By Patrick Crowley
A plan to raise taxes in the City of Cincinnati to generate millions of dollars annually for affordable housing has been proposed at City Hall. But the plan already appears to be in trouble.
Cincinnati councilmember Chris Seelbach wants to increase the city’s earnings tax by .01 points to 1.9 percent to raise an estimated $17 million a year for nine years to create affordable housing. Six votes on council are required to put the plan before the voters in November.
But council must approve placing the issue the ballot by the end of August. And a number of council of members have already said they are likely to oppose the Seelbach plan.
Seelbach is term-limited and cannot run to retain his council seat. But other members are likely not eager to increase taxes in an election year.
The city’s voters spoke loud and clear on this issue in the May primary by soundly defeating Issue 3 by a margin of 73 percent to 27 percent. Issue 3 would have mandated the city to set aside at least $50 million every year for affordable housing, an ill-conceived plan that not only lacked public support but also had no backing from the Greater Cincinnati Northern Kentucky Apartment Association or the broader business community.
Affordable housing is always an issue worthy of attention and study. But haphazard plans will few to no details is an approach that will have a difficult to impossible time of generating broad-based support.
Patrick Crowley is the GCNKAA Vice President for Government Affairs.
