This year, Cincinnati entered the budget process facing a roughly $30 million deficit. Residents were told difficult choices had to be made. Resources were limited. Not every worthy project could be funded.
Fair enough. That’s how budgeting is supposed to work.
Then, the City Council approved a $1 billion budget that included $2 million in public funding for the $160 million Farmer Music Center. At some point, you have to wonder if anyone at City Hall is listening.
Flashy projects, forgotten priorities
Cincinnati is facing a deficit. Infrastructure projects are being delayed. Firefighter overtime is being reduced. Residents are constantly being told the government has to make tough choices. Yet somehow, when a concert venue shows up, the money is there.
Supporters of the project, including Mayor Aftab Pureval and Councilwoman Anna Albi, argue the venue will generate economic activity and future tax revenue. I hope they’re right. I genuinely do. In fact, I hope they see something the rest of us don’t.
And decisions like this are exactly why so many people have stopped taking City Hall seriously.
Council Member Mark Jeffreys argued the money should instead go toward infrastructure. Others pointed toward housing and neighborhood investment. They lost. The concert venue won.
That’s the part that drives me nuts. Not because music is bad. Not because development is bad. Not because Cincinnati shouldn’t invest in its future.
Because nobody I know was asking for this. Not one person.
What residents are really asking for
I’ve heard people complain about housing costs. I’ve heard people complain about roads. I’ve heard people complain about public safety. I’ve heard people complain about taxes, city services, and whether Cincinnati is heading in the right direction.
Call me old-fashioned, but I’d rather spend money on public safety than another project City Hall can brag about. I have never once heard someone say, “You know what Cincinnati really needs? Public money for a concert venue.”
Yet somehow this became a priority.
The people running this city seem genuinely convinced that residents care about the same things they do. They see a new project, a new announcement, and a future ribbon to be cut and assume people will be grateful.
It’s remarkable how quickly City Hall can move when a project has the support of influential interests. Suddenly, there is urgency. Suddenly, there is momentum. Suddenly, there is a way forward. Meanwhile, residents are told to wait. Wait for the next budget. Wait for additional funding. Wait until resources become available. Wait a little longer.
The Farmer Music Center may ultimately be a huge success. I hope it is.
That still wouldn’t make this the right priority. Because this debate was never really about music. It was about whether, for once, City Hall would choose the responsible thing over the flashy thing.
A city facing a $30 million deficit looked around at everything competing for attention and decided taxpayers should help fund a concert venue. Seriously?
At least the ribbon-cutting should be nice.
Thomas Maddox is a senior at the University of Cincinnati who lives in Corryville and is a member of the Enquirer Board of Contributors.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati City Council chooses flash over fundamentals | Opinion
Reporting by Thomas Maddox, Opinion contributor / Cincinnati Enquirer
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By Thomas Maddox, Opinion contributor | USA TODAY Network
