As local elected officials shuffle back into their public sessions, Cincinnati Documenters are on their heels to trace what’s going on.

Cincinnati City Council is back in session after its annual summer recess. Hamilton County Board of Commissioners will also be back to twice a week meetings after slowing down in the summer. And, a number of neighborhood councils are returning after taking  the warm months off.

Documenters are back in the saddle too, noting everything that happens and publishing them at Signalcincinnati.org

Below are some of the meetings Documenters have covered, along with a brief explanation of what each board does.

Cincinnati City Council and its committees

Cincinnati City Council has nine at-large members that represent the nearly 315,000 residents of Cincinnati. 

Council meets at 2 p.m. Wednesday to vote on ordinances, or city laws. Essentially, they make decisions on taxes, policymaking, what projects to fund, what officials to hire, and more.

But, before council signs off on decisions, they discuss them first in committee meetings. Documenters cover those, too.

Budget, Finance & Governance committee, chaired by Council Member Jeff Cramerding, meets every Monday at 1 p.m. The committee spends the year planning the biennial city budget and ensuring the city’s financial resources are allocated effectively and efficiently. They handle state and federal grants the city wants to apply for.

Housing & Growth committee, chaired by Council Member Mark Jeffreys, hears housing-related issues. For example, new developments proposed to the city go before Housing & Growth before any final word is made by council. The committee facilitated a community benefits agreement between Bond Hill and LDG over a planned development in the neighborhood.

Climate, City Services & Infrastructure committee, chaired by Council Member Meeka Owens, meets every other Tuesday at 10 a.m. They discuss environmental sustainability issues, including enforcing the Green Cincinnati Plan, and propose changes to public services like snow removal and road maintenance. 

Economic and Cultural Opportunity committee, chaired by Vice Mayor Jan-Michele Lemon Kearney, meets at 10 a.m. Tuesdays in council chambers, and discusses how to ensure economic inclusion for all citizens. The committee discusses topics like how to support women- and minority-owned businesses, receives reports from experts on economic equity, and promotes opportunities for underrepresented communities. Recently, the committee discussed barriers to first-time homebuyers.

Public Safety & Quality of Life committee, chaired by Council Member Scotty Johnson, meets at 9:30 a.m. Wednesdays. It focuses on crime reduction, housing resources protection and community engagement. One notable ordinance to come out of the committee this year was an increase in criminal penalties for street takeover incidents.

Youth and Human Services, chaired by Council Member Anna Albi, meets every other Tuesday at 12:30 p.m. The committee discusses youth employment, recreation and other opportunities, as well as how citizens can access social services they may qualify for. This year, the committee tackled topics on how to support the Holloman Center’s expungement program and youth job programs.

Hamilton County Board of Commissioners

The Hamilton County Board of Commissioners is a three-person elected commission. It is a countywide office, meaning they represent all of the approximately 830,000+ residents of Hamilton County. They meet at 10 a.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays at the Todd B. Portune Center for County Government in downtown Cincinnati. 

The commission is composed of Stephanie Summerow Dumas, board president; Alicia Reece, board vice president; and Denise Driehaus, commissioner. The commissioners oversee all county departments and sign off on all expenditures they make. They pass resolutions, and have a final say on whether voters will decide on tax levies.

Most recently, commissioners discussed the county’s response to the Aug. 11 storms – including the Metropolitan Sewer District’s work on sewer backups – and the upcoming children service’s levy on the November election ballot.

Learn more about Hamilton County commissioners by reading Documenters’ coverage of the board here.

Neighborhood councils

There are community councils that represent nearly all of Cincinnati’s 52 neighborhoods. They facilitate communications between the citizens and their elected officials at the city level.  Documenters have been attending these community councils meetings with high interest – including Clifton, Bond Hill, Madisonville, Avondale, Hyde Park, East Westwood and others.

 And we’re taking our community council coverage one step further.

The meetings tell us what’s happening, but we also want to introduce you to the neighborhoods behind them. We’re launching a new series of Neighborhood Profiles highlighting the people, places, issues and stories shaping communities across Cincinnati. First up: Madisonville.

What’s changing? What’s bringing neighbors together? And what should the rest of Cincinnati know about this community?

Make sure you’re signed up for the Signal Cincinnati newsletter so you don’t miss our first Neighborhood Profile and the neighborhoods we’ll explore next.. 

If you believe anything in these notes is inaccurate, please email us at documenters@signalcincinnati.org with “Correction Request” in the subject line.

Find more Documenters’ notes here.