CINCINNATI — The City of Cincinnati has released its recommended budget for 2025 and it details for the first time how and where the city's planning to spend some of the funds from the sale of the Cincinnati Southern Railway.
Cincinnatians voted to sell the railway to Norfolk Southern in November.
The $1.6 billion the city received for the railway was put into a trust fund, with disbursements being paid from it for improving existing infrastructure within the city.
Those disbursements aren't beginning until 2026; the funding broken out in the 2025 budget is comprised of "revenue generated by certain contractual payments from Norfolk Southern to the Rail Board"
According to the budget, the city is allocating $29,201,000 from that revenue into five different funding categories:
- Streets and bridges
- Parks
- Recreation
- Health
- Public services
The majority of the funds will go into the streets and bridges category, but recreation improvements will also make up 12.6% of the spending. In all, the city will spend $17,900,000 on streets and bridges, $2,700,000 on park infrastructure, $3,700,000 on recreation facilities, $2,100,000 on health facilities and $2,700,000 on public services and repairs to city facilities.
In addition, the city said it plans to spend more than 80% of the funding in neighborhoods with a median income of less than $50,000.
The majority of funds being spent, 16.4%, will be spent in Westwood, Cincinnati's largest neighborhood, but projects are slated for many neighborhoods throughout Cincinnati.
Here's where the money will be spent in each neighborhood:
Citywide projects:
- Recreation:
- Recreation renovations from emergency and community budget requests on aquatic facilities — $266,000
- Recreation renovations from emergency and community budget requests for recreation centers — $266,000
- Miscellaneous aquatic facility pool repairs — $146,000
- ADA recreation center and aquatic projects at miscellaneous sites — $52,500
- New pool chemical controllers for five to six miscellaneous pools — $35,000
- Parks:
- Ongoing and emerging maintenance and repair projects — $750,000
- Staff reimbursements for various projects — $600,000
Bond Hill:
- Recreation:
- Recreation center improvements — $1,217,000
East Price Hill:
- Recreation:
- Roof warranty work (bring to warranty) — $250,000
- Public services:
- Roof restoration for the former home of CPD District 3 on Warsaw Avenue — $205,000
Lower Price Hill:
- Health:
- Price Hill Health Center air handler — $120,000
- Price Hill Health Center generator — $30,000
- Price Hill Health Center parking lot expansion — $1,000,000
Corryville:
- Recreation:
- HVAC new roof top unit for Corryville Recreation Center — $95,000
- Health:
- Roof replacement for the Cincinnati Health Department facility at Burnet and MLK — $61,000
- Elevator replacement for Cincinnati Health Department facility at Burnet and MLK — $250,000
- Boiler for Cincinnati Health Department facility at Burnet and MLK — $60,000
- Fire pump for Cincinnati Health Department facility at Burnet and MLK — $40,000
Pleasant Ridge:
- Recreation:
- ARC flash projects - replace electrical equipment — $50,000
Paddock Hills:
- Recreation:
- Renovation to two baseball fields at the Paddock Tennessee Recreation Center — $245,000
- Public services:
- Parking deck restoration for CPD District 4 — $541,000
Madisonville:
- Recreation:
- Renovation of two baseball fields at the Madisonville Recreation Complex — $200,000
- Renovation of tennis courts at the Madisonville Recreation Complex — $160,000
Mt. Airy:
- Recreation:
- Renovation of tennis courts at the Mt. Airy Recreation Area — $155,000
East End:
- Recreation:
- Renovation to one baseball field at Turkey Ridge Recreation area — $145,000
- Renovation to basketball faciliteis at Turkey Ridge Recreation area — $85,000
Westwood:
- Recreation:
- Renovation of one baseball field at Oskamp Recreation area — $75,000
- Transportation and Engineering:
- Street rehabilitation — $4,705,422
College Hill:
- Transportation and Engineering:
- Street rehabilitation — $2,301,844
- School flasher — $50,000
Mt. Adams:
- Transportation and Engineering:
- Street rehabilitation — $1,540,501
West End:
- Transportation and Engineering:
- Street rehabilitation — $1,177,556
- Traffic signal rebuild at Central and Ezzard Charles — $210,000
- School flasher — $50,000
- Health:
- HVAC in Bobbie Sterne Health Center — $250,000
- Cooling tower for Bobbie Sterne Health Center — $120,000
- Fire pump for Bobbie Sterne HC — $40,000
- Basement structural support for Bobbie Stern HC — $30,000
- Parking lot re-stripe and re-seal at Bobbie Stern HC — $8,000
North Avondale:
- Transportation and Engineering:
- Street rehabilitation — $862,383
- School flasher — $100,000
Mt. Washington:
- Transportation and Engineering:
- School flasher — $25,000
Walnut Hills:
- Transportation and Engineering:
- Victory Parkway safety improvements and construction (Complete Street project) — $3,040,000
- Street rehabilitation — $227,694
- Parks:
- Facility renovation for the Sinton building — $1,219,000
South Fairmount:
- Transportation and Engineering:
- Street rehabilitation — $430,926
- Public services:
- Garage roof replacement for CFM headquarters on Beekman — $2,000,000
North Fairmount:
- Transportation and Engineering:
- Street rehabilitation — $687,779
Queensgate:
- Transportation and Engineering:
- Street rehabilitation — $838,630
East Westwood:
- Transportation and Engineering:
- Street rehabilitation — $338,129
Carthage:
- Transportation and Engineering:
- Street rehabilitation — $327,227
Central Business District:
- Transportation and Engineering:
- Street rehabilitation — $19,410
- Traffic signal rebuild at Vine Street and 7th Street — $650,000
Northside:
- Health:
- Renovations and repairs to Northside Adult Provider Space — $80,000
- Generator for the Northside Health Center — $30,000
- Northside Health Center parking lot re-stripe and re-seal — $8,000
Over-the-Rhine:
- Transportation and Engineering:
- Traffic signal rebuild at Walnut and 14th Street — $200,000
- Parks:
- Washington Park masonry and concrete repairs — $150,000
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