Committee re-examines 'Rising 15' motion to direct Cincinnati Southern Railway sale proceeds toward underserved neighborhoods

Madam Chair led a committee discussion of a refiled motion originally filed Oct. 16, 2023, asking the city to set priorities for spending proceeds from the Cincinnati Southern Railway sale so that historically underserved neighborhoods receive a measurable share of benefits.

The motion proposes four principal actions: require demographic analysis for beneficiaries of projects funded with railway-sale proceeds; create a public dashboard showing how proceeds are spent; establish targeted funding for the city’s 15 lowest-income neighborhoods (the "Rising 15"); and apply the city’s economic inclusion policy to projects financed with those proceeds, including support for minority- and women-owned businesses.

The motion’s sponsor said city staff in the Office of Performance and Data Analytics identified neighborhood median household incomes ranging roughly from $11,000 to $33,000 for a family…