Life in "Progress" City - Cincinnati edition

Currently, the city of Cincinnati is attempting to patch a 60 million dollar hole in it's annual budget.

Earlier this week, I heard the mayor of Cincinnati, Mark Mallory claim that if the city pared all "non essential" services from it's budget, they could reduce it's deficit by only 10 million dollars.

I have some questions for the mayor.

1) If there are, in fact, non essential services, why haven't they already been cut?

2) I decided to compare the City of Cincinnati's directory of department's with the departments in the "Redville" community I live in (Hamilton Twp., Warren County, Ohio).

Here's how they compare.............

Cincinnati

Departments and Divisions

• Cincinnati Recreation Commission
• CitiCable
• Citizen Complaint & Internal Audit
• City Planning and Buildings
• Community Development
• Economic Development
• Enterprise Technology Solutions
• Finance Department
• Fire Department
• Fleet Services
• Greater Cincinnati Water Works
• Health Department
• Human Resources Department
• Law Department
• Metropolitan Sewer District
• Office of Environmental Quality
• Parking Facilities
• Parks Department
• Police Department
• Public Services
• Transportation & Engineering

Hamilton Twp.

	PUBLIC SERVICES
	Roads
	Police
	Fire
	Parks

What's funny is my township has no income tax (we fund out of real estate tax), unlike Cincinnati's 2.1% income tax (they also get real estate tax funding). Yet somehow our roads are always plowed and maintained, our garbage is always picked up, & you can get a cop and/or a firetruck whenever you need. What else is a local municipality to provide?

But I'm trying to figure out what does the department of "Office of Environmental Quality" actually do? or "Enterprise Technology Solutions"? How about "Citizen Complaint and Internal Audit Department"? Geez, you would think with all those city services, you wouldn't have too many complaints. At least not enough to have a whole department for them.

Of course your average "progressive" will be quick to point out that city's have particular problems in which to address; like homelessness. But maybe, if the city quit dealing with homelessness , they would have less of it.

Afterall, in my little "Redville" enclave, I've yet to be hit up by a panhandler.

Naw, all of the services in "Progress" City are essential. Afterall, how could a society exist without a "Citicable" department?

Going broke with "essential" city services?

Now that's "Progressive"!