Good afternoon welcome to today's Citizens Forum. As I call your name, you'll have 2 minutes to address Council. Our first speaker is Howard Vaughn. Welcome. Is Howard here? Hello everybody. Uh all you dignitaries. Now all of y'all know me and uh I spoke to y'all on the news at 5:30 on Channel 19. Uh Now I didn't talk to all of y'all and all of y'all when y'all got sworn in and everything. But uh I'm still trying to get my uh my pension money, my social security money, my VA money. And uh I'm not getting none of that. Now my social security money, they said I only need one point. So I said, "Do I work a week, a month, a year?" They said, "No. You know, you can't even work." What? They said I need a lawyer. So I've been trying to get lawyers, but they want 30, 40, 50,000. I don't have 30, 40, 50,000. But then I asked them if I do get it, "Will y'all be able to win the case?" They said, "We don't know." But what I'm saying is all of y'all know me and and like I said, I love all of y'all up there. And you know, Aftab, you know, you helped my cousin. Okay, what uh I'm just hoping, man, that y'all do something for me because it's not right. Now if I go on what I'm going to be on the news at 5:30 on Channel 19. I want y'all Y'all look at that. And uh all of y'all know me and I know if it wasn't for City Hall, wasn't me working down here, I wouldn't be where I'm at. I mean, cuz I came from the hood, didn't have anything. But uh I talked to whole City Hall karate. Everybody know I beat Billy Blanks, Jim Kelly, Chuck Norris, everything. If that ain't enough, my teacher beat Bruce Lee. He in bad shape. Hopefully we can get him something for him to a statue or mirror and everything. But uh I love all of y'all. But I'll tell you, man, y'all better do something, man, cuz they're going to tear this city up, man. You can't keep You can't keep taking, taking, and taking and not giving the kids nothing. They ask me, "Kids need jobs." If y'all can help me, you don't have to pay me. I just like to get them uniform. Every day parents ask me say, "Master Ron, will you teach my kids karate?" Thank you, Mr. Ron. Okay. Uh my colleague Chaka is in the back there. Um if you could share your information with her, we'll we'll do everything we can to help. There's a woman behind you named Chaka. She works with me. Okay. Thank you, sir. Our next speaker is um I believe it's a uh Robert McGrath. Welcome. All right. Good afternoon, Mayor and members of Council. My name is Robert McGrath and I serve as the president and CEO of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. I want to thank you for the opportunity to speak to you today. Also want to begin by thanking Council members Albee, James, Nolan, Owens, and Walsh for supporting the resolution that brings this proposal before Council today. In meetings with many of you, I've shared that the current Riverbend Music Center has served the community well for more than 40 years. It opened in 1984 at a time when there were only 19 amphitheaters like it in the country. Today, there are more than 100. Since its construction, audiences' expectations have evolved dramatically. Artists have far more choices about where they perform and many cities have invested in modern venues. For Cincinnati to remain competitive and continue attracting top performers, we must be the best. That is why leadership of Music Event Management Inc. and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra have been working together to imagine what the former Music Center could mean for the city. A place where music, community, and economic activity come together to benefit both residents and visitors. The project before you today reflects years of planning and collaboration with community leaders, industry experts, and a growing base of private supporters who believe in this vision. Importantly, the vast majority of funding for this project is being raised privately. Simply put, the city's participation would be a catalytic investment that aligns public leadership with private philanthropy to advance this project at a critical moment by leveraging additional support. So I want to thank you again. Thank you again to the Council members who have helped bring this proposal forward and thank you to all of the Council members for your consideration today. Thank you. Thank you. Robert McDonald, welcome. Thank you, Mayor Aftab, and good afternoon, City Council members. I'm Robert McDonald. I've served on the board of the Cincinnati Symphony for well over a decade, including previously past chair and now chair our task force at Riverbend, the former Music Center task force. Ultimately, when I came to Cincinnati, the CSO became one of the first organizations I got involved with because the immense impact that it has on Cincinnati. Um my focus largely is the economic impact on Cincinnati, which is what I'll talk about this afternoon. From an economic perspective, this is pretty straightforward. The Symphony has immense philanthropic support for this project and we're asking of the city a small investment of roughly 5% of the project. As a result, we expect to increase the city's tax base by over $100 million over the life of the project. Uh we view this as a really wonderful opportunity for the city because it's not going to be burdened purely by the city. A great percentage of people that attend Riverbend Music Center uh come from zip codes outside of Cincinnati, meaning the sales tax and admissions tax and other taxes that impact the Riverbend Music project and former Music Center are foreign uh foreign uh attendees and patrons. Uh the city's participation in this project also allow us to leverage other support. Several donors, including and other contributors, including the state, have asked, "What is the city's contribution to the project?" This is a little bit unique because the existing River Music Center Riverbend Music Center is not in the city. We're now moving it into city grounds, which makes it a natural win for the city and a natural thing to invest in. 100% of the net revenue from this project will go to support the philanthropic activities of the Cincinnati Symphony, including music education in the city, concert neighborhood concerts. We we have an immense amount of activities tied to youth youth music education in the city. All in all, this proposal represents responsible public-private partnership. Thank you so much. Thank you. Ms. Edna Keown welcome. Cincinnati has always been a city where arts, parks, and communities come together to create something special. Good afternoon. My name is Edna Keown, and I'm proud to serve on the Board of Directors of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. I serve on the Board of the Cincinnati Parks Foundation, the Woman's City Club, and volunteer in several roles at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. One of the greatest joys of living in Cincinnati is being involved in so many facets of of this remarkable city. What I love most about Cincinnati is the way people come together to support one another, celebrate together, and build a stronger community. The Farmer Music Center would create another space where those moments can happen. It would provide accessible ticket options, including affordable lawn seating, so families, young people, long-time residents from every neighborhood, and visitors can experience live music together. Imagine families ending concerts on warm summer evening, friends gathering together after work, young people and visitors experiencing the magic of live music in our city for the first time. Spaces like this bring joy, connection, and opportunity for everyone, no matter where they live or what their budget might be. I truly believe the Farmer Music Center will help make Cincinnati an even more vibrant place to live, work, and visit. With your support, we can make this happen. Thank you for your time and your awesome service to this remarkable city. Thank you. Jack I'm having trouble reading your last name. I apologize. I believe it begins with an R. There we go, Rouse. Yep. Oh. Welcome, Jack. Oh, yeah. Now you're talking. >> [clears throat and cough] >> Just let me get seated before you start my time. Yeah, for for those of you who are newish to this, you'll your time will begin once you start speaking. When you see the yellow light, that means you have 1 minute left. Don't don't stop until you see the red light. Welcome, Jack. Thanks, Ed. Good afternoon, and thank you, and hello to all the members of Council, some of whom I know, some of whom I don't. My name's Jack Rouse. I'm an emeritus board member of the Cincinnati Symphony. I was raised in Billings, Montana, but I decamped from there and have been calling Cincinnati home since the mid-60s, when I was hired by CCM to start the first musical theater program, you know, in the in in the country. I was a part of the creative team that developed Kings Island and all of the other Taft amusement parks that developed that came after that. I was the owner of JRA, which is an experiential design firm. I've been around this leisure time industry for most of my life. I'm on the I'm on the investor committee at Rhinegeist. I was an original board member of 3CDC. I served on the board and search committees for the Cincinnati Zoo, the Playhouse in the Park, and the Cincinnati Symphony. And here's what I've learned. When a great music venue opens in a city, people show up. They stay late. They spend money. They eat in restaurants. They visit breweries. They book hotel rooms, and they come back again and again for the next event. Cities that invest in music centers create momentum that becomes relevant and keeps cities vibrant. I appreciate that this is a difficult decision for some of you, but please remember that the the Farmer Music Center will be surround Cincinnati with even more music and add to the vibrancy of this city. I strongly strongly support this this initiative, and I hope you'll join me in doing the same. Thanks. Thank you. Ann Mulder welcome. Good afternoon, Mayor and Council. My name is Ann Mulder, and I'm honored to serve on the Board of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. In my career in retail leadership and human resources, I spent years focused on what helps cities attract jobs, retain talent, and build strong communities. I've also had the opportunity to live in Miami, Minneapolis, and New York City. And in each of those cities, one thing was clear. Vibrant arts and music scenes are part of what make people choose to live and work there. The Farmer Music Center represents that kind of opportunity for Cincinnati. Projects like this create meaningful jobs, from construction and venue operations to hospitality, food service, and event production. They also support the many small businesses that benefit when people come to the city for concerts and events. But beyond jobs, spaces like this matter because they bring people together. Music and the arts create shared experiences that help a city feel connected, welcoming, and alive. Through my work with organizations like the CSO, the [clears throat] YWCA of Greater Cincinnati, Strategies to End Homelessness, and other civic initiatives, I've seen how cultural investments strengthen communities. I believe the Farmer Music Center has the potential to do exactly that for our city. Thank you for your time and your consideration. Thank you. Stanford Pool, welcome. If we talk about leadership, good leadership or bad leadership, and we talk about criminal uh criminal activity, and we think about the president we got. We see see criminal stuff every day. But we got to talk about what Cincinnati doing here. Are we doing the right thing? Do we have leaders? Good leaders or bad leaders? And so far, we haven't seen any leaders stand up and do the right thing. Right here in Cincinnati, the city of Cincinnati, the building department, the law department, and the receivership still in black and brown property. You're taking it free. And that's wrong. You should be treating everybody right. Now, the mayor said he give DC 3C a million dollars every year. That organization can fund their own thing. But you won't fund people that been here for 30 years, when you redline their poor neighborhood, the the the Department of Y'all or Hamilton County and the bank redline all the black neighborhood. You took that money from them and get put in Hyde Park and