Government & Housing Legalities

CINCINNATI’S PROPOSED BUDGET INCLUDES FUNDING FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING, MORE INSPECTIONS, ACCESS TO COUNSEL

By Pat Crowley, Vice President of Governmental Affairs

Funding for affordable housing and more multi-family inspections are included in the proposed budget being considered by Cincinnati City Council.

Mayor Aftab Pureval and City Manager Sheryl Long have presented a $1.59 billion two-year spending plan to council, which has until June 30 to enact the budget. The city’s 2024 fiscal year begins July 1.

The proposed budget includes $1.5 million in funding for the city’s affordable housing trust fund.

The budget draft also includes $1 million for the “access to counsel” program that offers legal support and emergency housing to renters facing eviction.

“Additionally, we know that housing instability is one of the greatest causes of economic and job instability,” Mayor Pureval said. “This budget invests $1.0 million in an Access to Counsel program that will provide both legal counsel and emergency shortterm rental assistance to tenants who are facing eviction.”

The proposed budget also includes roughly $550,000 for a new pilot rental rehabilitation loan program which according to the budget document is designed to help owners of smaller rental properties address code violations and make enhancements for tenants.

And the budget proposal also includes $1 million over the next two years for a new nine-member Special Code Enforcement Unit that would provide extra help for housing inspections, blight enforcement and tenant protections.

“Not only will this new unit work to protect tenants and neighborhoods from poor housing conditions, but their work will gener- ate revenue-both directly through citations and indirectly through protecting and improving property values,” Mayor Pureval said in the budget document.

Mayor Pureval has let it be known that more city resources will be allocated to inspections of apartments and multifamily communities.

The city’s administration said in a statement that it “recognizes that the City’s finances are in a state of change, as the last of $280 million American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds are being spent, income tax revenue is projected to decrease, and apprehension about the national and global economies persists.”

“Operating expenses have continued to increase at a rate far outpacing revenue growth, with increases primarily driven by personnel costs associated with multiyear collective bargaining agreements,” Long said in her letter to City Council. “In (fiscal year 2024), we estimate that the city could lose up to $56 million in income tax revenue due to changes in where people work.”

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