Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the City Budget topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Cincinnati faces $29.5 million FY2027 gap as public safety and personnel dominate spending
Summary
At a city budget hearing, a budget official outlined a roughly $2.1 billion all‑funds plan, said the general fund takes in about $569.5 million, and warned of a "29 and a half million dollar deficit" for FY2027; officials asked departments for 5.1% reduction scenarios and outlined public hearings and grant timelines.
Dr. Dutis of the city's budget department told the Cincinnati City Council Budget & Finance Committee that the city’s current all‑funds plan includes just under $1.3 billion in operating funds and nearly $800 million in capital — about $2.1 billion in total.
The general fund, he said, brings in roughly $569.5 million for the current fiscal year, with the single largest revenue source being the earnings (income) tax. “Nearly 68% of spending is public safety,” he said, and personnel and benefits comprise about 81% of general fund outlays, driven in part by multiple bargaining units, including the Fraternal Order of Police and the International Association of Firefighters.
“The city is facing a 29 and a half million dollar deficit,” Dr. Dutis said, noting that general fund departments were asked to submit reduction scenarios equivalent to 5.1% to help close the shortfall. He framed that as one piece of a typical response that also can include new or increased recurring revenues alongside expenditure reductions.
On capital spending, Dr. Dutis reported that the city’s general capital budget for the current year is about $136 million. He said the Southern Railway trust disbursed $56 million this fiscal year — a large increase from the prior year — and that disbursements from that trust are restricted by a ballot initiative to existing city infrastructure projects and have been allocated principally to transportation and engineering projects, plus smaller amounts to recreation, parks and public services.
Dr. Dutis also described the leverage support process — ongoing application period opened March 2 and running through April 10 — for operating support grants to external organizations, and said awards for the FY2027 funding period would align with an Oct. 1, 2026–Sept. 30, 2027 cycle. He said the committee will continue department presentations through March and expects a budget policy motion to guide the manager’s recommended budget released in May, with final passage required by the statutory June 30 deadline.
The hearing provided a timeline and data points that council members and the public will use as the administration and departments refine proposals, balancing a large share of the general fund devoted to public safety with other city priorities.