other places. Only people want you to help. Every time a black person come here to get help, you don't help them. You give them address, they give it to the law department. They want you to do the job. You were You were voted in here. And now you got these rich people from Covington, in Hi- Indian Hill, Liberty Liberty uh Township, Union, and Westchester. They weren't voted to to be here, and you letting them do the job. How criminal can we get? We want y'all to do your job, but you don't want to do your job. You're getting a paycheck every 2 weeks and benefits. Mayor, you know better. Thank you. Amber Cassam, welcome. Thank you. Um good afternoon, everyone. My name is Amber Cassam. Um I wanted to ask if you guys even asked any intelligent questions. Not your elementary, lame, remedial questions that you guys always ask, but about the admissions tax, 3%. Uh Council member Seth Walsh, could you maybe ask the administration to do a report on the admissions tax and how it's collectible, how it's accounted for, and then if it's just a mere 5%, then maybe they would be willing to enter into a 5% admissions tax because it's just 5%. So, maybe the extra 2% could go to Jeff Cramerding's My Cincinnati at Price Hill Will to give a direct pathway for our kids in Price Hill to have an opportunity to enjoy the leisurely activities that these fine American people tell you about. So, I'm asking you guys to pause this decision and have a conversation about the admission tax. That should take 2 weeks and y'all can be back here. And if you don't do that, then we know what's happened before this meeting today and why it's come up so fast. So, please one of you intelligent, fine American Democrats that care about food insecurity and workforce development and children and equity and whatever else you guys want to claim that you care about. And why don't you take a look at the admissions tax and look at that? Um cuz I have about 10 seconds left. Let's go ahead and go back to a a theme of budget neutrality. Buildings and inspections should be completely blood budget neutral. They should be enforcing and it should be punitive. Thank you. Todd Zinser, welcome. >> [clears throat] >> Uh Good afternoon. Todd Zinser from West Price Hill. First, I I would just like to say that um we have a lot of respect for the Symphony and for Cintas, Mr. Farmer, the foundation, all the supporters that are here today. But we really have to ask what due diligence the city council has gone through to decide to spend $8 million on this. The uh the first question I would have is why do they need $5 million or $8 million from the city? I didn't hear anything like that from anybody that has spoken so far. Why do they need $8 million from the city and what is it going to be used for? And I thought that our priority was affordable housing. For example, did anybody look to see how we could advance affordable housing with $8 million more dollars? Or how about that homeless shelter we were going to build in Queensgate? We set aside $5 million for that. What's happening with that? How about the living conditions of some of our elderly citizens in publicly supported housing? What could $8 million do for those people? That's what I think we ought to look at. And in terms of the um economics I don't think I heard that the project's going to go away if the city doesn't give them $8 million if they They they don't need $8 million for all the economic benefits, cultural benefits, and all the rest of that that it will be realized from the project. I just think that we should set this aside for now and if they truly need $8 million to finish this project, then I think they should come back and say that, but I haven't I haven't heard that or I haven't seen it. So, that's it. Thank you. Thank you, Todd. Helena Jones, welcome. I'm in coming down here for a long time and I'm not not tired yet. They did me dirty about my body camera, put it. And I wrote to took my CD and lied since you were going to help me. She did not help me and Al Tell Pier Ball know all about it. They she he paid Al wrote to destroy my body camera, put it. You all Al Tell Pier Ball and City Manager closed my case up. But I've been on down there to the Civil Court and file them on on all three of y'all. Y'all going to jail. Y'all did me dirty. And I ain't giving it up. Cuz I had health problem, put a chokehold on me and I had a blood clot in my lung. You wrong, Al Tell Pier Ball. They told you to step down. You wrong. You ain't no man no way. You can't even pay your car note. And you laying up in City Manager. We see you and her out there kissing. You wrong, Al Tell Pier Ball. You need to step down and I ain't giving it up. You ain't right. You don't care for nobody's right. I ain't scared you, Al Tell Pier Ball. I don't care how tall you are. You ain't did nothing for nobody. You was a greeter, you know what? A greeter, you know what? And City Manager ain't doing her job and y'all did the police chief dirty. She did not know nothing about my body camera, put it. You lied. She going to get her job back and I ain't I ain't giving up cuz I'm a hero and not no zero. If the shoe fit, I'm about to quit cuz the shoe did not fit, Al Tell Pier Ball. I don't care. Well, give me a You better get a good look at that black woman cuz I'm a hero and I not give up. I don't take no mess off nobody. And I'm not not scared of City Manager. Her day is coming. You wrong, too. You wrong. They told you to step down. You ain't no man no way. You can't even pay your car note. You ought to be ashamed of yourself. You ain't You ain't nothing. You're dirty dog. All y'all quit. And I ain't scared of you. Have my brother up here and do something to you. And I ain't Thank you. Don't thank me. Our next speaker is Stefan Pryor. Welcome. Good afternoon, people behind me. Uh today earlier at this uh emergency budget meeting y'all had today uh this vacant building registration, get rid of that. Dismantle that. I I I seen that today and I didn't like that the way it sound, City Manager. Y'all need to get rid of that, please. The vacant building registration license because it's crippling black people property owners in their homes. So, I think y'all need to get rid of that. Please get rid of that. And I see y'all did some audits for for some businesses today. Well, y'all y'all did audits for businesses that's coming in, but why y'all do audits for the businesses going out, these organizations? They need to get out of it, too. These nonprofit organizations need to get out of it. Y'all need to do that. Y'all do the businesses coming in, making sure y'all get y'all money, but what about the money that's going out? Come on now, y'all got to be fair on that okay? And the Cincinnati Jazz Fest. He came down here a couple times. The first time I'm I'm advocating again. If y'all giving out money, why not to the Jazz Fest? He never asked y'all for no help before after 40 plus years they're running the Jazz Fest. It's a good look that y'all look out for the Jazz Fest. They bringing $107 million 3 days in 3 days. People from Columbus Cleveland uh Indiana, Louisville, they all come here. Everybody make money that day, them 3 days. So, if they need help, partner up with them, y'all. That's a good sense to do that. The Cincinnati Jazz Fest, they bring money here. 3 days. I hope to see y'all down there. But y'all need to help the Cincinnati Jazz Fest out. They've been in business over 50 years. And he came down here a couple No, the first time and I'm advocating for him again. Y'all need to actually help the Jazz Fest. Y'all helping everybody else. All right. Thank you. Uh Phil Bovard, welcome. Good afternoon. City Manager, Mayor, Council. My name is Phil Bovard. I'm here on behalf of the Greater Cincinnati Building Building and Construction Trades Council. I want to raise one point about the resolution committing $8 million in capital funds to the Farmer Music Project. According to reporting from WVXU, this is a $160 million construction project that is not yet fully funded. And the city's contribution is being requested specifically to keep the construction timeline on track for 2027 opening. Because these are capital dollars, they're intended for physical construction, not programming or operations. Under Ohio Revised Code 4115, any construction that is financed in part or in whole with public funds is classified as public improvement. And the portion >> [clears throat and cough] >> supported by public dollars must comply with prevailing wage. The state's threshold for new construction is a fraction of this amount. An $8 million allocation is far above that. This project is already underway and the city's contribution is forward-looking construction financing, not reimbursement for completed work. That means the city has both the authority and the responsibility to ensure the construction it funds complies with state law. The only way to do that is through a development agreement that defines the city's funded scope, required prevailing wage on that scope, and enforces it through certified payroll and audit rights. If we're investing $8 million of public capital into private construction, the public deserves the protection and accountability that the Ohio law requires. Thank you, Phil. Jonathan Norman welcome. Stephanie, are you charging for the camera work? Uh could we I I interrupted Mr. Norman. Could we start his time over? Thank you. As we work to keep our communities safe, we need to be clear on how we can be most effective. As I said last week, I applaud this this council is willing to combat the violence brought to our fellow Cincinnatians by ICE, but some of these measures do not go far enough to give the protection that is needed. It is good that we want to limit the access that ICE has to the technology and facilities of our cities, but resolutions and restrictions will not hold up against this fascist regime. If the technology and resources exist, they will use them to do harm. Again, we can turn to nearby cities like Nashville to understand. While looking to expand their fusion program, they found that no matter the guardrails they put in place, the Trump administration and its cronies would have access to these tools the surveillance tools and the database they built. We now see this exact dynamic replicated on an international level. Anthropic refused to give the Pentagon unrestricted access to its AI for targeting and surveillance. What this administration did was use it anyway. They were not stopped by the illegality of their actions. This AI targeting utilized by the US striking a school in Iran where we killed more than 150 innocent little girls. In keeping with the total synchronization of US and Israel methods, we first blamed Iran saying it was their strike. Then we investigated ourselves, delayed, denied, and then we'll say it's a mistake made by AI. Because how do you hold a computer program accountable? You don't. And the people continuously pulling the trigger will get away with their crimes. Our sanctions and strikes target civilians. The strikes on oil depots and gas fields spewing pollutants into the air that will have environmental impacts for generations. That brought acid rain down on the more than 9 million people in Tehran. While we conduct this illegal war, Israel displaced almost 1 million people in Lebanon and threatened to turn it into Gaza. Gaza where they're still killing, still starving, and cutting off from the world like we aim to do with the island of Cuba and its 11 million people. All of this savagery doesn't benefit any of us. While the economy you and I participate in is ravaged, the people that make all of this violence possible are profiting. We cannot continue to invite these instruments into instruments of violence into our city. We cannot continue to provide the implements of what we want to combat, and we cannot continue to invest in those that will inevitably harm us all. Thank you. Mona Jenkins, welcome. Good afternoon. My name is Mona Jenkins, and I am here under no official capacity under any of my leadership roles, and I'm here simply as a resident who has been contacted numerous times since yesterday pending the press release that came out regarding the Farmer Farmers Music Center. Um so I felt obligated to show here today. Um several folks are are have an issue with the fact that we were talking about 1 week ago this week 27 27 million dollar