"Last" City Budget Hearing is Tonight

6PM at the Pleasant Ridge Community Center, 5915 Ridge Avenue

Just read there's also one 10AM Wednesday @ City Hall.

Read the Budget here.

Read EPHIA's letter to the Mayor, Vice Mayor, City Council & City Manager below:

December 14, 2009
Mayor Mark Mallory
Vice Mayor Roxanne Qualls
Councilmember Jeff Berding
Councilmember Chris Bortz
Councilmember Y. Laketa Cole
Councilmember Leslie Ghiz
Councilmember Chris Monzel
Councilmember Laure Quinlivan
Councilmember Cecil Thomas
Councilmember Charlie Winburn
City Manager Milton Dohoney

Re: City Manager’s Recommended 2010 Budget Update

Honorable Mayor, Vice Mayor, Members of the Cincinnati City Council & City Manager,

As a near-continuous resident of Cincinnati since 1982, East Price Hill homeowner since 2001, Director of the East Price Hill Improvement Association (EPHIA) since 2008 and EPHIA’s recently elected President; I appreciate the opportunity to contribute my opinions regarding the City Manager’s 2010 Budget Update. My comments below focus on a select representation of our concerns; to ensure we do not focus exclusively upon what we consider the negatives of the budget, I include comments and observations on aspects of the Update we find commendable but also touch upon other areas of concern.

NSP
It will come as little surprise that of significant import to our Neighborhood Association is the impact of the current (and likely foreseeable) revenue-expenditure gap upon the Neighborhood Support Program (NSP) and Neighborhood Business District (NBD) Support Fund Program (NBSFP) and Improvement Program (NBDIP).

As the City’s second largest neighborhood with among the City’s highest vacancy and foreclosure rates coupled with among its lowest household income, educational attainment and employment rates we benefit greatly in excess of the contribution made to our residents’ quality of life through the tangible and responsible investment of NSP funds. Our NSP allocation is not applied to fees without results, studies without solutions or consultants without accountability.

NBD
As one of 32 City-recognized Neighborhoods with an NBD and one of little more than a dozen with a Council-adopted Urban Design or Renewal Plan (UDP/URP), our 1.1 mile long NBD has received insufficient attention since Plan adoption in 2000. We will work to continue to submit proposals for investment through the NBDSFP and NBDIP as well as other resources to ensure the continuity, contiguity and potential of this highly trafficked and walkable area is leveraged. The City must continue to strike an equitable investment balance between the Central Business District and the NBDs, and de-funding these programs is directionally wrong, self-defeating and at odds with the stated goals of Community Development & Planning, Economic Development and Council’s own Committees’ statements of purpose.

Price Hill Recreation Center & Dempsey Pool
We strenuously object to de-funding both the Recreation Center’s part-time staffing and equipment expenses and the proposal to close Dempsey Pool outright for 2010. As indicated below, these assets form part of our de facto “town square” including Dempsey Park, the Price Hill branch Public Library and District 3 Police Headquarters. We ask Council to consider the “soft costs” to our Neighborhood associated with these decisions vis-à-vis increased idle time by youth and a loss of adult oversight during hours when their parents are at work.

Should the Council decide to take up the City Manager’s budget “as is” we will work to help ensure the gains made through our recent Neighborhood Enhancement Program (NEP) activities are not wholly undone but do caution the Council that East Price Hill remains a neighborhood on the tipping point. Our Board welcomes the opportunity to tour you through parts of our neighborhood you may remain unfamiliar with as these are stable, well-maintained and set a good example for our more problematic areas; we want you to see East Price Hill as we see it: not as it necessarily is but as it will once again be and with your help, sooner rather than later.

Select Budget Update Line Item comments begin on the next page.

Respectfully,



John F. Schlagetter, President
East Price Hill Improvement Association
Cc: EPHIA Trustees, Directors, Officers, Committee Chairs

Budget Items below include pagination referencing both the 621-page PDF file available for review and the page number of each Budget Update included.

