Entries by Todd Zinser

A New Music Center – Episode 52

    They’re spending $8M on a music venue — while Cincinnati faces a $29.5M deficit. Sound crazy? Here’s what’s really going on… Do you think the city should prioritize crime, housing, and streets over slick pet projects. Ever wonder how city budgets really work? I dug into the details of Cincinnati’s Farmer Music Center […]

Cincy on Track – Project Update (5.19.26)

    Rail_Board_COT_May 2026 Final 5.19.26   On May 19, 2026, the city’s Department of Public Services briefed the Board of the Railway Trust on “Cincy on Track, which as you may know, is the city’s name of their plan for spending the railway money. The presentation was titled “Cincy on Track: Project Update and […]

The Banks Urban Design Plan Update 5.20.26

The agenda for today’s city council meeting (5.20.26) includes two items (#25 and #26) concerning The Banks Urban Design Plan Update. Item #25 appears to be a proposed city council resolution approving the plan update while Item #26 appears to be a proposed approval of  a related ordinance. The agenda items include the same 130 […]

Farmer Music Center Presentation to City Council (undated)

    Farmer_Music_Center ppt to City Council (undated) Farmer Music Center Records Request Apparently, this is the all the information that was presented to the city council concerning the $8 million subsidy request for the Farmer Music Center. The document is undated but presumably it was presented before the city council voted to include the […]

Identifying the Financial Risks of the Convention Center Hotel Deal

As I mentioned the other day, the Budget, Finance and Governance Committee, at its meeting on Monday, April 20th, will do what is necessary to push along the convention center hotel deal for approval at Wednesday’s city council meeting. Ever since there was agreement by the powers that be, that Cincinnati needed a “headquarters hotel” […]

Convention Center and Hotel Project

Most things in the city government wind up in the Budget, Finance and Governance (BFG) Committee. That is why I focus on that committee and not some of the others. You can get on a mailing list to get the agendas sent to you for whichever committees you are interested in,  as well the city […]

Citizen Watchdog – Discussing Cincinnati’s Budget Issues

  In this episode, Todd Zinser, the Citizen Watchdog, joins the show to discuss the City of Cincinnati’s budget and the lack of transparency in their spending. Todd shares his findings on how the city is handing out millions of dollars to non-profit organizations without clear accountability. He also talks about the city’s decision to […]

FY 2027 Cincinnati Budget Presentations as of 4.06.26

  FY 27 Budget Update Presentation 3.16.26 FY 27 Presentation Budget Basics FY 27 City Manager’s Strategic Priorities Overview 3.16.26 FY 27 Department of Transportation and Engineering’s 3.18.26 FY 27 Department of Finance Budget Presentation 3.18.26 FY 27 Department of Buildings and Inspections’ (B&I) 3.19.26 FY 27 Citizen Complaint Authority’s (CCA) Budget 3.18.26 FY27 Emergency […]