deficit in the budget, then all of a sudden there's an 8 million dollars yes we have for a music center. I am all for music. I am all for the arts. I am all for creating jobs as well as the folks who contacted me. However, there are numerous questions regarding are we spending our money in the best way possible? What is our return back on our investment? Are we contracting in a CBA or something that says yes we are getting the right wages. Are we What is the setup? We need more information. This is what folks are asking for. This is why I am here today is we need more information. This is a hard pill to swallow when we have a shortage of affordable housing in this community. This is a hard pill to swallow when we do not have food in our communities. This is a hard pill to swallow when there's no community input on this on the backside and we are blindsided 1 day ahead of time saying that we that this vote is not for today. No one is against the arts. We just need to be intentional about how we are spending our money, and we do not have enough with all of these cuts. We want a return. We need to start doing participatory budget hearings where folks can come in and feel comfortable talking about what is actually happening with our dollars. >> Thank you. Thank you, Mona. Vanessa, hope I pronounced that right, v e n n a s s welcome. I apologize if I mispronounced your name. That's fine. Thank you. Good afternoon. Vanessa, do you mind leaning into the mic? I apologize. Could we start >> Yeah, could we start Vanessa's time over? I appreciate that. Good afternoon, everybody. My name is Vanessa, and I'm here in my capacity as chairman of OTR Quality of Life Commission. So today I have a problem. Before I start about what my problem is, I'm curious to know who I speak to about NSP when it comes to our communities and how these funds are used. Also, I'm requesting that the OTRCC gets an internal review of how they use their NSP funds. Because from my understanding, NSP is neighborhood sustainability projects where residents, businesses, people that are a part of the neighborhood have projects that are going to enhance our neighborhoods. That's not what is happening in OTR. So, I'm requesting to City Hall that somebody comes down there and review what's going on. Two, why are all the big organization in OTR in the pot of NSP when it comes to community? We shouldn't be giving Cornerstone money to decorate their courtyards. We should be giving NSP to health days. Uh like Mona spoke about, we have hungry neighbors in our communities. There's so many projects that are being rejected by OTR NSP and given to big organization that somebody needs to come down there. Who do I talk to about this? Cuz this is getting out of hand. Yep, that's it. Great. Thank you. Um Noah, my colleague in the back um near the door um can help you out. Thank you so much. Moving to our Zoom speakers, our first speaker is Vanessa Sparks. Vanessa, can you hear me? Ms. Sparks? Ms. I apologize. Ms. Sparks, go ahead whenever you're ready. Yes, I appreciate that. Um yeah, I'm before you today not just as an individual, but as a voice connected to families, property owners, and communities across Cincinnati who are navigating systems that too often feel designed without them in mind. What I've come to understand and what many in our communities are beginning to see clearly is that we are all operating within systems that function like structured games. These systems have rules, incentives, and consequences, but when those rules are not transparent and when access to information is uneven, the outcomes become unpredictable and unequal. For too long, many of our residents have been forced into reactive positions, making critical decisions under pressure without clarity, without coordination, and without a true understanding of how these systems actually operate. But something is changing. People are becoming more aware. They are asking better questions. They are beginning to move from reaction to strategy, from isolation to coordination, and with this awareness comes a responsibility not just on the people, but on leadership as well. Because when communities begin to understand the systems they are in, they also begin to realize or recognize that these systems are working are not working fairly. So today, I'm calling on this council to meet that awareness with transparency, with accountability, and with intentional action. We need systems that are not just technically functional, but ethically grounded. Systems that do not rely on confusion or pressure, but instead empower people with clear information, fair processes, and real opportunity. Because we, the people, are informed and aligned and working together, we are no longer just participants. We became a collective force and are becoming a more collective force capable of shaping better outcomes for this city. Cincinnati has an opportunity >> Sparks. Thank you very much. Our next speaker is Mike Yulhorn. Mike, can you hear me? Yeah, yes. Can you hear me? Yes, go ahead sir. Great. Thank you very much. So, I'm here again regarding the fact that Greater Cincinnati Water Works charges people a monthly fee for providing absolutely nothing when the water is shut off. I'm sure everybody knows and would agree that if someone was taking money from you and you're getting nothing in return, that that is theft. Been here many times again and again. I called all of your offices this week. Not one person has returned my call about this issue. About the fact that the city of Cincinnati [laughter] steals money from people. Water shut off at the meter, Greater Cincinnati Water Works is not providing anything, nothing of value at all. When the water's turned off, they're not providing water. No. I guess I'm coming to the wrong place coming to these city council meetings because I guess it's kind of like if someone was stealing money from you, you talk to them about it. And if they're stealing from you, you're probably not going to do anything about it. And that's exactly what you guys have done. Nothing about it. Haven't done anything. So, maybe it's the police I need to go to. Maybe Forest Park, the city Forest Park police will do something. Since my property is in the city of Forest Park, but it's served by Greater Cincinnati Water Works, and they're the ones stealing the money. So, maybe I need to do that, take that approach. Since the approach of trying to reason with city council gets nowhere, absolutely nowhere. So, I I mean when you're dealing with people that are stealing from you, what can you expect? They're just going to keep on stealing. They're getting away with it. Why should they stop? Until there's consequences. Well, hopefully someday soon there will be consequences. Or she set precedent that every company can do the exact same thing. Just charge people for being ready to provide something. Thank you, sir. Our final speaker is also on Zoom. Derek Blasingame, can you hear me, sir? Sir, are you there? Mr. Blasingame? I'm here. Looks like there's a battle between me being unmuted and me trying to unmute myself here. Sorry about that. We can uh Yeah, I now have the privilege of the floor for 2 minutes. Uh I want to chime in on uh what's going on with the chief of police. Uh I'm concerned because this this situation has uh caused me to have many late nights and early mornings and about 5 gallons of vodka each week. Uh I'm I'm just concerned because uh the issue with Cincinnati uh being able to keep qualified women in the ranks of our government. And we saw this uh beginning uh with the city manager Valerie Lemmie in the early 2000s and and and various other incidents. And so, it's been causing me to have a bout of alcoholism. Um I'm concerned that the city of Cincinnati has an issue with uh well-qualified and educated women. We have the first female Caucasian female chief of police on our force who is attempting who's who's being ousted essentially. Um and based on my uh my my insiders at City Hall, she will be terminated and given a settlement. So, I'm concerned about this. But I also I would hope that the people of Cincinnati would pray for me and my my bout with alcoholism because I want to see women in Cincinnati dance. I want to see Jan Michele Lemon Carney become the first black female mayor. And I'm just I'm concerned that we're not on the road to that. We're not on the path. We got to get it together. I'll holler at you next time. Pray for me and I'm going to pray for y'all. Okay, thanks. Um it is 2:10 and we will immediately begin the business portion of Cincinnati City Council and the clerk will please call the roll. Council member Owens. Here. Council member Walsh. Here. Council member Albi. Here. Council member Cramerding. Here. Council member James. Here. Council member Jeffries. Here. Council member Johnson. Here. Vice Mayor Kearney. Here. Council member Nolan. Here. Please stand for a moment of silence. And now the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Thank you. The minutes from the previous meeting will be approved and filed without objection. Hearing none, they'll be approved and filed. Moving to our agenda, items 1 through 12 are as indicated. Item 13 is a um let's see here. Item 13, we will now recognize Council member Albi. We'll be recognizing Adoria L. Maxberry as a 2026 Women's History Month Honoree and expressing the appreciation of the mayor and the council of the city of Cincinnati for her work as a trailblazing Cincinnati-based artist. Ms. Albi. Thank you. And Adoria, will you please come to the front along with any family, friends, or anyone you want to stand with you? Or it can be just you. You look wonderful. You want Yeah, yeah. Whoever, come on up. Sorry, equipment malfunction here. One second everyone. All right. All right, we got we got to fix. We're got to fix. All right. Come Come get centered, everyone. Let's not be off hiding in the corner. All right, I'm really excited about this. So, Adoria, glad to have you here today. So, today we're going to be recognizing you as a 2026 Women's History Month Honoree and expressing the appreciation of the mayor and the council of the city of Cincinnati for your work as a trailblazing Cincinnati-based artist. Whereas, Adoria is a visual artist, licensed arts educator, civic leader, wife, and a mother of three who facilitates, I think that's you all. Uh who facilitates unique and meaningful art experiences focused on creativity, exploration, and reflection, and who is often sought out for her ability to capture an audience with her engaging personality. Whereas, Adoria is known for designing murals throughout Greater Cincinnati including works in Ziegler Park, Newport Kroger, the Evanston Recreation Center, and the First Financial Convention Center, as well as the letter M in the Cincinnati Black Lives Matter mural. So, everyone can go outside after this and go take a look at her work. Whereas, uh Adoria is the founder of Most Outgrowing LLC, an organization rooted in helping others grow spiritually, mentally, and creatively creatively beyond expectations through art, and which recently received the Outstanding Business Award from the Ohio Arts Education Association. Whereas, Adoria is the charter member of Xi Chapter of Gamma Xi Phi Professional Fraternity and is a leader in the Liv- The Living Water Ministries where she ministers through song, dance, and speech. And Ms. Maxberry serves as the visual arts educator at Woodford Academy and as a designer and lead teaching artist for ArtWorks and was selected as a Crayola Create Creativity Ambassador and curated the Revolutionary Recipes: The Flavors of Black Women Amplified at the Contemporary Arts Center as a Queens Village Through Her Eyes Artist in Residence and Wave Pool Match Fellow. That was a mouthful, but very impressive. Okay, whereas Adoria is an Emmy-nominated voice actress and lead puppeteer on the Emmy-winning Books Alive for Kids series Pages Place. And whereas, Adoria serves on the boards for Artsville, Black Art Speaks, and the Duncan and Sandy at the Taft Museum of Art and is an active member and former chair of for Cincinnati Public Schools Local School Decision-Making Committee. And she finds joy in sharing her experiences as as a Taft Museum of Art Artist Reaching the Classroom Artist in Residence. We're almost there. She's done so much. All right. And Adoria was recognized as a W YWCA Rising Star in