Part II: Operating Budget Update
· Economic Development Division (p 138/Op 81)
We appreciate your efforts to minimize reduction in this funding.
· Twice a Month Recycling (p 152/Op 95)
We question what effects this will have upon collection (will an entire district be collected every other week or ½ of a district each week? How does the potential savings comport with Rumpke’s estimates of any savings potential?
· Neighborhood Support Program (p 171/Op 114) from $364,000 to $60,000
We find this reduction wholly problematic and encourage the Council to provide full funding of $10,000 per Neighborhood for the work we do.
· Neighborhood Grants Program (p 175/Op 118)
With a single Program will there be a corresponding paperwork reduction? How soon after Adoption of the budget would the new protocols be established?
· Property Maintenance Code Enforcement (p 181/Op 124)
We appreciate your efforts to minimize reduction in this funding.
· Community Prosecution (p 289/Op 232)
We appreciate your efforts to add Anti-Blight Prosecutors.
· Decrease in Greenspace Maintenance Services (p 317/Op 260)
Will this permit a formal shift to private and/or NA/CC responsibility? EPHIA is willing to pursue adoption of this maintenance assuming we held harmless and the City authorizes our activities upon this public property in our Neighborhood.
· Neighborhood Gardens Program (p 320/Op 263)
We regret the City’s decision to de-fund this program, but EPHIA is willing to pursue adoption of affected parcels in our Neighborhood assuming we held harmless and the City authorizes our activities upon this public property.
· Urban Forestry (p 323/Op 266)
We appreciate your efforts to sustain this funding.
· Elimination of Zoning Hearing Officer (p 328/Op 271)
We suggest that a review the most commonly applied for requests for variance, special exceptions and conditional uses in order to responsibly reduce the need for such applications and reducing the regulatory and cost burden upon the citizens and a corresponding reduction in workload for Staff.
· Tire Collection Reduction (p 382/Op 325)
Abandoned and illegally dumped scrap tires are a tremendous blight upon our City in general and East Price Hill in particular. If collection of these vector harborages cannot be funded by the General Fund or the Cincinnati Health Department, we would consider pursuing alternate funding to manage this problem within our Neighborhood.
· Private Lot Abatement (p 388/Op 331)
Will this permit a formal shift to private and/or NA/CC responsibility? EPHIA is willing to pursue adoption of this maintenance assuming we held harmless and the City authorizes our activities upon this private property in our Neighborhood.
· Pool Closure (p 400/Op 343)
We strenuously oppose closure of Dempsey Pool as proposed and alternately any reduction in service hours. The ad-hoc “town square” nature of the block on which reside this pool and park, the Price Hill Recreation Center, District 3 Police Headquarters and our Branch Library provides an incomparable mix of passive and active recreation and learning opportunities for our Neighborhood’s youth and young-at-heart. However, if the Council’s policy direction at this time is to withhold full funding for operation of this asset we are prepared to seek alternate funding to ensure its operation in 2010.
· Recreation West Region Part-Time Staffing Reduction (p 406/Op 349)
We strenuously oppose any reduction in service hours at the Price Hill Recreation Center resulting from a reduction in funding. However, if the Council’s policy direction at this time is to withhold full funding for operation of this asset we are prepared to seek alternate funding to ensure its full operation in 2010.
· Recreation West Region Non-Personnel Reductions (p 408/Op 351)
We strenuously oppose any reduction in equipment funding at the Price Hill Recreation Center. However, if the Council’s policy direction at this time is to withhold full funding for operation of this asset we are prepared to seek alternate funding to ensure its full operation in 2010.
· Parks Elimination of Funding for the Green Team (p 419/Op 362)
We strenuously oppose any reduction in staffing of operations to remove trash and litter in City parks. East Price Hill is home to However, if the Council’s policy direction at this time is to withhold full funding for operation of this asset we are prepared to seek alternate funding to ensure its full operation in 2010.

