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Cincinnati City Council approves appointments, shelter and health-expo funding and several budget transfers
Summary
Council confirmed appointments, approved a bundle of carryover funding (including YWCA shelter improvements and a health-expo grant) and passed ordinances on cybersecurity and press-pass rules during the business session.
The Cincinnati City Council completed its business agenda after the Citizens Forum, confirming appointments and approving a series of budget transfers, a donation and multiple emergency ordinances.
Appointments and reappointments: Council confirmed the appointment of Mia Rivolta to the Cincinnati Retirement System and approved a roll-call package of reappointments to the Workforce Council of Southwest Ohio (items 3–22).
Shelter and health funding: Council established a permanent-improvement projects account to provide one-time resources for YWCA shelter improvements in Avondale (the transcript records a $200,000 request) to pay for cameras, security doors, accessibility upgrades and basement repairs. Vice Mayor Kearney said Ohio experienced a 37% increase in domestic violence last year and that Hamilton County led the state in incidents; she described the YWCA facility (Francie Garber Pepper House of Healing) as the region’s only domestic-violence shelter and said increased capacity makes the funding important.
Separately, council authorized the transfer and appropriation of $92,371.67 from the general fund surplus to support the Center for Closing the Health Gap’s 2026 Health Expo. Vice Mayor Kearney said the event’s total cost is $100,000 and the city manager would cover the small balance.
Carryover and other transfers: Council approved a $490,000 transfer from the general fund balance-sheet contingency for carryover purposes (item 57) and a $100,000 transfer from the Special Events Fund to support the Avondale Film Festival (item 56). Items described as smaller 'then-and-now' payments (printing services, software maintenance, environmental sampling at Firehouse 12) were also approved.
Ordinances and policies: The council adopted an emergency ordinance to formalize a city cybersecurity program in compliance with section 9.64 of the Ohio Revised Code. It also voted to repeal the municipal-code press-pass requirement (section 108-9), a change council members said modernizes access for credentialed reporters.
Votes at a glance: The meeting record shows the YWCA shelter item passed with one recorded no vote (Council member Grama Ding). Most budget and appropriation items passed with recorded roll-call majorities. The agenda included a $5,000 donation from the Cincinnati Blue Line Foundation to support police recruitment and an environmental sampling payment of $5,878.77 to Terracon Consultants for testing at Firehouse 12.
Next steps: Most items were approved on suspension and passed that day; implementation steps (such as executing funding agreements) will follow in departments' administrative processes.