the 2022 Black is Excellent Unsung Hometown Hero by the city of Cincinnati. Now, therefore, be it resolved by the Council of the city of Cincinnati that the mayor and this council hereby recognize Adoria Maxberry as a 2026 Women's History Month Honoree for her dedication to helping others grow beyond expectations and for positively impacting our community through art. Congratulations. >> [applause] [cheering] >> So, I'm so excited to do this today. Adoria, you have this wonderful um magical presence about you when you walk into the room, when you're engaging with people, the atmosphere just warms and you just lift everyone up. And to have your vision and how you see the world is just such a gift. And I was recently in the Evanston Recreation Center and being able to look at your work, to be able to go out each day and experience it, you have truly left a mark on the city. And you've done that both physically, but also by working with so many people in our community, inspiring the next generation, helping people unlock their potentials. And I just I believe so much in the power of art. And to have you in our community fostering that is just so vital and I'm so grateful. It's a true honor to recognize you today. >> [applause] >> I didn't plan on crying today, guys. Thank you so much. Um with everything happening going on and and all the issues that are brought to you guys every day, it seems like trivial to be recognized, but I I I definitely appreciate it. I really do. Um running from a classroom at Woodford to make sure I make it here on time because they're like, "What? You've got on heels today?" So, thank you for having me and thank you for allowing us the opportunity to really make a mark on the city. When leaving a corporate America career to pursue the arts and the gift that God gave me, these are those moments that make me really appreciative for taking that leap. And I would not be here without my daughter having the vision of starting the crazy art company and throwing a paint thing birthday party, my husband following along with all of my crazy ideas and speaking everything into existence, my family and my amazing most outgrowing team that helps create all those murals. So Layla Ashley Madison Addison, there's so many names that I can't mention, but I also want to thank everyone of my church family members and my family that came out to support. So, thank you all. Continue to support the arts. Continue to support our students, and continue to make Cincinnati the beautiful place that we love to live in by doing what gifts God's placed in you to change the earth. So, thank you all, and thank you to the council and to the mayor. Thank you all. Thank you. [applause] Thank you. Thank you, and welcome. I saw Mr. Walsh's light first. It's a rare moment I beat the vice mayor. I'm going to enjoy it for a second. Uh Adoria, I mean, one thing you just said is if it seems like this is so trivial, this is so not trivial. As I was walking over here, I actually crossed the M in in Black Lives Matter, and in the moment I've I've had just a an off day, and I just love the art. And I'm not I mean, there's plenty of people in this room that'll tell you I'm not a big art person, and it it actually struck with me. And then to walk up here and see the resolution, that may feel trivial, and you know that that's not trivial. And so, I just want to make sure that we we really highlight for you the work that you do is having impact on thousands of people you will never know that it brightened their day when things were dark, or it it made things better when they didn't see an opportunity. And that's that's the impact that you do. So, there's nothing trivial about this recognition today, and I'm glad that we can have this opportunity to have to bring you in here and give you the accolades you so so richly deserve. Thank you. Vice Mayor. I love what Council Member Walsh said. Yeah, art is never trivial, and the work you do is never trivial. It's so important. It brings communities together. It uplifts us. It keeps us going. It keeps us strong. So, I want to thank you for that. Your impact on young people is just amazing. And most of all, just for your courage, because leaving the corporate world, you know, where the paychecks keep coming to take a chance on yourself, on your children, on the community, it takes a lot of courage to do that, and you're just a role model for all of us. Thank you so much. You're a gift. You're a gift to the city. Thank you, Vice Mayor. President Johnson. Thank you. Congratulations. I just pray that you continuously hear the voice of the Lord guide and direct you in the vision in which he has instilled in you, and that come to fruition where people see that the Lord is still working and he's in control, and his people are obedient to the message that he sends. Godspeed, and keep up the amazing work. Ms. Owens. Thank you, Adoria. I just so love you. You are one of my most favorite people, and you're wearing my favorite color. So, amazing. But no, truly, thank you for stepping out on faith, because it's through every project that you have given to the city, and through every person that you interact with, you have certainly made it better. So, thank you so much. Thank you, Ms. Owens. Further comments? I'll add my congratulations, Adoria. There's so much that you do on behalf of our community. I feel like we're always running into each other, but you know, what I really wanted to highlight was the work you do at Woodford Academy and and with so many students and and children. You know, I was I was there last month for Reading Across America, and there you were working with five students. The the work that you do to inspire them to unlock their imagination is is so profoundly important, and we're so grateful for your service. Congratulations. Roll call on passage of the resolution, please. Council Member Owens. Yes. Council Member Walsh. Yes. Council Member Albi. Yes. Council Member Cranley. Yes. Council Member James. Yes. Council Member Jeffries. Yes. Council Member Johnson. Yes. Vice Mayor Kearney. Yes. Council Member Nolan. Yes. It passes. Congratulations. >> [applause] >> We'll pause briefly cuz Ms. Albi's leading the next resolution. Thank you. Item 14 is a resolution from Council Member Albi, James, Nolan, Owens, and Walsh expressing the support of the Council of the City of Cincinnati for the development of the Farmer Music Center as a catalyst for a new era of cultural tourism and economic activity in Cincinnati, and expressing Council's commitment to allocate $8 million in capital resources by the end of fiscal year 2027 to support the construction of the Farmer Music Center. Ms. Albi, would you like to introduce the resolution, please? >> Yes, please. Thank you. Thank you, Mayor. And thank you so much to Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and Music and Event Management Inc. for being here today, and truly your vision on this project. I'd also like to thank my colleagues who are co-sponsors on this resolution, Council Members James, Nolan, Owens, and Walsh. And I want to just start by saying Cincinnati is an arts city. I'm so proud that we are home to a world-class arts and culture scene. But leadership like this does not happen by chance. It is built over time and with commitment and meaningful investment. An investment in the Farmer Music Center is an investment into the future of arts and culture here in Cincinnati. I'm not going to read through the whole resolution. The mayor's summary summarizes it pretty well, but I do want to highlight a couple key facts about it. Today, what we are voting on is a verbal commitment allocating $8 million in the fiscal year 2027 capital budget. After today, Council will still need to approve this allocation when we pass the full budget in June. This is a capital investment. It's not part of our operating budget, and this allocation by Council we will be contingent upon the administration's project underwriting, standard review processes, and other conditions appropriate and necessary to guarantee the completion of this project. And I know our new director of the Office of Strategic Growth has already met with the CSO team to work through and look through some of that information already. This allocation represents approximately 5% of the overall budget overall project cost, and is part of a broader capital stack which includes funding from both private philanthropic sources and dollars from the state, as you heard in public comment. Once the Farmer Center is up and running, the city will receive both admissions tax and earning tax revenue from the venue. In fact, we estimate earning an additional $15 million in city tax revenue over the next 10 years. Admission tax alone is projected to provide $1.5 million per year, and that's a conservative estimate. That means the city will earn back our investment in roughly five years, and then continue to receive those tax dollars in perpetuity. I will say that again. We expect to earn back this investment in roughly five years, and then we'll continue receiving those dollars for the rest of the venue's lifetime, which will be long beyond the time we are still in this these seats. In addition to the tax dollars coming straight to the city, we also anticipate these performances at the Farmer Music Center to generate a hundred million dollar economic impact annually. That means visitors dining in our restaurants, staying in our hotels, patronizing our small businesses and local attractions. So, why now? This commitment today will help keep the Farmer Music Center project on track to ensure their doors open in spring 2027, allowing us to begin generating that tax revenue as soon as possible. But beyond the numbers, to me this project checks so many boxes we look for when considering a major investment. Is this project led by a trusted partner with a track record of success? Yes. Will this that partner leverage our city dollars to maximize their fundraising from other public and private sources? Yes. Will the city earn our money back over time? Yes. Will this investment help grow Cincinnati? Yes. I am proud that this allocation is an investment into Cincinnati's long-term health and cultural vibrancy. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to invest in shaping the physical and cultural landscape of our city, our region, and hopefully our nation. I'm so excited to vote yes on this resolution before us today, and I'm grateful for the support of my colleagues in this vital project for the future of our city. Thank you. As is our normal course, I'm going to open it up for comments from the other co-sponsors before we open it up to the larger council. Co-sponsors James, Nolan, Owens, and Walsh, anything to add? Yes, Ms. Sorry, Ms. Owens, then I saw Mr. James. Thank you. Um Yes, this is an incredible moment. I have no doubt that this will be a regional asset that increases the cultural vibrancy of our community and experiences that people will come to remember forever. It is also alongside a critical piece of real estate, and that is our riverbank. I also want to recognize that this is a public-private partnership by which, you know, a modest approximately 5% investment is is good. But furthermore, we're also talking about, yes, job creation, distinctions of a non-profit, not a for-profit entity that continues to invest in the arts and culture ecosystem in our community. But yes, let's talk about another important distinction, which is capital versus operating dollars. And so and before I go there, I also want to recognize that this partner is also ready to comply with prevailing wage. And so that is extremely important and so I thank you for that. And so as we look at capital versus operating dollars, of course, you know, looking at the language of this resolution, looking at allocating by the end of fiscal year 27. And so I would be interested as a council to have conversations that actually don't rest just there in fit in fiscal year 27 budget. What we should also be doing is looking at the past in order to move forward. And so looking at fiscal year 26 capital carryover of any unused dollars, I think would be critical in this conversation. Furthermore, we we had a debate over how we adjust our reserves based on expenditures or revenues. And so if we were to readjust back to calculations on expenditures over revenues, 16.7%, that would also