Part III: Recommended Capital Budget
· $3.8MM for Market Rate Housing (p 524/Memo 3)
We appreciate your efforts to minimize reduction in this funding and look forward to growing the percentage of market rate owner-occupied homes in our Neighborhood.
· Hazard Abatement/Demolition Program (p 544/Cap 20; p 549/Cap 25)
We appreciate your efforts to minimize reduction in this funding as East Price Hill has several legacy buildings on the condemnation list but not prioritized for demolition.
· Park Infrastructure Rehabilitation (p 545/Cap 21; p 550/Cap 26)
We appreciate your efforts to minimize reduction in this funding.
· NBD Public Improvements (p 544/Cap 20; p548/Cap 24; p 562/Cap 37)
We appreciate your efforts to sustain this funding at $1,000,000 typically.
· Commercial & Industrial Public Improvements (p 544/Cap 20; p 548/Cap 24; p 564/Cap 39)
We appreciate your efforts to sustain this funding at $400,000 then increase to $500,000.
· NBDSP (p 544/Cap 20; p548/Cap 24; p 565/Cap 40)
We find this reduction wholly problematic and encourage the Council to provide full funding of $10,000 per Neighborhood for the work we do.
· Comprehensive Plan for Cincinnati (p 545/Cap 21; p 548/Cap 24; p 567/Cap 42)
We generally support the goals of a new Comprehensive Plan provided it represents a synergistic combination of optimized and self-determined individual Neighborhood Plans.
· Neighborhood Gateways (p 552/Cap 28; p 571/Cap 46)
We appreciate your efforts to increase this funding particularly as our Saint Lawrence Gateway is an outstanding recommendation of our Adopted NBD Urban Design Plan.
· Neighborhood Market Rate Housing (p 544/Cap 20; p 550/Cap 26; p 584/Cap 59)
We are uncertain of impact of reduction from $820,000 to $701,000 in this particular line item as we develop a Housing Plan for our Neighborhood.
· Strategic Housing Initiatives Program (p 544/Cap 20; p 550/Cap 26; p 584/Cap 59)
We appreciate your efforts to minimize reduction from $800,000 to $750,000.
· Trash Receptacles (p 546/Cap 23; p 550/Cap 25; p 586/Cap 61)
We appreciate your efforts to sustain this funding and we encourage heightened attention to ensuring these cans are regularly emptied, particularly within our NBD.
· Neighborhood Gateways (p 546/Cap 22; p 592/Cap 67)
We appreciate your efforts to increase this funding particularly as our Saint Lawrence Gateway is an outstanding recommendation of our Adopted NBD Urban Design Plan.
· Street Calming Program (p 546/Cap 22; p 551/Cap 27; p 592/Cap 67)
We are unsure of impact of reduction from $400,000 to $100,000 as we are undertaking a comprehensive analysis of our Neighborhood’s traffic management & infrastructure needs.
· Hillside Stairway Rehabilitation (p 546/Cap 22; p 551/Cap 27; p 592/Cap 67)
We appreciate your efforts to sustain this funding as we have among the City’s greatest number of stairways.
· Sidewalk Repair Program (p 546/Cap 22; p 551/Cap 27; p 592/Cap 67)
We appreciate your efforts to sustain this funding particularly as a number of our streets, having been patched following gas main replacement, have extensive need to be rehabilitated.
· Spot Infrastructure Replacement (p 546/Cap 22; p 551/Cap 27; p 592/Cap 67)
We appreciate your efforts to sustain this funding.
· Street Improvements (p 546/Cap 22; p 551/Cap 27; p 593/Cap 68)
We appreciate your efforts to increase this funding.
· Street Rehabilitation (p 546/Cap 22; p 551/Cap 27; p 593/Cap 68)
We appreciate your efforts to sustain this funding particularly as we expect to work closely with the Administration on prioritizing and scheduling rehabilitation of our many streets which are now a patchwork of asphalt following gas main replacement.
· Waldvogel Viaduct Replacement (p 546/Cap 22; p 551/Cap 27; p 593/Cap 68)
We appreciate your efforts to sustain this funding and look forward to Work proceeding in 2010.
· Wall Stabilization & Landslide Correction (p 546/Cap 22; p 551; Cap 27; p 593/Cap 68)
We appreciate your efforts to sustain this funding.
· Street Light Replacement Project (p 546/Cap 22; p 551/Cap 27; p 593/Cap 68)
We are unsure of the impact of this funding reduction from $300,000 to $100,000. Does this account for ownership and maintenance now falling to Duke Energy? We are very interested in upgrading the lighting in our NBD and will be working with the Administration to identify funding sources and timelines to extend the superior aesthetic and illumination quality of the lights installed with the Kroger store to the east and west limits of our NBD, eliminating the inappropriate and ineffective high mast sodium vapor lights presently “lighting” our Warsaw Avenue from Grand to Glenway.

Part IV: Recommended Consolidated Plan Budget
· Strategic Housing Initiatives Program (p 611/CP 16)
We appreciate your efforts to sustain this funding.
· Homeowner Rehab Loan Program (p 611/CP 16)
We appreciate your efforts to sustain this funding.
· Down Payment Initiative (p 612/CP 17)
We appreciate your efforts to sustain this funding.
· Rental Rehabilitation Program (p 613/CP 18)
We appreciate your efforts to sustain this funding.
· Neighborhood Business District Improvement Projects (p 314/CP 19)
As indicated previously, we strenuously oppose this move to cut funding from $1 million to $237,000.
· Small Business Services & Technical Assistance p 615/CP 20)
We appreciate your efforts to sustain this funding.
· Small Business Loan Fund (p 615/CP 20)
We appreciate your efforts to sustain this funding.
· Concentrated Code Enforcement (p 617/CP 22)
We appreciate your efforts to increase this funding.
· Hazard Abatement Program (p 617/CP 22)
We appreciate your efforts to minimize this funding reduction from $1,169,080 to $1,018,522.
· Millcreek Greenway Restoration (p 617/CP 22)
We appreciate your efforts to sustain this funding.