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Committee approves $490,000 in closeout allocations including immigrant legal services and Access to Counsel
Summary
The committee approved multiple closeout allocations totaling $490,000 — including $210,000 for the Immigrant and Refugee Law Center, $210,000 for an Access to Counsel program and $70,000 for a West End business — and separately approved $100,000 each for the 2026 Health Expo and the Avondale Film Festival.
The Cincinnati Budget and Finance Committee on March 9 approved several closeout ordinances allocating city funds to community programs and events.
Item 12, an omnibus closeout ordinance totaling $490,000 from the reserve for operating budget contingencies, passed on roll call. The allocation breakdown is $210,000 for the Immigrant and Refugee Law Center, $210,000 for the Access to Counsel program and $70,000 to support the West End Sports Bar and Grill. The clerk recorded a roll call in which all voting members except Council member Kramer Ding voted yes.
Also approved were two event-related closeout ordinances: $100,000 for the Center for Closing the Health Gap to support the 2026 Health Expo (item 10) and $100,000 for the Avondale Film Festival (item 11). Dr. Dudas said the Health Expo funds come largely from a closed FY25 contract balance with the Center for Closing the Health Gap and existing appropriations in the city manager’s office.
Public comment earlier in the meeting included a speaker who opposed the immigrant-service allocation in item 12. The committee proceeded to a roll call and approved the omnibus allocation despite that objection; council debate during the meeting focused more on funding-source mechanics than on whether the programs themselves should receive support.
Next steps: the administration will implement the allocations from the indicated reserves and proceed with contracting or grants to the named organizations.
