CINCINNATI — Some residents said they were unaware of city projects in their neighborhood until construction started, but a new city process hopes to change that.
"The current process is snail mail goes out to, I think, everyone who lives within 400 feet of the project and then emails go out to a much larger group," Cincinnati Councilmember Jan-Michele Lemon Kearney said. "And anyone who says they want to be emailed about what's happening in that community gets an email."
To change that, the City of Cincinnati has started holding community engagement meetings to make sure residents have a chance to discuss new projects and community developments with officials.
These meetings are held when a project or development involves a city grant or loan of more than $50,000, or if the project involves a city property for sale or lease for more than $50,000. Votes are not held at these meetings, but the information is sent to city council, and council members can attend these meetings too.
City Manager Paula Boggs Muething started developing the process for these meetings a few months ago. So far, seven of these meetings have been held or are going to be held in the next few months.
