Community Council leaders came together to create a communication for candidates for City Council to raise awareness of the expectations for City Council and the issues and needs of the neighborhoods.
WHAT ARE THE TOP ISSUES FACING OUR NEIGHBORHOODS?
Development without regard to the needs and character of a neighborhood
Affordable housing* and the impact of gentrification / segregation
Crime reduction and youth violence
Pedestrian safety
*total housing costs < 30% of income
WHAT ARE CURRENT CRITICAL ISSUES FACING OUR NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCILS?
Lack of adequate information around issues affecting the neighborhoods and residents
Timely and appropriate notification on development, zoning, and other projects
City failure to include neighborhood and residents’ concerns on key issues
Inadequate funding from the City via NSP to assist grass roots efforts
EXPECTATIONS OF ELECTED CITY COUNCILMEMBERS Rebuild trust with community councils through transparency and accountability Become knowledgeable about neighborhoods and issues: Council Members and their staffs routinely attend Community Council meetings Understand the role and work of Community Councils, their value and relationship to the City Engage the neighborhoods early and often Ensure stability of NSP funding for neighborhoods by increasing the overall budget allocation Identify financing from other sources for neighborhood projects Re-establish an Administrative focus on neighborhoods |
WHAT ARE COMMUNITY COUNCILS?
The neighborhood Community Councils are the official liaisons to the City and the official representatives of the voice of the residents
They are:
The tireless stewards of the neighborhoods whose primary purpose is to enhance and improve all aspects of the quality of life in their neighborhoods
The small non-profits who mobilize the largest volunteer network across the city to work on hundreds and hundreds of projects a year:
On average, every $1,000 invested into a Community Council is leveraged into $5,220 in labor value and $2,630 of additional investment directly into a neighborhood
WHY ARE THEY IMPORTANT TO THE LIFE OF OUR CITY?
Key conduit between City Council, Cincinnati Administration and residents
Reliable source of information and expertise on critical issues and concerns through years of involvement
Important resource to our neighborhoods and individual community members
Collaborators and partners with other community organizations and neighborhoods creating a network that benefits the entire city
Your commitment to the betterment of our City is commendable and we encourage you to extend that commitment to working with the Community Councils to enable and empower their work in the neighborhoods.
The NCAC is a committee of Invest in Neighborhoods open to all Community Council board members that come together monthly and work on topics and issues collectively.