free up additional dollars. Approximately 6 million, I believe. And yes, as we move into this next budget cycle, we are looking at cuts and and deficit. So it's extremely important that as we look at our capital needs across this city, that we are very intentional about that conversation moving forward. So overall, I am certainly in favor of this project and I'm looking forward to the healthy conversations that will help us get it get over the finish line. Thank you, Ms. Owens. Before I go to Mr. James, just a a follow-up point of clarification. You mentioned fiscal year 26 unused carryover capital dollars, correct? Are you suggesting we do a friendly amendment to include that language? Um just a point of clarification. I would be open to a friendly amendment on looking at the actual allocation and sources. If I if I may, the the resolution does not include sources. We can discuss that as part of the budget process. Understood. So Ms. Owens, are you no longer interested in making a friendly amendment? >> Yes, no. If if it didn't explicitly state that, then in our conversations we can still look to the appropriate sources to help get this project done. Okay. Mr. James. I am excited to support Councilmember Albi in this project. I think that this there there are so many reasons why we should be championing this project. I think first and foremost, kind of at the surface level, I mean, we we just got our survey results back that almost 20% less folks perceive Cincinnati as a welcoming city. I think this project can do so much for the arts. I think it can do so much for welcoming members to our community. I think it can make it do so much for making us a national destination. This is going to sound like a different language to a lot of folks, but Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, South by Southwest, I think having a ready-to-go festival site right here in our hometown Cincinnati is so exciting. And so when we put our dukes up against the larger cities as to why we are a home for commerce and why we are a home for opportunity, it's so exciting to have this opportunity. But I will say even further, maybe even selfishly here, I've walked in This is my first few months as an elected official and it's been a tremendous honor. But all of these grandiose ideas that we've walked in with need funding. I walked in thinking that we needed to evolve our appetite and advance our appetite for creating affordable housing here in Cincinnati. That's true. We need the money. I think we we stand a real chance of lowering our residents' utility bills. It's possible. It's tangible. We do not have the money. I think there are so many ways that we need to support our neighborhoods. Talk specifically talking about those NSP funds and making sure that our neighborhood leaders have the resources and funding they need to lead change and improve culture at a neighborhood level, but they need the money. I think that's specifically the the fact that this project will be self-sufficient, so we will pay back this loan in just a matter of 4 years. But with this $100 million in increased tax revenue could do for our residents in the long run as we think strategically and down the road about what Cincinnati can be. I think this project is exciting all around. So thank you. Thank you. Anything else from the co-sponsors? Mr. Walsh and then Mr. Nolan. Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'll keep it very very succinct here. When Sundance was looking at coming to Cincinnati, they would come into town and one of the things that they kept saying to me was, "Why are more people not talking about Cincinnati?" When people come to Cincinnati, they fall in love with Cincinnati. They want to come back to Cincinnati. And that is a big reason I support Farmers Music Center here. And secondly, I refuse to be part of a city that decides when we face a budget deficit that our solutions are exclusively to cut our way to prosperity. That will never work. The opportunities that exist like this to invest in our future, invest in how we can get more revenue in for better economic development, but better services to our residents, better services to the citizens out there. That is the path that I want to always take. And so I'm honored to be part of this and I look forward to Farmers Center opening in 2027. Thank you, Mr. Nolan. Thank you, Mayor, and thank you, Councilmember Albi, for bringing this forward. And thank you to the leaders of Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra for for being here today and and making the case. My fellow council members and I and the mayor repeatedly talk about investing in growth. And we need to be intentional about those investments in growth. I know many of the concerns that the constituents have have shared with us today and and through email, I think will bear out and and be addressed through the city's continued evaluation of the project and negotiation of a funding agreement. I know some feel like this money could could go to other more pressing needs. But for me, there is no more pressing need than investing in growth. If we're not growing, we're dying. And this project will return tens of millions of dollars that we need to fund all of the services that people are talking about. Others have suggested that this money is not needed in order to get this return and that the additional tax revenue would be coming in anyway. They want to call CSO's bluff on this. Well, I'm not here to gamble with our city's future. I'm here to push intentional investment in growth and so I support this project. Thank you. Mr. Chair. Yes. Mr. Johnson. If that's all of the co-sponsors, I think >> I think I think we're ready for open comments. Go ahead. Thank you, Mr. Chair. The um growth of this city is vital, is important. But so are hungry people in this city. The experts that run this city told us or telling us that we're facing a $35 million deficit. $35 million. That could constitute in people losing jobs that serve this city every single day with the utmost integrity. $8 million right now in 2026 facing a $35 million deficit. What message are we sending to those that are hungry in the city of Cincinnati? What message are we sending to those that are looking for job opportunities? And I understand this is going to provide some jobs, but not right away. There are people hungry tonight. $8 million for leisure and luxury. And we sit on this day us and talk about how much we care about people. I'm all for the arts. I love the symphony. I've gone twice already this year. But right now, facing a $35 million deficit, $8 million is reckless and it's irresponsible. And we cannot sit here and talk about how much we care about housing people, how much we care about feeding people if we're willing to take $8 million of money that we really don't have and put it to leisure and luxury. Let's be frank about something. There only certain amount of demographics There's certain level of demographics in this city that enjoy the symphony. And it is amazing work the symphony does. I love when they go out into the neighborhoods, Woodlawn, Bond Hill, Rose Lawn years past. I'm looking forward to attending this year when they go out into the community. But what message are we sending? We've been elected to be responsible with people's money. This is not responsible in 2026. So I would ask that if at all possible, we hold this until we can see exactly where we're going to be monetarily when the experts on the administration tell us we still don't have the final numbers. $8 million and we care about people. We care about hungry people. We care about homeless people. It's reckless and irresponsible right now in 2026 with what we're facing. So if all, I would like to say and ask if we could hold this until we get a clearer picture of where we're going to be financially in the city of Cincinnati. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Thank you. Mr. Jeffries. Yeah, thank you, Mr. Mayor. Uh first let me start. This is an amazing project. It's a great project and agree on the benefits of the city, a benefit that we want to grow, a benefit that we need to attract young people with these kinds of attractions. All of that. Uh and thank you Councilwoman Albi for seeking to identify potential sources of funds. I appreciate that that work. Um that means that I'm not going to be um supportive for a few reasons. One is process and one is more substance. From a process standpoint, uh I think this should go to a hearing. We should have a presentation. We should have the administration vetted. Uh we debated for hours. $500,000 in the carryover. And this is less than 5% of that and we're we're not even holding a hearing. So I do think that's a piece of it. Uh we should we should fully vetted. Uh the other is we're committing before we've identified the source. I mean I I spent 17 years at P&G. If I went to my boss and said, "I'm going to spend $8 million. I've identified a bunch of potential pockets, but I don't know how I'm going to fund it." Most people in the private sector will look at you and shake their head and like, "What are you thinking?" Like we and I asked the administration how they would fund it. We don't know. I would like to know from the administration, what are we not going to do? What road are we not going to repave? What fire truck are we not going to uh buy? Uh what park are we not going to rehab? These are choices and then we can debate that and understand it. Um so uh yeah and it's ahead of the budget which, you know, I get their their timing needs. So I completely understand that. Um I do think so on the substance, yes, we have the deficit. There are prevailing wage questions. Uh I think we need to debate the sources. What are we funding not forces um funding? And then also understand the capital stack for and appreciate uh the back and forth uh with with the folks at MEMI on where where is the money coming from and is there corporate sponsorship? My understanding is there's 5% of the capital stack is corporate. Just in my quick cuz it's only been an hour since I got that. You know, there are other projects throughout the country that are 10 or 15% uh corporate sponsorship sponsoring, you know, a plaza or you know, you know, whatever it is. You look at FC Cincinnati and they have, you know, uh different venues that have corporate sponsorships. And so I think we're in a different environment where we have to push our collective selves on maybe in the year of ARPA we could fund things things more aggressively. But now with a $30 million deficit, we have more difficult uh a lot more difficult choices. Um so appreciate I I I do think we should have a hearing on this and, you know, I understand the urgency. I do think that would be that would be helpful. Thank you. But uh Do you mind if we hear from the non-sponsors first? Any other comments? Non-sponsors? Vice Mayor. What's that? I'm a non-sponsor. Would you like to make a comment? Yes, I would. >> please. Uh so we do have a budget process uh which we just finished public comment. We had three nights of public comment where our taxpayers, community members came forth to say what was important to them. Uh and then the next step is for Council to set priorities. Uh and then uh we have discussions on what different projects need to be funded, you know, what areas need to be funded. So we haven't done that. And so while this is a wonderful idea, it's a wonderful um project, it sounds great. But the question is why are we talking about it now? What is giving this project the privilege of moving to the front of the line before we've had a chance to fully discuss how um we need to spend this particular 8 million, uh what will we not be able to fund if we promise this 8 million dollars to the Farmers Center? Why are we doing that now before we've had a chance to actually discuss all of our different projects, all of our different needs. You know, we understand that 25% of our population lives in poverty. I just left a meeting in the West End where people were talking about bed bugs and talking about, you know, feces and coming through the through the pipes and just really horrible living conditions in some places. So would this $8 million help with economic opportunity there? We know that 10% of our Cincinnati public school children are homeless. Could this $8 million perhaps build housing for them? We have