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City outlines 6-year capital plan for Cincinnati Southern Railway trust proceeds
Summary
City administration told the Finance Committee it has revised capital-planning procedures to prepare for recurring disbursements from the Cincinnati Southern Railway trust and to increase transparency about where trust and other capital dollars will be spent.
The City of Cincinnati administration told the city council Finance Committee it has revised how it builds the six‑year capital improvement plan (CIP) to account for recurring disbursements from the newly established Cincinnati Southern Railway trust and to improve transparency for residents.
The presentation, led by Dr. Dudes, a budget official, and Assistant City Manager Naseem Weber, described steps departments have taken to provide more detailed ‘‘subproject’’ information, identify beneficiaries, and phase large projects so design and construction can be matched to available funds. “When we produce a capital budget, we consider that a 6 year capital improvement plan,” Dr. Dudes said.
Why it matters: This fiscal year will be the first in which the city receives regular infrastructure trust disbursements. Council members raised concerns that railroad trust money must represent a net increase in capital investment rather than a swap of other capital resources. Committee members asked the administration to present a clear, standalone “hard‑floor” metric and straightforward graphics so the public can see year‑over‑year growth in capital spending tied to rail trust receipts.
Details from the administration: Officials said the FY25 budget was a transition year, with some one‑time transaction fees and tax‑credit receipts recognized after the termination of a prior lease. Fiscal year 2026 is expected to be the first year of infrastructure trust disbursements for the general capital budget. The administration described a methodology for departments to prioritize requests that includes infrastructure condition, equity (neighborhoods with median household income under $50,000), operating‑budget impact, project readiness and strategic service delivery impact.
The administration also said it has asked the five infrastructure departments — parks and recreation, public services, transportation engineering, health and another infrastructure unit — to provide more granular project lists (subproject detail) for items they propose to fund with Cincinnati Southern Railway (CSR) dollars and other capital sources. A public dashboard launched by the Office of Performance and Data Analytics tracks CSR expenditures.
Council response: Council members repeatedly asked for clearer public graphics and an explicit annual floor or headline metric showing how much additional capital spending results from trust disbursements. One public commenter, Todd Zinsser of West Price Hill, pressed the committee for a publicly viewable baseline list of projects to be funded by the trust and asked for a single consistent name for the problem set variously called “deferred maintenance,” “critical infrastructure needs” or “unmet needs.” “What should happen is that list should be public,” Zinsser said.
Next steps: Administration officials said departments will present updated subproject detail as part of the city manager’s recommended budget rollout. Officials also said they plan to standardize data capture across infrastructure departments and to expand the Cinci OnTrack dashboard as standardized data becomes available.
Ending: Council members signaled interest in a short follow‑up that would show how the CIP captures trust disbursements and other capital sources and in continued work to make the dashboard and graphics clearer to the public.
