Budget - Preserving our Community

By Kevin Flynn

• Solve the Crisis.
• Combine and Share Services.
• Stop Blight early and efficiently
• Work for Long Term Economic Growth

The housing crisis which began in 2008 and continues today has resulted in unprecedented numbers of foreclosures and far too many vacant homes. One vacant, deteriorating home will draw down the value of an entire neighborhood. The city needs to adopt the 'broken window' theory of preservation. We need to stop the rotting of homes by enforcing our existing codes. We can stop deterioration but it will take effort and our whole city pitching in. Use our police and fire forces to enforce violations of city codes. Use our neighborhood community councils to clean up the eyesores and earn money for their groups (paid when the city receives payment for assessments imposed for the work done.) We will have a cleaner, healthier, and more valuable city.

Work with the City Manager, not against him. Show good faith toward the unions, and demand good faith in return from them. Don't ask the departments to do their own cutting (It is very difficult for a worker to say "lay me off". The fat is always in someone else's department.) Look at the entire Budget, not just a part of it. If expenses are paid out of the General Operating Fund, but can properly be paid for out of a restricted budget, do it. If unrestricted General Capital expenditures don't absolutely have to be made this year or next, don't make the expenditure and move the money to the General Fund. Put a moratorium on all expenditures, even if budgeted, unless the necessity is demonstrated (eliminate the 'use it or lose it' mentality.)

Council needs to look at the mission of each Department, Commission, and Board. Council needs to review the metrics each department should already have in place to determine the success each organization is having in reaching its quantifiable goals. Council needs to look at the Tables of Organization for each organization. Council, in connection with senior management needs to look at each Department's Budget, line item by line item. Any expenditure, any inefficiency, any personnel, that are not essential to moving the city forward must be cut. The city must expand the sharing of services and personnel between departments. Combine functions, services, purchasing, and personnel from separate departments into a central office to achieve economies of scale. Each piece of heavy equipment, each van, each lawnmower, each paperclip, that is not used on a daily basis by one department is an opportunity for savings for the city as a whole.

Cincinnati needs to stop talking about sharing services (and costs) with other jurisdictions in and around Hamilton County and start doing it. Every jurisdiction is hurting. Every jurisdiction needs to cut expenses. The time to act is now. There are things that Cincinnati can do better than other jurisdictions: work it out with the other jurisdiction, charge for it, and enhance revenues. There are things other jurisdictions can do more efficiently than we can: work it out, pay for it, and cut expenses.

We have to stop the political game playing and maximize our city's tremendous resources. It just makes sense.