businesses, business neighborhood neighborhood business districts that are suffering. Could the $8 million perhaps help those business districts? We have lots of vacant buildings and vacant land. Could this $8 million help to renovate those buildings for housing, for businesses? Could it help build housing on vacant land in our neighborhoods? We don't know what we have to forego by putting this project in the front of the line, in the special place where we would make this commitment before we've had these discussions, before we've looked at what are we sacrificing if we allocate this 8 million? I've heard a lot of good conversation, a lot of good comments about why this center, this music center is so wonderful, but I haven't heard why there's an urgency to allocate this money now. I agree with Councilmember Johnson that this needs to be held. It's not going to be voted on by the state at this point. The state is in the same on the same timeline that we are in. Uh their support for the project is one of the recommendations in their budget, but they're not voting on that probably till May or June uh just like we do. And so there is no point in rushing today to allocate $8 million this project when we haven't discussed our priorities. We haven't discussed what we need to do. We haven't discussed are we going to have a deficit if we do this? Are we going to hurt some of the other priorities that we know we have for our city? And of course we haven't heard input from our citizens on it. And so for that reason I think this is premature and needs to be held. And if not held, I'm going to vote no. Thank you. Further comments? Mr. Chair. Miss uh oh um I see Mr. Krameding. I apologize. We'll go Mr. Krameding and then we'll go to Mr. Walsh and then Ms. Owens. Thank you, Mayor. I uh thank you. I want to start off with reminding people where we at with the budget process. As the finance chair, the next step for Council after we get more engagement and get more information, we will submit our priorities to the city manager. Uh I want to assure my colleagues if there are five votes to support this, that that will be included in the priority budget uh when it goes to the manager uh as as as it should and as a way of fairness. So I just want to make that clear that that is the process and it will be fair as it has been in the past. Uh should we proceed into June and the project remains the same as outlined, uh I will be voting no. I do have a number of concerns. Uh some were raised by our speakers. Uh I do not know why the ask is $8 million. I don't know if that is the gap. I don't know if the private fundraising uh exceeds expectation, if our if that number will go down. So I do not know uh why why that number is the number. Uh a speaker also talked about the short timeline. Just to be clear to the public, this was not something that this Council sat on for months. We learned about this in the past few weeks. So compared to other projects, this was a very short runway between us learning about it and the ask and an expectation that we do something. And for a a very large project that, you know, is is fairly far along. I do not understand why that ask and that information was so late coming uh to City Council. Uh I have uh we're told that some of the urgency is the state legislature. I've called people involved in the process. I've called the state delegation. I found no one. I've talked to no one who says there's any urgency for this Council to act today. Uh if there's somebody out there that I should talk to, please give me their contact information and I would be happy to talk to them. The point was made that this comes out of the cap budget or could come out of the cap budget. That is the most concerning thing to me because $8 million of the cap budget, there are projects that are not going to happen. Is it going to be a rec center in Price Hill? Is it going to be housing in Avondale? But $8 million in projects will not happen. So, I have I'm still trying to find a way forward, be creative, and and find a good partner, but it's been difficult to date. Thank you, Ms. Owens. Thank you. Um you know, growing our city is also our responsibility as elected leaders. And growing our city means, yes, investing in projects that will bring economic return, investing in small businesses, investing in jobs, yes, investing in housing, investing so that we actually increase the tax base to to continue to operate as a city. And so, these don't have to be binary choices because we can walk and chew gum at the same time. That's what we do every day. For example, the investment that this council put into the Cincinnati Development Fund, I think upwards of $50 million to be able to create more affordable housing units across the city, by which I believe we've created a little over 1,800. So, we are doing the work. Uh and at the same time, we're investing in capital improvements and and other projects around our city. So, again, these aren't binary choices. We're doing what we're supposed to do. And most importantly, this is why I believe looking at fiscal year 2026 unallocated funds is where we need to start. So, I just encourage my colleagues to continue to do the work so that we can get there, uh but we can do all of these things at the same time. Thank you, Mr. Walsh. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Um I feel like there were a lot of statements made here that need to be refuted to some degree. Um first, any statement that this came out of left field in the last couple weeks is patently false. Um and I have written evidence that last year during the closeout process, I and during the budget process, I actually put forward um for us to fund this project because it was discussed at the time and I thought it was important then. Um I still think we should have funded it then. Um secondly, I agree Councilman McCreary, I don't know why the number is $8 million. Because they asked for 10. So, we actually arbitrarily cut it from what the director asked was. Um and I think that's important to recognize here. Um let's see here. The projects that are not going to happen to Councilmember Owens' point that she just brought up, I can name over $10 million in projects right now in fiscal year 2026 that this council set aside funding for that are not moving forward for one reason or another. So, there is money sitting in our capital budget. Um the concern around process um in the last month, this council has changed our process to say that if you tag on or any other source is identified by the administration, then we're okay with it. Including last week, to my chagrin, um the administration changed one of the sources that was identified by council. So, I just think we need to stay consistent on this and I'm I'm fine saying let's identify a source. I'm fine saying let's not identify a source, but let's not change that every 2 weeks just because it's convenient for the argument we're trying to make today. Um the why now? Um I have received calls actually from people in the decision-making process at the state saying, "Is Cincinnati City Council going to be involved in this?" So, I'm happy to provide contact information after this meeting for anyone who wants to know who reached out to me, but I did receive calls about that. So, I have had that urgency. Um and then I think most importantly, this is capital money. No matter how much we want to spend it on operating, we legally cannot. There's no mechanism that allows us to do so. To to suggest that the capital budget can offset our operating budget is only true if the capital budget is invested in a way that it generates revenue into our operating budget. That's why I'm so excited about this project. $1.5 million doesn't doesn't solve a $27 million deficit, but it makes it easier. It makes it allows us to put more money into our human services support, puts more money toward lever support. It allows us to be able to transition and and use that investment of the capital there. Um the capital budget is different than the operating and I wish we could mix and mingle those, but we can't. There's a reason why there's two different budget binders that came out that are equally long. Um I think this council should look at our operating budget deficit that is on the horizon. I think this is a really important conversation that Vice Mayor Kearney and and Councilmember Johnson led during the closeout process. Right now, our closeout process only allows for the money to go into capital. We have major operating problems that are coming. That is a moment that we can actually make sure the money is being, you know, used for operating deficits that exist. We've chosen not to do that. So again, I think we need to stay consistent. Let's solve problems that we've created ourselves to help plug some of these holes. This project this project's not the problem. This project is actually part of the solution. It's how we can help people with bed bugs. It's how we can help build more affordable housing. It's how we can have money to help feed people. Um And and those are just the practicalities of that. And those are the legal restraints that we have on how that money can be used. So, I'm proud to support this today and I think we are going to be happy that we did support this and help make this a reality. Thank you. Further comments? >> Mr. Chair. President Johnson and the Vice Mayor. Uh I [clears throat] I would like to make a motion that until that we hold this until we get clarity from the state as this seems to be a conflict with Mr. McCreary and is telling us and what Mr. Walsh is telling us. And then in addition to that, we haven't heard from the administration on what this is going to do despite what us elected think we know, they know a little better than we do. They know a little better than we do and I'm not ashamed to say that. So, if you ask the administration right now today, is this a good is this a good move to make based on where we are financially? I don't think the administration is going to tell you, "Yeah, go ahead and make that move." So, for those reasons, I would like to make a motion that this is held until this is vetted. As the Vice Mayor pointed out, how all of a sudden this jumped to the front of the line is still amazing to me. Once again, we got to make sure, although yes, growth is one of the things we are elected to do, responsible growth is what we're elected to do. Be responsible with taxpayer money. Thank you. Second it. One one second, Vice Mayor, I appreciate it. And thank you, President Johnson. I want to make sure that everything is is following protocols. Uh City Solicitor, order for a motion made on the floor to hold an item, uh what is the process that we have to proceed with? Mr. Chair, the process is for you as chair to ask if there's a second for the motion and take a vote on the procedural motion, uh and then depending on the outcome of that will determine your next steps. Okay, understood. Uh Mr. President Johnson, um may I ask for um some grace from you to to hold making your motion until we have a uh a full conversation about the item. Okay, I appreciate that. Um Vice Mayor? Thank you. So, I would just wanted to point out two things. We're talking about growing our city, which is very important, but we have to make sure that all of our residents are included in that growth, not just a select few. And so, we really have to be intentional about how we do our funding. Uh the money is not going to trickle down to the underserved people in this community unless we say it has to be funded for for their needs. And so, when we talk about people who are homeless and people uh uh who are unemployed and people who are struggling, we have to be, as we've been, intentional about making sure that we fund those initiatives that help people who are underserved, not just a select few. And that's why it's so important that we look to say, "If we are going to allocate $8 million to a project, what are we not able to fund? What can't we do?" Uh so, we really, you know, we in this case, we can't chew gum and walk at the same time. We have to really make sure that we are being intentional about making sure that everybody is included in growth in this city. The second thing, to Councilmember Walsh, if you if you looked at uh the state's recommendation for funding that came out last Friday, this project is in that recommendation. Uh and