The Cincinnati Finance Committee discussed a staff report proposing ways for the city to place representatives on boards of organizations that receive city funding. The report outlined options such as encouraging voluntary bylaw amendments, conditioning funding on a governance change, or appointing non-city officials to serve as the city’s designee.

Council members said the tool should be used rarely and judiciously. Council member Mark Jeffries cited the dissolution of the Red Bike board, which left the city without control after a sizable investment, and said the experience motivated this follow-up. Several members said that council members serving as board representatives would present conflicts of interest and preferred other approaches, including the city manager using the authority selectively and appointing non-city officials where appropriate.

Staff cautioned about potential conflicts if city employees served as board representatives and suggested alternatives to avoid governance and ethics issues. The committee filed the report and directed further conversations with the city manager’s office on when and how the mechanism might be used.

Ending: Committee filed the report and asked the administration to return with recommended safeguards, a narrow scope of use and a proposed process for appointments tied to city funding conditions.