Finance committee advances a package of ordinances, grants and transfers; Lincoln Airport fee changes held

The Cincinnati City Council Finance and Budget Committee moved a group of ordinances, grant acceptances and intra-fund transfers through committee consideration and set them on for passage during the meeting. Committee members voiced support for several transportation projects, an urban-forestry assessment, economic development tax-credit terms and targeted grant awards; two proposed municipal-code changes for Lincoln Airport fees were held for further work with stakeholders.

Key items advanced or discussed during the session:

- Legislative resolution (Item 2): The committee declared the necessity of an urban forestry assessment to plan care, maintenance, trimming and removal of public trees in the public right-of-way for calendar year 2026. The assessment rate was stated as $0.31 per front foot, unchanged from 2025. The committee put the resolution on for passage.

- Mid-year budget adjustment ordinance (Item 3): Committee members reviewed transfers of existing funds with no supplemental appropriations. Among transfers: $281,640.85 from unappropriated surplus to a judgments-against-the-city operating account to restore funds for the White v. City of Cincinnati case; $285,000 reallocated within the income-tax infrastructure fund to the Department of Public Services (including $80,000 for position vacancy savings, $200,000 for building maintenance, and $5,000 for tuition reimbursement); and $1,155,000 moved within the recreation special activities fund for minibuses, fitness equipment and utilities. The committee put the ordinance on for passage.

- Kennedy Heights Neighborhood Business District funds repurposing (Item 4): An ordinance would repurpose $160,000 of previously awarded general-fund resources (originally intended for demolition at 6549 Montgomery Road) to pay the remaining mortgage on that property after demolition was completed without city funds. Committee members expressed support and the item was put on for passage.

- Transportation and safety grants (Items 5–7): State grant resources from the Ohio Public Works Commission were identified to rehabilitate Montana Avenue (Item 5) and county and SORDA/metro transit infrastructure funds totaling $10,000,000 were allocated across three projects: $2,500,000 for Central Parkway Bikeway Phase 3, $1,500,000 for Ridge Avenue improvements, and $6,000,000 for Victory Parkway improvements (Item 6). An additional $200,000 from the Hamilton County Municipal Road Fund was identified for pedestrian-safety work on Beekman Street (Item 7). The committee put these items on for passage.

- Grants for public health and victim support (Items 8–9): A Cincinnati Health Department grant application and acceptance of up to $6,510 from the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) for maternal and child health/emergency preparedness cross training (Item 8) and a Cincinnati Police Department grant for printed support materials for child victims and witnesses valued at $6,919 (Item 9) were placed on for passage.

- Property dedication and economic-development credit (Items 10–11): An ordinance to accept dedication of 0.3318 acres of Merrimack Street (Evanston) from DHAS Development LLC for public right-of-way (Item 10) was put on for passage. A job-creation tax-credit agreement with DSWDWK LLC (doing business as Impact Beverage) would provide a seven-year credit equal to 40% of the income tax in exchange for creating 60 new jobs at locations in Spring Grove Village; the company’s projected annual payroll was stated as $4,250,000 (Item 11). The committee put both items on for passage.

- Miscellaneous finance and operations items (Items 12): A then-and-now payment of $2,580 from the Sawyer Point Fund to Power Equipment Solutions Inc. for golf-cart rentals (Nov. 1–Dec. 31, 2024) was placed on for passage. Items 13 and 14, municipal-code fee changes for Lincoln Airport, were held for further stakeholder discussions and will return to the committee for reconsideration.

Committee discussion repeatedly thanked partner agencies (state and county) for grant support and noted the projects’ potential to improve pedestrian safety, transit connections and neighborhood revitalization. Several items were advanced by unanimous consent or without recorded objection in the meeting transcript; the committee held items 13 and 14 to address user concerns and directed staff to work with stakeholders.

The transcript records committee action to advance these items for passage; formal roll-call votes and final council readings are not included in the excerpt.