it's already in there. And so, they're going to vote in, you know, for their budget in what, late May or early June? Uh they're on the same timeline we are. Uh we don't have to decide this today. There's no urgency today. Thank you. Before we move on, if if I could have the privilege of of asking some questions, there there's been a lot of questions offered and and some of them have been answered, but I think it might be useful to have just a direct conversation about some of these questions. Ms. Albi, if if you don't mind, as the lead sponsor, I'll direct my questions to you, but anyone can answer them. A lot of folks are asking why $8 million, uh why not four, why not 16? Uh what is the answer to that? Thank you. Uh $8 million represents about 5% of the overall cost, so you can check the math on 160 million total. Um our uh new director of the Office of Strategic Growth has met with the CSO one-on-one and gone through their financials and has reported that this uh number is very real and all the information that they've provided already checks out um and it feels confident uh that this funding will help them unlock uh additional funds at the state and through private sources. Thank you, but but why 5%? To help them reach their next phase of fundraising and ensure they can stay on track for the opening in uh spring 2027. What's the gap they're trying to fill? I don't want to speak out of turn given that they they are here. Um, I know we don't typically have them uh folks come forward for for comments, uh but I don't want to speak out of turn for on their behalf. But it is larger than 8 million. Okay. So, it's not clear what the the gap is. What what's the um if if the project gets the 8 million um will it proceed uh on time? That is my understanding. If the project receives our 8 million, but they fail to leverage that into more dollars from the state or elsewhere, will it still proceed? Uh uh there are is a true risk of ongoing delays and a um delayed opening to it, which would also delay our ability to generate those tax dollars that we are also eager uh to welcome to our operating budget. Okay, so I'm not sure uh so it will proceed or it won't proceed? A- As you As you know, Mayor, uh big projects take time, and the concern here is delaying this uh for an elongated amount of time and costs going up as we've seen with other big projects like the Spence Bridge that has continued to climb in costs. So, our ability to act now and help them achieve their uh fundraising goals will ensure it stays on track to open and that we can begin booking acts and collecting that uh ticket tax revenue as we like. And we're confident about that without knowing what the actual gap is? Uh Mr. Mayor, I I'm uh happy to uh rattle off the numbers, but I don't think it's my place to in this uh space to give you an exact number. I can tell you uh Director Rudd has met with them and confirmed uh the math and looked through all the books and everything. I respectfully disagree. I do think it is your place. This is Council's um job to to vet these before making investments. Um inclusion goals, what what's the commitment on the inclusion goal for the project? I do not have that one off the top of my head. My apologies, Mayor. Uh if you'd provided me these questions ahead of time, I would have done had my fact sheet ready to go to rattle all these off more fluently for you. Prevailing wage, it was mentioned earlier that this project is committed to prevailing wage. Was that a determination before the city's consideration of 8 million dollars or will the 8 million dollars trigger prevailing wage? Uh uh they will be with the 8 million they will be uh including prevailing wage. And just to be clear on the the fundraising, they've fundraised 76 million. So, this 8 will be in addition to that and again uh keep them on track to continue fundraising. So, so 76 plus 8 uh towards a hundred and sixty million dollar overall project cost. So, if it's triggered, that means the budget will go up unless they've already factored that in. Will that mean that they'll come back and ask us for more money? They have uh the cost of labor factored in with the prevailing wage. Okay, thank you. Um And then you know, I understand that there's a commitment to do some but-for analysis afterwards. Um after this resolution, if the but-for analysis comes back and says this project uh qualifies, but would need uh less money um you know, below 8 million dollars uh how would the Council how would you recommend Council respond to that? Uh we vote on the final version of the budget in June. So, we have uh time to work through all that. And if there's an adjustment needed, we can do so at that moment uh as needed. Uh I've sat down with the administration on multiple occasions and talked through many many different sources and a fund uh financing options with them. And I know those conversations will continue and again, I'm glad that our uh new office of strategic growth is uh heavily involved here and looking forward to working together on this project. Mayor, can I jump in? Yes, go ahead. Sorry, um to the chair and to the Council. Um I just want to make sure we have not on the Office of Growth Director Rudd has not provided a financial analysis for this program for this for this project. So, I just want to make sure that's clear. While there may have been meetings that have happened, there is no financial analysis that have been done. So, that needs to be clear. Thank you. Those are all my questions. Thank you, Ms. Albi. Any further comments? Mr. Chair Yes. Um yeah, my so and Vice Mayor and actually uh Vice Mayor, if you don't mind, Mr. Jeffries hasn't had a chance to comment in a while. Go ahead, Mr. Jeffries. Yeah, thank you. Uh I I do think we should hold this. Just I mean, a lot of questions just came up right now. I think um it would be helpful to understand just clarify the gap. Uh uh what you know, what would we be cutting? What would the administration recommend we cut so that we can debate. Say, okay, do we want to fund this or fund a homeless shelter or fund fleet or whatever the case may be. Uh so, uh I do think uh that would be helpful. And then even when the sponsors, as Mr. Walsh said, is it He doesn't understand why it's eight. It was 10. You know, so if we're questioning why it's eight and it used to be 10, then of course we should hold it because, you know, I think, you know, we need we need clarity um you know, on that. So. Thank you. Uh Vice Mayor and then President Johnson. Thank you. And I'm I I totally agree. I you know, one, we don't know why 8 million um and I think more importantly than anything, uh we don't know what we have to forego if we commit 8 million to this project without having discussed all of the other funding that we need in our city. And so, the idea of the budget process is for us to have robust discussions about all of the suggestions, all of our priorities, what we're going to fund and what doesn't get funded. So, to give one project the privilege of jumping to the front of the line and getting a commitment before we've even had a discussion about everything else that's out there and all the other needs really just does not make any sense. It goes against our process, and I still have not heard and I don't think that that there is a reason that we need to make this decision today. We need to hold this. President Johnson. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Um I think your quote your line of questioning showed exactly why this needs to be held. As the manager has made it crystal clear, there is not a financial picture painted on a clear uh fin- a clear financial picture painted on how we're going to do this. So, I once again reiterate with grace that the motion to hold this uh I think there're just too many questions. Uh we don't know the source of where it's coming from. And then in addition to that, we don't know what else we're going to have to cut here in this city. We just don't know. So, there are too many don't knows to move forward on spending 8 million dollars today. There's just no reason to do it today. Okay, I'll entertain the motion. Is there a second? Second. Um now for discussion not on the uh on item 14, but on President Johnson's motion. Any discussion on that? I think we've probably heard enough on that. Okay, uh roll call on acceptance or excuse me, approval of the motion made by President Johnson to hold item 14. Council Member Owens. No. Council Member Walsh. No. Council Member Albi. No. Council Member Cramerding. Yes. Council Member James. No. Council Member Jeffries. Yes. Council Member Johnson. Yes. Vice Mayor Kearney. Yes. Council Member Owens or Nolan, excuse me. No. Without objection, I'll I'll move on to uh a roll call for the uh entire resolution. I think we've talked about the issue enough. Roll call on passage of the resolution item 14, please. Council Member Owens. Yes. Council Member Walsh. Yes. Council Member Albi. Yes. Council Member Cramerding. Yes. Council Member James. Yes. Council Member Jeffries. No. Council Member Johnson. No. Vice Mayor Kearney. No. Council Member Nolan. Yes. Thank you. Items 15 through 29 are as indicated. Uh item 30, first reading, please. An ordinance authorizing the city manager to apply for, accept, and appropriate a grant of up to 288,535 dollars from the Ohio Department of Health to Get Vaccinated Ohio Public Health Initiative. Roll call on suspension. Council Member Owens. Yes. Council Member Walsh. Yes. Council Member Albi. Yes. Council Member Cramerding. Yes. Council Member James. Yes. Council Member Jeffries. Yes. Council Member Johnson. Yes. Vice Mayor Kearney. Yes. Council Member Nolan. Yes. Mr. Cramerding. Thank you, Mayor. Item number 30. Yes, please. Thank you, Mayor. Item number 30, we're accepting a 280 289,000 dollar grant from the Ohio Department of Health. This is increasing immunization rates among children and infants. Very important. Thank you to the Ohio Department of Health. Further comments? Roll call on passage. Council member Owens. Yes. Council member Walsh. Yes. Council member Albright. Yes. Council member Cramerding. Yes. Council member James. Yes. Council member Jeffries. Yes. Council member Johnson. Yes. Vice Mayor Kearney. Council member Nolan. Yes. Item 31, first reading, please. An ordinance establishing new capital improvement program project account ORT Sawyer Point and Yeatman's Cove bike trail OKI grant to provide grant resources for safety improvements to the Ohio River Trail through Sawyer Point and Yeatman's Cove. Roll call on suspension. Council member Owens. Yes. Council member Walsh. Yes. Council member Albright. Yes. Council member Cramerding. Suspension. Yes. Council member James. Yes. Council member Jeffries. Yes. Council member Johnson. Yes. Vice Mayor Kearney. Yes. Council member Nolan. Yes. Mr. Cramerding, item 31. I'd prefer to invite Council member Jeffries. Mr. Jeffries. