After reading the 74-page Cincinnati Futures Commission report filled with recommendations to sell city assets and raise taxes, Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval issued a statement – but didn’t say whether he liked any of the ideas or not.

“Ensuring our long-term vibrancy requires making complex and difficult decisions in the short term,” he said. He pledged the recommendations would be vetted, that there would be public engagement and that anything that’s done would take into consideration the city’s “vision of equitable growth.”

“This is going to take time,” Pureval said.

City Manager Sheryl Long, who runs the day-to-day operations of the city, said through a spokeswoman she would “look to the mayor and city council to provide guidance on how they would like the administration to proceed.”

Pureval called for the convening of the Cincinnati Futures Commission, a group tasked with looking at the financial future of the city. But it was Procter & Gamble CEO Jon Moeller who led and selected the 34-member group of business, civic and community leaders who did the work. After 15 months, on Thursday, it released a comprehensive, $728 million plan they say would spur growth and put the city in a good financial position.

The commission found the city has a $438 million deficit over the next decade and that the pension system will fail without a major change to how business is done.

The commission recommended the city impose a trash collection fee, regionalize its water system, lease out Lunken Airport and sell its public golf courses. And it recommended raising the city’s earnings tax by 0.15 percentage points, with the increase dedicated to spurring economic growth and boosting public safety. The earnings tax would go from 1.8% to 1.95%.

The report was delivered to Pureval late Wednesday; the commission is officially disbanded Thursday. It’s unclear who would bring forward the ideas or how. When the city convened a similar commission in 1986, the commission presented its recommendations to citizens and backed a campaign for a charter amendment that raised the earnings tax.

Story continues

The Enquirer reached out to Pureval, Long and all nine council members but couldn’t find anyone willing to say which recommendations they support or oppose. Here’s what we found.

What council members said

Cincinnati City Councilman Reggie Harris, chairman of council’s Budget and Finance Committee: “What is going to need to be clear and articulated is, ‘what is the value impact to everyday citizens?’ The recommendations are a pathway to fiscal strength in 10 years, but what does that mean for citizens in terms of jobs and wages and quality of life?”

Councilwoman Anna Albi: “What the Futures Commission report makes clear is that we have some challenges and tough decisions ahead of us. I look forward to digging into the report’s findings and working with my colleagues and the administration to identify policy solutions that will support long-term financial stability for Cincinnati.”

Councilman Jeff Cramerding, chairman of council’s Equitable Growth and Housing Committee: “I am glad there is attention on this. There is a lot of great information to pave the way for an important and difficult conversation. We always knew this conversation was going to be painful. I don’t think we should take anything off the table. This is why I ran for council. I have been anxious for this difficult conversion.”

What two Futures Commission members said

*Molly North, CEO of commercial real estate developer Al. Neyer, and Candace McGraw, CEO of Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, served on the Cincinnati Futures Commission, but they are also directly tied to recommendations made in the report. The report recommends the city lease Lunken Airport to CVG and that two parks, French Park and Mount Airy Forest, be managed by Great Parks of Hamilton County instead of the city.

Molly North, president of the Cincinnati Park Board: “Nothing is off the table in terms of shoring up the city’s future operating deficit. Cincinnati Parks will do all it can reasonably do to contribute to the city’s financial stability while maintaining some of the country’s greatest parks. There is no question that Parks and Rec will continue to collaborate to gain efficiencies. As it relates to the recommendation to move Mount Airy Forest and French Park under the management of Great Parks of Hamilton County, there are many factors in tallying the costs and benefits of such a move, but it is a worthwhile evaluation.”

Candace McGraw, CEO of Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport: “Airports are unique businesses that should be viewed as economic growth drivers for a region. We welcome continued conversations with city leaders about the role that Lunken could play in the aviation ecosystem of our region.”

What others said

Assistant Hamilton County Prosecutor Orlando Sonza, Republican candidate for the 1st District Congressional district, wrote on X, formerly Twitter: “Cincinnati Democrats want to raise your taxes and impose high service fees while inflation continues to go through the roof. #Bidenomics isn’t working. #OH01.”

Adam Koehler, Republican candidate for Hamilton County Commissioner and a lead opponent of last year’s sale of the Cincinnati Southern Railway: “I’ve talked to Republicans who own small businesses in Cincinnati and after seeing this are planning on packing up and leaving. They are going to take their tax dollars with them. What are these pimps going to do when they have no tax base to steal from anymore?”

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Mayor, council members react to Cincinnati Futures Commission report