Fair Share for Cincy
Giving Cincinnati a Fair Say in Transportation Funding
Cincinnati isn’t getting a fair say when it comes to how our federal tax dollars are spent because leaders that we didn’t elect from surrounding rural and suburban counties control the decision-making.
Fair Share for Cincy is a non-partisan, grassroots movement to amend the City of Cincinnati charter to require population proportional voting within any Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) that includes Cincinnati. This change will specifically ensure equitable representation in the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Council of Governments (OKI), finally giving Cincinnati – and other underrepresented cities – a fair say in regional transit decisions that affect us all.
We believe that everyone deserves a fair say over how their federal tax dollars are spent, and our elected officials should be empowered to effectively advocate for their constituents.
The Problem We’re Solving
MPOs, or Metropolitan Planning Organizations, are regional agencies responsible for transportation planning and funding allocation in metropolitan areas. They are meant to bring together local government officials and transportation authorities to coordinate and prioritize transportation projects and investments within their respective regions.
Currently, the voting power in our MPO, the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Council of Governments (OKI), does not reflect population sizes, resulting in significant underrepresentation of Cincinnati and other cities. This imbalance has created a system that disincentivizes regional cooperation, takes power away from voters, and routinely produces bad outcomes for City of Cincinnati residents and the region at large.
Disproportionate Voting Power: Despite making up 14.5% of the MPO population, Cincinnati holds only 1.7% of the voting power. Other cities and counties aren’t getting there fair say either.
Decision-Making and Use of Funds: Cincinnati is the reason that OKI receives a large amount of its federal funding, yet we lack a fair say in how those dollars are spent. Leaders from surrounding rural and suburban counties, who are not elected by Cincinnati citizens, control decisions impacting Cincinnati. The same is true for other municipalities and counties who are also not getting a fair share of the voting power.
Loss of Advocacy and Accountability: This imbalance strips Cincinnati and other municipality’s elected leaders of the power to advocate for their constituents, and voters are unable to hold the OKI decision-making bodies accountable. Elected representatives from the City of Cincinnati and Hamilton County have been shut out of board officer positions, stifling the will of Cincinnati voters.
Overrepresentation of Suburban Interests: The OKI board is overrepresented by suburban interests, which do not reflect the diverse needs of Cincinnati’s and other metropolitan communities. Advocates within Cincinnati’s urban core prioritize pedestrian safety, bike lanes, and other non-car-centric initiatives, while the OKI board and suburban interests continue to push for car-centric projects that create unsafe conditions for city residents.
Our Solution: Require Proportional Voting in the City Charter
Cincinnati, as the largest city in the region, has a unique power to create change at OKI. The people of Cincinnati can amend the City Charter to mandate proportional representation at the OKI.
Our non-partisan, grassroots movement is demanding proportional representation in the OKI by changing the City of Cincinnati charter. The charter amendment would limit Cincinnati’s participation in Councils of Government or Metropolitan Planning Organizations unless the voting power is allocated proportionally based on population.
Because of protections built into federal law, a charter amendment approach is low-risk and high-reward. Federal law gives Cincinnati both unique leverage and protections to negotiate a better deal.
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Charter Amendment Language
Article XVII - Membership in a Metropolitan Planning Organization
(1) The City may commence or maintain membership in a Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) only when both of the following conditions are met: (a) the voting power of the governing board of the MPO is apportioned proportionally based on population, not including those statutorily-required voting members; and (b) members that represent local governments have at least 90% of the total votes on the governing board.
(2) In the event that an MPO does not comply with section (1) of this Article, the City shall withdraw its membership from the body if the voting system is not corrected within 60 days of the effective date of this Article.
Section (1) says that Cincinnati will only be a member of a Metropolitan Planning Organization that considers population in its voting system. The specifics of that system will be up to the Board of OKI to negotiate. This sets a requirement for proportionality without being prescriptive about how that requirement is met.
“Metropolitan Planning Organization” is a specific legal term that only apply to the respective councils currently housed within the OKI. Individual participating members will be unaffected, the charter amendment only applies to Cincinnati’s relationship with the OKI.
The amendment language also specifies that at least 90% of the vote must be apportioned to local governments. Agencies that have voting power on these councils, such as ODOT, KYTC, IDOT or SORTA, will not have a combined total of more than 10% of the voting power. Limiting the power of statutory members is necessary to concentrate decision-making power with elected leaders and ensure proportionality. Preserving the participation of statutory members and agencies is also critical because these agencies represent crucial interests.
Section (2) stipulates that these changes must be instituted within 60 days of the amendment being adopted. Otherwise, Cincinnati would withdraw its membership from the MPO, in accordance with the OKI bylaws. Because federal law requires the participation of the largest city on a region's MPO, withdrawal from the MPO would trigger redesignation negotiations. Federal MPO law also stipulates that the current MPO remains in place during the redesignation. Because of this protection, Cincinnati will not lose transportation funding or be excluded from regional transportation planning during this process. If Cincinnati is forced to withdraw from OKI, Cincinnati would still be eligible to receive its share of federal funding for programs and functions the COG performs, which are largely formula funds distributed according to population.
About the OKI
Above: OKI Board of Director Officers
The Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments is a 118-person board that makes regional decisions on transportation, environmental, and economic issues in the tri-state area. They select projects and distribute billions of our allotted federal tax dollars in the region. Because of the way this board allocates votes to its cities and counties, not everyone is getting a fair, democratic share of the voting power or a fair say in the OKI’s priorities.
As an MPO, the OKI has final authority over all federal dollars spent in the region for things like transportation infrastructure (sidewalks, roads, transit, and highways) and water and air quality-related initiatives. They oversee about $400 million in projects each year.
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Who We Are
Sustainable Cincy PAC, is a non-partisan, grassroots movement of ordinary citizens working to ensure Cincinnati and other cities finally get equitable representation and a fair say in how our federal funds are spent in the region.
We are currently collecting thousands of signatures to support a city charter amendment that mandates Metropolitan Planning Organizations' voting power be allocated proportionally based on population.
We encourage all civic-minded citizens to join us in helping Cincy achieve fairness in regional transportation decisions. Please take a few minutes to take our survey, volunteer, or donate to our campaign.
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