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. This is a million-dollar grant from OKI for a project that we have been talking about for years. There's a bunch of rail down by the riverfront near Heritage Bank. It's a safety hazard in the park. It will also become a part of the Oasis Trail, and this is to remove it and put, you know, extend the trail. Further comments? Roll call on passage, please. Council member Owens. Yes. Council member Walsh. Yes. Council member Albright. Yes. Council member Cramerding. Yes. Council member James. Yes. Council member Jeffries. Yes. Council member Johnson. Yes. Vice Mayor Kearney. Yes. Council member Nolan. Yes. Item 32, first reading, please. An emergency ordinance authorizing the transfer and appropriation of $114,948.92 from the unappropriated surplus of miscellaneous permanent improvement fund. Roll call on suspension. Council member Owens. Yes. Council member Walsh. Yes. Council member Albright. Yes. Council member Cramerding. Yes. Council member James. Yes. Council member Jeffries. Yes. Council member Johnson. Yes. Vice Mayor Kearney. Yes. Council member Nolan. Yes. Mr. Cramerding. Mayor, periodically we sell our obsolete automobile equipment and the revenue goes back into the general fund. Further comments? Roll call on passage, please. Council member Owens. Yes. Council member Walsh. Yes. Council member Albright. Yes. Council member Cramerding. Yes. Council member James. Yes. Council member Jeffries. Yes. Council member Johnson. Yes. Vice Mayor Kearney. Yes. Council member Nolan. Yes. Roll call on emergency. Council member Owens. Yes. Council member Walsh. Yes. Council member Albright. Yes. Council member Cramerding. Yes. Council member James. Yes. Council member Jeffries. Yes. Council member Johnson. Yes. Vice Mayor Kearney. Council member Nolan. Yes. Item 33, first reading, please. An emergency ordinance amending ordinance number 43-2026 to update capital improvement program project account to correct a project numbering error. Roll call on suspension. Council member Owens. Yes. Council member Walsh. Yes. Council member Albright. Yes. Council member Cramerding. Yes. Council member James. Yes. Council member Jeffries. Yes. Council member Johnson. Yes. Vice Mayor Kearney. Yes. Council member Nolan. Yes. Mr. Cramerding. I have nothing to add. Further comments? Roll call on passage, please. Council member Owens. Yes. Council member Walsh. Yes. Council member Albright. Yes. Council member Cramerding. Yes. Council member James. Yes. Council member Jeffries. Yes. Council member Johnson. Yes. Vice Mayor Kearney. Yes. Yes. Roll call on emergency. Council member Owens. Yes. Council member Walsh. Yes. Council member Albright. Yes. Council member Cramerding. Yes. Council member James. Yes. Council member Johnson. Yes. Yes. Council member Nolan. Yes. Item 34 is a motion from Council member Jeffries that the administration produce a report in the next 30 days on the following: Estimate the one-time cost to remove all blighted, broken parking meters, similar to the attached pictures that are present across the city. Share any data on current parking revenue from those blighted, broken parking meters spots compared to the average parking revenue per spot. This is in Climate City Services and Infrastructure. Ms. Owens, may I have Mr. Jeffries introduce this item? Absolutely. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. So, a couple of years ago, I think 2 years ago, I asked for a report to identify, you know, you have all these places throughout the city where you have blighted, broken parking meters. So, the top is cut off and very clearly it's not working. At the time there were 700, 800. With Director Riley coming in, he's removed about 350 of them. There are a few remaining. So, kudos to him. These are symbols of blight. They also, you know, are negative factors in neighborhood business districts for, you know, parking that's turnover and potentially a loss of revenue because I know personally if you see one of these and it's broken, you know, like, "Yeah, there's probably no parking fee there." And so, this is just asking for what the one-time costs are so that as we're entering budget season, do we need to allocate additional dollars or is it covered within the current budget? Further comments? Roll call on adoption of the motion, please. Council member Owens. Yes. Council member Walsh. Yes. Council member Albright. Yes. Council member Cramerding. Yes. Council member James. Yes. Council member Jeffries. Yes. Council member Johnson. Yes. Vice Mayor Kearney. Council member Nolan. Yes. Item 35, first reading, please. An ordinance approving and authorizing the city manager to execute a first amendment to community reinvestment area tax exemption agreement. Roll call on suspension, please. Council member Owens. Yes. Council member Walsh. Yes. Council member Albright. Yes. Council member Cramerding. Yes. Council member James. Yes. Council member Jeffries. Yes. Council member Johnson. Yes. Vice Mayor Kearney. Council member Nolan. Yes. Mr. Jeffries. Yeah, I'm going to present item 35, 36, 37 because they're all basically the same type of construct. So, each one is a extension of a of a CRA with 100% abatement, but the they were projects that came off of previous abatement and the city has in the past and with these extended it based on dedicating a certain portion of the units to affordable housing. And so, each one of these projects, 35, 36, 37, has a portion now dedicated for affordable housing at different AMIs. Any comments on 35, 36, 37? Roll call on passage, please, for 35. Council member Owens. Yes. Council member Walsh. Yes. Council member Albright. Yes. Council member Cramerding. Yes. Council member James. Yes. Council member Jeffries. Yes. Council member Johnson. Yes. Vice Mayor Kearney. Yes. Council member Nolan. Yes. Item 36, first reading, please. An ordinance approving and authorizing the city manager to execute a first amendment to community reinvestment area tax exemption agreement. Roll call on suspension. Council member Owens. Yes. Council member Walsh. Yes. Council member Albright. Yes. Council member Cramerding. Yes. Council member James. Yes. Council member Jeffries. Yes. Council member Johnson. Yes. Vice Mayor Kearney. Yes. Council member Nolan. Yes. Roll call on passage for item 36. Council member Owens. Yes. Council member Walsh. Yes. Council member Albright. Yes. Council member Cramerding. Yes. Council member James. Yes. Council member Jeffries. Yes. Council member Johnson. Yes. Vice Mayor Kearney. Council member Nolan. Yes. Item 37, first reading. An ordinance approving and authorizing the city manager to execute a second amendment to community reinvestment area tax exemption agreement. Roll call on suspension. Council member Owens. Yes. Council member Walsh. Yes. Council member Albright. Yes. Council member Cramerding. Yes. Council member James. Yes. Council member Jeffries. Yes. Council member Johnson. Yes. Vice Mayor Kearney. Yes. Council member Nolan. Yes. Roll call on passage of item 37. Council member Owens. Yes. Council member Walsh. Yes. Council member Albright. Yes. Council member Cramerding. Yes. Council member James. Yes. Council member Jeffries. Yes. Council member Johnson. Yes. Vice Mayor Kearney. Yes. Council member Nolan. Yes. Item 38, first reading, please. An emergency ordinance approving and authorizing the city manager to execute a community reinvestment area tax exemption agreement. Roll call on suspension. Council member Owens. Yes. Council member Walsh. Yes. Council member Albright. Yes. Council member Cramerding. Yes. Council member James. Yes. Council member Jeffries. Yes. Council member Johnson. Yes. Vice Mayor Kearney. Yes. Council member Nolan. Yes. Mr. Jeffries. Yes, so this is also a CRA agreement for a property at 7 West Court Street, not too far from here. It's a vacant building currently. It's been vacant for a few years. This would restore it to with some personal space and 39 new units for residents to live right downtown. That's great. Further comments? Roll call on passage. Council member Owens. Yes. Council member Walsh. Yes. Council member Albright. Yes. Council member Cramerding. Yes. Council member James. Yes. Council member Jeffries. Yes. Council member Johnson. Yes. Vice Mayor Kearney? Yes. Councilor Member Nolan? Yes. Roll call on emergency. Councilor Member Owens? Yes. Councilor Member Walsh? Yes. Councilor Member Albi? Yes. Councilor Member Keating? Yes. Councilor Member James? Yes. Councilor Member Jeffries? Yes. Councilor Member Johnson? Yes. Vice Mayor Kearney? Yes. Councilor Member Nolan? Yes. That concludes the business portion of our agenda. >> Mr. Mayor. Mr. Mayor. Mr. It's Where were we? Oh, Mr. Keating. Could I uh take this opportunity to record as a no on item number 14, the resolution? Yes. We're looking for 14. Give us a moment. Okay. Thank you. Anything before I go to the city manager? Seeing none, city manager Long, any announcements? Thank you, Mayor. I do have an announcement. I am incredibly proud to share that our Emergency Communications Center, under the leadership of Director Bill Vedra, has earned one of the emergency dispatch industry's highest honor, becoming the 41st accredited center of excellence in emergency police dispatch. This certifies that the agency meets or exceeds the highest industry standards and reinforces the confidence Cincinnatian's place in the ECC when they call for help. It also makes them the first in our state and region to receive this accreditation. Call takers and dispatchers have incredibly important and difficult jobs. They undergo continuous training to improve our response and customer service experience, and I know Director Vedra continues to push toward innovation and excellence, and that requires a staff who is willing to do the work. And I want to recognize them for being there when our citizens need them most and making sure our community knows they can rely on them. So, I want to give a congratulations to all of ECC on the amazing achievement. Have them come up and take a round of applause with their team. >> [applause] [applause] [applause] >> Thank you. Thank you, city manager. Director Bill Vedra, Emergency Communications Center. Uh with today, we we have announced that we've become an internationally accredited center of excellence, which is exceedingly rare and difficult and has been a many year process. We have been on a journey of continuous improvement as an agency driven by the city administration's directive to be a data-driven and performance management-focused agency across the board. ECC has certainly embraced that, and although ECC is a place and a lot of technology and a touchpoint for citizens, at the end of the day, it is people. It's 180 people that have been working 24 hours a day since 1931. Not all Not us specifically, but kind of like to think about a plane that has taken off and never landed since since that time, and this is a a cross-section. I wish I could have all 180 of them here right now, but they're doing the work, and but we have 911 call takers and the people that are doing the hiring and the training and here as a representation. So, just exceedingly proud of all of them. This This is not an accreditation that's about having the right policies and checking the right boxes. This is an accreditation that we pursued that is focused on the work that the people wearing the headsets are doing, and an independent assessment, and a way to show our community that uh we're doing great work and and can prove that, and giving us an engine to never stop and and and keep getting better and and maintain what we've achieved so far. So, this isn't my recognition. It's the work that this representation of those 180 people have done, and very proud of them. Congratulations. >> [applause] >> Bill, if you and your and your team could just hold tight, I'm sure council has some congratulations to to make. Vice Mayor? Mr. Vedra and team, first of all, you age very well. You've been here since 1931, and we're just so proud. But no, seriously, this, you know, ECC is just one of the most important functions we do. I mean, you really save lives, and we are just so proud of you, and to to have this fantastic honor brought to our city means everything. I know it's hard. I know it can be traumatic. It's it's difficult work. We often don't don't think about that, but I know it's it it is very difficult. And so, the fact that, you know, you make that sacrifice every day to come out and serve the citizens of this community, we are really really grateful. Thank you. Further comments? Uh Ms. Albi. This Congratulations, and this is truly such a success story for your team in the city to go from, you know, however many years ago it was now where we had a terrible tragedy to being world-leading, you know, experts and professionals is just truly remarkable. It takes a lot of hard work, dedication, focus, and, you know, as someone who's used your services many times, it's been amazing to to have the call takers there and so professional and do uh such a good job every day. So, thank you. You were there when people need you most in their moments of need, and you're doing it every day with a level head and providing that service. So, thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Bill and team, I'll I'll add my congratulations. The work that you all do is so critically important. I'm I'm so glad that you're getting recognized for it. When people are in crisis or afraid, it's often times your voice that they hear calming them down and sending help. Um It's It's just true public service what you all do, and I'm just so proud of your accomplishment. Congratulations. >> [applause] >> Ms. Long, any further announcements? That's all I have. Thank you, Mayor. Further announcements from council? Yes. Vice Mayor? So, I would like for Grayson Rice from Mason High School