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Residents urge council to protect services, support Black-owned businesses and address neighborhood nuisances
Summary
During the citizens forum, speakers criticized proposed budget cuts to safety and infrastructure, urged reparative justice and capital for Black-owned businesses, and asked the city to address a problematic food truck in the West End.
Multiple residents used the two-minute citizens-forum slots to press Cincinnati City Council on budget priorities, equity and neighborhood quality-of-life issues.
Pamela J. Adams warned that proposed budget cuts to the fire department, police, MSD and waterworks could make the city vulnerable and urged council to find funds to maintain those essential services. "Find the money," Adams said; she added context about a prior multi‑million dollar deficit as background for current decisions.
Stephon Pryor and Vanessa Sparks urged council to do more for Black-owned businesses and reparative justice for Black Cincinnati. Pryor said businesses across neighborhoods from Avondale to College Hill lack capital and asked council to direct funding and support; Sparks said the community has been studied repeatedly and called for action rather than more study.
Several speakers raised public-safety and accountability claims. Jerry Coach recounted a personal case he said remains unresolved; Mike Eulhorn (Zoom) alleged Greater Cincinnati Water Works charges customers when meters are shut off and cited an Ohio Revised Code reference; Stanford Poole accused city departments of favoring large developers and questioned accountability for multimillion-dollar awards.
Residents also reported quality-of-life nuisances: Michael O'Neil described ongoing problems with a food truck called "Good Vibes" that has caused double parking and near-accidents; Mercedes Brown, who works across the street at Deeper Roots Coffee, described triple parking in southbound lanes creating safety hazards.
The council did not take action on individual public-comment items during the meeting but said CPD would be informed about the food-truck complaints and that staff and departments often receive follow-up requests.
Notable quotes from commenters are included below; the council's formal business afterward included recognitions and a suite of funding and ordinance actions.
