mobility infrastructure planning: An ordinance would authorize a funding agreement with the Ohio‑Kentucky‑Indiana Regional Council of Governments (OKI) to use an $80,000 OKI award to develop an electrical infrastructure plan for local general aviation airports; the city’s match is $3,400 to be covered from the general aviation fund.

• Police grant for violent juvenile crime reduction: A grant ordinance would accept and appropriate $97,430 from the Ohio Department of Public Safety through the fiscal year 2025 State of Ohio violent crime reduction grant program to support efforts aimed at reducing violent juvenile crime; staff indicated funds will support the Pivot policing program’s hotspot work even as community meetings have shifted into other formats.

• Transportation staff scholarships: Donation ordinances would accept two $4,000 contributions (one from the National Association for City Transportation Officials and one from the Devoo Good Project Inc.) to fund scholarships for Department of Transportation and Engineering employees to attend the Designing Cities 2025 conference.

• Water contract amendment: An eighth amendment to the Warren County water area contract would add four properties to extend city water service in Warren County.

• Central Square payment: A moral‑obligation payment ordinance would authorize $371,504.54 to Central Square Corporation for outstanding software maintenance and support charges related to the city’s computer‑aided dispatch system.

Committee members generally put the ordinances and resolutions “on for passage” or filed the report during the meeting. The transcript records the items being advanced or filed but does not include final council votes for these measures; where figures were cited at the meeting, they are noted above.