Cincinnati City Council voted Aug. 11, to redirect the city's share of Ohio's recreational cannabis sales tax revenue into a restricted fund for communities harmed by marijuana criminalization, citing the disproportionate arrests of Black residents under prior drug laws.

Council Member Mark Jeffreys, who co-sponsored the motion with Council Member Ryan James, President Pro Tem Scotty Johnson and Vice Mayor Jan-Michele Lemon Kearney, told colleagues the city's cannabis revenue currently flows into the general fund and "can be used for anything." The restricted account would change that, earmarking the dollars for affected communities, according to Signal Cincinnati's meeting documentation.

The Cincinnati Business Courier reported Aug. 5 that the budget committee had approved setting aside nearly $2 million annually. Jeffreys said the council is working with the Greater Cincinnati Foundation to determine how and where the money will be spent, with details still forthcoming.

"It is time that the city of Cincinnati see change in rectifying the wrongs done by unfair cannabis arrests," James said at the meeting.

James added he wants community members, not just the mayor and council, to have a seat at the table when spending decisions are made. Council Member Anna Albi voiced support as well. The fund's geographic scope, including whether East Side neighborhoods would qualify, is still being determined.

Nuisance ordinance blocked from emergency passage

At the same session, all 10 council members present voted against suspending rules for the Emergency Amendment to the Chronic Nuisance Ordinance, effectively blocking it from passing that day. The vote came after more than two hours of public comment during Citizens' Forum, where dozens of Black and brown business owners urged council to slow down.

Erin Parrott, a property owner in Over-the-Rhine, accused Council Member Seth Walsh of pursuing a "personal agenda" against Black-owned business Privee on Elm Street. Gregory Parker, director of member services at the African American Chamber of Commerce, called the amendment "vague" and warned it would lead to judgment calls not in the best interests of business owners.

As we reported Aug. 7, Black business owners and the African American Chamber had already objected they were blindsided by the proposal. City Solicitor Emily Woerner told council Tuesday that the ordinance must now be read three additional times on three separate dates, with the next reading in September.

Flood relief fund doubles to $2 million

Council also approved adding $1 million to the Extreme Weather Emergency Relief Fund, doubling the total to $2 million for residents and businesses damaged by the July floods in Hyde Park, Oakley and Mount Lookout. The first $1 million was approved at a prior council vote.

Vice Mayor Kearney said the administration learned the community needed three things after the floods: more dumpsters, a faster permitting process and money. The city responded with a one-day contractor permit process and the additional funding.

Council Member Evan Nolan said staff had responded to more than 2,000 complaints from flood-affected residents. Mayor Aftab Pureval acknowledged City Manager Cheryl Long and Markeia Carter, director of the Department of Opportunity and Resident Services, for building the fund on an "extremely short timeline."

Flood victims who have not yet filed a claim can call 513-323-7995. Council returns from summer recess in September, when the nuisance ordinance receives its next reading.