Hamilton County Commission

Two county commissioners ask OKI to pull streetcar funding

Tana Weingartner — Thu, 23 May 2013 21:11:34 +0000

Hamilton County Commissioners Chris Monzel and Greg Hartmann are calling on the Ohio Kentucky Indiana Regional Council of Governments (OKI) to pull promised dollars from the Cincinnati Streetcar project.

In a letter, the pair say that because of "significant cost overruns" they believe OKI's $4 million could be better spent elsewhere. They also request alternative options for the money's use be brought before the OKI executive council.

They write:

Could county and city be facing a sewer deadlock?

Tana Weingartner — Wed, 22 May 2013 20:14:23 +0000

Hamilton County Commissioners are ordering the Metropolitan Sewer District (MSD) to suspend work until the City of Cincinnati changes a new hiring policy.

The County owns MSD but it's operated by the city.

On Wednesday, commissioners passed a resolution stopping work on all projects affected by the city's policy. The county argues the policy, which requires an apprenticeship program, unfairly excludes many non-union companies from bidding for construction jobs.

County & City still at odds over hiring practice

Tana Weingartner — Wed, 15 May 2013 17:25:05 +0000

Hamilton County Commissioners still aren't happy with the City of Cincinnati's responsible bidder program for Metropolitan Sewer District (MSD) construction projects.

The board is drafting replacement language and, to show he means business, commissioner Chris Monzel is considering a restraining order forcing the city not to award any MSD contracts until the issue is resolved.

The key issue is a clause requiring companies bidding for sewer work to have certified apprenticeship programs with graduates.

County and city sparring over hiring language for sewer work

Tana Weingartner — Mon, 13 May 2013 19:57:14 +0000

Hamilton County Commissioners want Cincinnati to change some language in the city's hiring policies for companies bidding on Metropolitan Sewer District (MSD) construction projects.

The city wants all construction firms to have apprenticeship programs.

Groups like the Greater Cincinnati Building Construction Trades Council like the plan. However, some companies say it's not feasible for several reasons, including that apprentice programs for some specialized trades simply don't exist.

Sheriff and Prosecutor offices lead expenses as county budget tracking higher than projections

Tana Weingartner — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 17:59:36 +0000

Hamilton County Commissioners say they're not overly concerned about the county budget situation but they want to watch it closely to make sure there are no unexpected surprises.

Nine of the county's 29 general fund departments are tracking over budget. The two largest are the Sheriff's and Prosecutor's offices.