Cincinnati's budget deficit is approaching calamity. Earlier this week, City Manager Dohoney called for an increase in property taxes throughout Cincinnati. The Enquirer report is available here.
City Councilman Christopher Smitherman has taken to the airwaves to alert Cincinnatians to the impending disaster. Monday, Smitherman spoke with Brian Thomas on 550 WKRC, listen here.
As Councilman Smitherman points out, The Enquirer's report misreports the amount of the deficit. Cincinnati faces a deficit of $40.8 million. Donohey's proposed property tax increase would reduce this only slightly, to a deficit of $33 million.
In addition to this startling deficit, the City is underfunding its pension obligations by at least $50 million every year.
Meanwhile, Mayor Mallory and the Democrats controlling Council continue to waste millions in taxpayer money on the streetcar boondoggle and the City Hall atrium.
At the same time, and in the same breath, the Democrats controlling Council are planning to double the length of their terms! That's right, they want to go four years between elections. Does anybody really believe they've earned so much trust that they need less oversight from voters?
Email Council today. Let them know that it is unacceptable to increase property taxes.
| 
My brother is a police officer with the city of Riverside CA. Population 314, 000 residents, 365 sworn police officers. The population for the city of Cincinnati Ohio is 296, 000, 1,050 sworn police officers. Could someone please explain why there is such drastic variance in manpower? Gee I wonder why the budget is out of control?
ReplyDelete