Mallory supports 'someone else's budget'

Even before he was sworn in, Mayor Mark Mallory made clear that the budget City Council will debate today is "someone else's budget." It's the first budget prepared under the administration of one "stronger mayor" and introduced by the next.

In a budget message to City Council Sunday, Mallory said he supports the city manager's proposed budget update as a "fiscally sound response" to the changing circumstances since City Council passed a two-year budget a year ago. He suggested no cuts or amendments.

But Mallory did signal what his priorities will be in the 2007-2008 biennial budget: a safety director, increased spending on social services, shoring up the pension fund, eliminating blighted buildings and ensuring a prudent cash reserve.

The text of his budget message:

To: City Council
From: Mayor Mark Mallory
Date: December 18, 2005
Subject:2006 City of Cincinnati Budget

The 2006 City of Cincinnati budget as presented by the City Manager is a fiscally sound response to the city's needs and challenges. As a continuation budget tied to the 2005 budget, it is meant to continue the progress made in areas of critical concern to the city. The budget as presented provides basic funding for essential services and includes a limited number of initiatives designed to address critical needs.

First among these needs is public safety. I strongly support the additional funding for neighborhood walking patrols and the dollars provided for a new fire recruit class beginning in January 2006. However, I continue to believe we must reestablish the Director of Public Safety position to coordinate our public safety and emergency management functions. I will work with Council to create this position in the year ahead.

Dollars spent to effectively market the city constitute a good investment. For this reason, I support the additional resources dedicated to fully funding the arts allocation, increasing the support of the film commission and promoting Tall Stacks. I also support the added efforts to expand home ownership through the implementation of a one-stop housing shop.

While this budget maintains the Human Services allocation at 2005 levels, I am concerned that this level may not be fully adequate. It is my goal to increase the Human Services allocation as resources become available.

This budget is not without its limitations and I intend to work with Council and the City Manager to address these issues in the year ahead. From a fiscal standpoint, the city must protect its strong bond rating and that means restoring our general fund reserve to as close to the 10 percent level as possible. The vast majority of the 2005 ending fund balance should be used to supplement the 8 percent reserve level included in this budget.

We must also ensure that our retirement system is actuarially sound. The 2006 budget as presented makes a major step in this direction, but we must provide the resources to complete the task.

We should also work in the coming year to find new ways to address the vacant and abandoned building problem facing this city. With 1,700 vacant buildings currently, and with several hundred being demolished each year, we are slowly draining the quality housing stock that makes some of our oldest neighborhoods viable. I intend to work with Council to find ways to stabilize our existing building stock and limit the number of buildings that are in danger of being demolished.

I pledge my support to working with the City Manager and City Council to pass a fiscally responsible budget that allows for strategic investments in critical areas.

This message is a departure from former Mayor Charlie Luken's tactic of amending the budget even before transmitting it to City Council. Luken, the first mayor given increased budgetary role under the 1999 "stronger mayor" amendment, would often ask for arts funding, more police spending, or neighborhood projects -- just to send a message about his priorities.

Similarly, many members of council tacked on additional spending, allowing them to take credit for particular programs or neighborhood projects at election time.

Mallory is sending a different message -- that he hopes to avoid the chaotic end-of-year lobbying that characterizes most budgets. He said he worked with the manager and council members to make sure everything was included before it was introduced.

"This is a much more collaborative process where we had conversations with individual council members about the direction we'd like to see," Mallory said in an interview Sunday. "I think we have a budget that invests resources in public safety, in economic development. This budget invests in young people, in neighborhoods. And we are obviously looking at ways to create efficiencies."

• Download the city manager's Recommended 2006 All Funds Budget Update Overview (in .pdf format).
• Latest news: Mallory boosts office staff, council staff