Budget and Finance Committee advances six items including rabies rule changes and a 30-year tax exemption for convention center hotel

The Budget and Finance Committee of the Cincinnati City Council advanced six items to the full council on unanimous consensus at its meeting, placing each item “on for passage.” The measures include an ordinance to expand rabies vaccination and quarantine rules, grants to support recycling and police programming, a water-main easement for a subdivision in Harrison, Ohio, and a proposed 30-year property-tax exemption linked to a convention center hotel project.

A staff member told the committee that the ordinance amending Chapter 606 of the Cincinnati Municipal Code would add a definition for “bite,” extend rabies-vaccination requirements to cats and ferrets (and explicitly note police dogs), set quarantine standards and quarantine periods after a bite, and add cost-recovery enforcement penalties if the city must perform quarantines. The chair moved to place the item on for passage; no recorded roll-call vote was taken in committee.

Councilman Rowans, speaking about a separate grant ordinance, said the $300,000 award from Hamilton County’s residential recycling incentive program arrives as the city enters Earth Week and will fund education, residential recycling, drop-off options, yard- and food-waste composting, litter collection and other waste-reduction measures. “It’s really great to see this grant going through as we are entering into Earth Week,” Councilman Rowans said.

The committee also advanced a fiscal year 2025 Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant of $273,433 to the Cincinnati Police Department. Staff said the funds would support police-visibility overtime and a contract with Women Helping Women for a sexual-assault advocate.

A Clean Ohio Trails Fund grant application to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources for up to $500,000 was described as intended to construct a shared-use path for bikes and pedestrians on the west side of Red Bank Road between Hetzel Street and Duck Creek Road in Madisonville. Councilor Morality said Madisonville is “very excited” about the project and the chair asked staff to schedule a future committee presentation showing the city’s bike-path network, connections and maintenance responsibilities.

On infrastructure, staff presented an ordinance accepting a public-utility easement from Drees Company for a water-main easement to serve the Trailhead subdivision in Harrison, Ohio, enabling Greater Cincinnati Water Works service to the new units. The committee placed the easement ordinance on for passage.

Finally, staff described an ordinance that would declare certain improvements at 240 West Fourth Street and 251 West Fifth Street in the Central Business District, constructed under an existing development agreement among the city, the Hamilton County commissioners and the developer identified in the transcript as “Cincinnati c h Oh LLC,” to serve a public purpose and be exempt from real-property taxation for 30 years. The committee placed that item on for passage.

All six items were placed on for passage by the committee without a recorded roll-call vote; committee members indicated agreement during the meeting. The committee adjourned after concluding the agenda.

What’s next: Each ordinance and grant will appear on the full Cincinnati City Council agenda for formal consideration; the committee did not record final votes in this meeting.