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City officials detail winter-storm response, warming shelters and new EZTrack portal; assistant city manager announces departure
Summary
City staff recapped snow- and cold-weather response, reported more than 1,200 warming-shelter visits and 3,600 meals served at OTR Rec Center, announced a new EZTrack online portal for site reviews and said Assistant City Manager Natasha Hampton is leaving the administration.
City administration on Jan. 15 told Cincinnati City Council that city departments and community partners mobilized during a historic winter storm, operating warming shelters and providing meals, transportation and health services; the city also launched a new online portal for coordinated site reviews and announced an Assistant City Manager departure.
Why it matters: Adverse winter weather required prolonged city operations and interagency coordination. The warming-shelter activity and the new EZTrack portal relate to city services and permitting processes residents and businesses use.
Details reported to council
City Manager Sheryl Long described a major winter storm that produced heavy snowfall and low temperatures and thanked Department of Public Service (DPS) crews for around-the-clock work clearing streets. Long said warming shelters were activated, and the Over-the-Rhine Recreation Center operated as a daytime warming shelter for six consecutive 13-hour days, logging approximately 1,200 visits and providing about 3,600 meals.
Long and other officials thanked a long list of city departments and community partners that supported warming-shelter operations, including the Cincinnati Recreation Commission (CRC), Cincinnati Police Department, Cincinnati Fire Department, Daily Bread, Kroger, Metro, Strategies to End Homelessness, Greater Cincinnati Behavioral Health, 3CDC, Found Houses Pet Services program and a variety of city employees who donated warm gear.
City staff announced a new web portal—EZTrack—intended to improve developer and contractor workflows for coordinated site reviews and planning functions. The portal was described as an initial launch with more application types to be added in coming months and as a collaboration among ETS, planning and BNI staff.
Departures and staffing
Long announced that Assistant City Manager Natasha Hampton is leaving the city and thanked her for her service. Council members and the mayor offered remarks thanking Hampton and noting contributions; the transcript records well-wishes but does not detail a successor.
What the meeting did not do
Council did not take votes tied specifically to storm response funding at this meeting. The announcements were informational: council and the city manager acknowledged operational efforts and thanked staff and partners.
Next steps
The administration continues operational coordination for winter conditions as necessary, will integrate additional functions into the EZTrack portal over time, and will manage staffing adjustments following the departure of Assistant City Manager Hampton.
