CINCINNATI — Cincinnati leaders have unveiled a draft of next year’s $2 billion budget, with a focus on basic city services.
The budget has no funds from the American Rescue Plan and had to address a $10.2 million deficit. Mayor Aftab Pureval said that with cuts, the budget is structurally balanced.
Focus on Basic City Services
Cincinnati City Manager Sheryl Long said the theme of the budget is meeting the city’s most basic needs.
“We have streets, sidewalks, parks and buildings in need of repair, so let’s spend aggressively to fix them,” Long said.
Watch this video to see what the mayor said about road repair:
Railroad Dollars
Cincinnati City Manager Sheryl Long emphasized the importance of an increase in funds for improving infrastructure.
"Railroad dollars and the Cincy on Track initiative will make a huge difference for the city's physical infrastructure," Long said.
The railroad interest fund payout is $56 million this year, $30 million more than what the city received from the lease payments.
Click here for a full breakdown of every project funded by the railroad interest.
Watch my story from Wednesday about the Trust Fund:
Street Rehabilitation & Pothole Repair
The budget doubles last year's road paving allocation, funded in part by the first interest payment from the Cincinnati Railroad sale.
"It is the single largest line item in our infrastructure spending, at over $20 million for road paving alone," Pureval said.
There’s also $750,000 in additional funds for preventative maintenance for roads.
“When you start seeing those cracks in our roads that ultimately do lead to potholes, we have the resources now to more effectively fix those cracks before they become full-blown potholes,” Pureval said.
Despite the large investment, the road to recovery will be long.
The cost to pave one lane mile rose 20% last year to $600,000, according to the budget.
The Department of Transportation and Engineering plans to complete at least 30.5 lane miles of street rehabilitation using the FY 2026 allocation. The department intends to perform preventative maintenance on an estimated 18.5 lane miles, according to the budget.
The city's current pavement condition rates 63 out of 100, with the department director, Greg Long, telling council in March that there’s been a five-year downward trend.
When WCPO asked if this budget would reverse the declining road conditions, Mayor Pureval said this budget begins the process.
"The answer is no. This is a strong first step in order for us to start digging our way out of the hole that we inherited," Pureval said.
The mayor stated the city is $400 million behind on infrastructure maintenance, something he said he inherited.
"We are committed in the interim, while we are digging, to continue to prioritize basic services and to continue to prioritize road conditions," Pureval said.
Snow Response
Following criticism of January's snow response, the Department of Public Services will receive funding for four new leadership positions and $500,000 for IT upgrades.
"No more paper routes. Trucks will follow a route from a digital map and mark it complete when they're done," Long said.
When asked if the upgrades will show improvements by this winter, Long said yes.
"I am very confident," Long said. "I told them that it had to be ready by this winter."
Other Budget Highlights
WCPO will continue reporting on the budget as it moves through the council, but here are some other highlights:
- Fully funded police and fire department recruit classes (3 for police, 2 for fire)
- A new youth-to-officer pipeline program to retain as many potential recruits as possible
- Rec @ Nite - Cincinnati’s Recreation Commission’s after-hour summer programming is receiving a $75,000 boost. Last year, the program kept rec centers open late and offered programming to more than 1,500 teens. This summer, Parks will join the effort as well. The effort is to keep kids and teens safe during the summer months when violence often increases.
- Permanent Daytime Shelter - The city manager recommends purchasing 760 W. 5th Street in Queensgate to turn into a permanent daytime center for those experiencing homelessness. The budget memo states an intention to engage a partner to manage wraparound services during daytime business hours. The building is across the street from Shelterhouse.
