CINCINNATI — Cincinnati City Council finalized the next city budget in a series of votes on Wednesday, for fiscal year 2027 that begins July 1.
Most of the spending plan proposed by City Manager Sheryl Long received unanimous support from council members. But some council members disagreed on $2 million for the Farmer Music Center and other additions to the budget.
The all-funds budget totals more than $1.8 billion, including roughly $1.37 billion in operating expenditures and about $434 million in capital improvements.
Here is a general breakdown of how the nearly $1.8 billion dollar budget is allocated:
General Fund & Capital Spending
In late March, city officials estimated a $29.5 million deficit for the General Fund. Long addresses that shortfall with about $20.2 million in cuts while bringing in about $17.2 million in new revenue.
According to the budget, vacancies are one of two major sources for saving taxpayer dollars; departments identified specific job title(s) that are not currently filled and agreed not to fill them.
Another cost-saving measure comes from delaying a recruit class for the Cincinnati Fire Department — instead of starting in summer 2027, the class will start in fall 2027, which kicks that cost down the line into the city's fiscal year 2028 budget.
The largest source of revenue for the capital budget is now proceeds from the 2023 sale of the city-owned Cincinnati Southern Railway. The $1.6 billion sale was placed in a trust fund managed by an independent board of trustees.
In fiscal year 2027, the city has $58 million in railway sale revenue. The city recevied $56 million in FY2026
A separate ordinance related to capital projects specifically for Greater Cincinnati Water Works passed unanimously on Wednesday.
Farmer Music Center
When City Council went through the final budget details in committee on Monday, leaders were split on whether to give any financial support to the Farmer Music Center.
In March, City Council narrowly voted 5-4 on a resolution promising $8 million to the project. Today, city officials like Vice Mayor Jan-Michele Kearney were not in support of giving funds to the venue, citing a financial analysis from the city that she says found the project would move forward regardless of any city support.
The city manager's budget draft recommended $6.5 million for the Farmer Music Center. Mayor Aftab Pureval reduced that to in his recommendations to council to $2 million.
Firefighter healthcare in focus
Cancer is the leading cause of death in the fire service, according to the Local 48 fire union president, Joseph Elliot.
In 2025, a few months before budget discussion for FY27 began, Cincinnati put $1.1 million toward early detection screenings for its firefighters. This funding, because of prior passage, wasn't discussed on Wednesday. It lasts about three years.
The push for action was years in the making. The most recent death while in the line of duty was Ryan Zwick, a 12-year veteran of the Cincinnati Fire Department.
Elliot, a fellow firefighter and classmate of Zwick's, described the loss.
"Ryan and I came on in 2014 together. Ryan and I are actually classmates. Unfortunately, he was taken from us way too early. He was only 43 years old, 12 years on the job. Worked at the firehouse in Westwood, which is the busiest house in the city," Elliot said.
WATCH: What leaders are saying about health and cancer screen funding for CFD after the most recent line of duty death
Cincinnati City Council member Seth Walsh said he supports going further.
"I'm proud that we've got it changed. I wish we'd got it changed sooner because it impacts a lot of people. But you can see, this is the very real risk our firefighters run every single day to keep us safe," Walsh said.
When asked if the budget passed Wednesday should've amended the previous allocation, Walsh said he wants to see the program grow.
"I would like to see more on the health screenings. But I think this is the first year we're actually putting money towards making sure that there are health screenings," Walsh said.
Elliot said the union wants to make sure the funding remains in place.
"We want to make sure those funds are always there," Elliot said. "We know it is a cost to the city, but we want to make sure we continue to get those."
You can see the full budget documents on the city's website: cincinnati-oh.gov/budget
