The latest on the 'Yes' train
On Oct. 16, the Cincinnatus Association and the Ohio Environmental Council Action Fund (OEC) both endorsed "Yes" on 22.
“The sale of the Cincinnati Southern Railway will help fund much needed and overdue infrastructure updates across the city,” Cincinnatus president Rhonda Holyfield-Mangieri said in a press release. “This not only means safer streets, but also better parks for our children, stronger emergency services, and much more that will help build healthy and sustainable communities in this amazing city.”
“The proceeds from the sale will allow city leaders to invest in sustainable, environmentally-friendly infrastructure," Dirrig said. "Cincinnati is making climate-resilient infrastructure a priority, and this sale is a crucial step toward creating a healthier community.”
The city's pending environmental report
The extent to which the city could upgrade and expand greener infrastructure with the funds from the sale is still unknown. At council's request, the city is working on a report addressing the guidelines around using green infrastructure and climate adaptive elements on existing infrastructure should the Norfolk Southern sale go through.
Critics of the potential sale are vocal about selling the nation's only city-owned multi-state railway to Norfolk Southern, the company responsible for the train derailment and toxic aftermath in East Palestine, Ohio.
OEC director Spencer Dirrig said in a statement that the monthly payout from the $1.6 billion sale would help fund green infrastructure.
“The proceeds from the sale will allow city leaders to invest in sustainable, environmentally-friendly infrastructure," Dirrig said. "Cincinnati is making climate-resilient infrastructure a priority, and this sale is a crucial step toward creating a healthier community.”
The city's pending environmental report
The extent to which the city could upgrade and expand greener infrastructure with the funds from the sale is still unknown. At council's request, the city is working on a report addressing the guidelines around using green infrastructure and climate adaptive elements on existing infrastructure should the Norfolk Southern sale go through.
The Sept. 26 motion, which was sponsored by council member Meeka Owens and vice mayor Jan-Michele Kearney, gave the city 30 days to compile a the report. At a minimum, the report asks the city to address green infrastructure options in projects related to storm water server overflow, overland flooding and contaminated stormwater. Owens and Kearney asked that the report also address the city's goal of achieving 100% renewable energy by 2035, increasing access to safe biking and pedestrian infrastructure, and growth of green spaces, bio-swells and soil swells in parks.
If voters approve the sale, funding from the trust would be used only for the upkeep of existing infrastructure like bridges, parks and recreation facilities.
“This couldn’t be coming at a more important time for our city,” Mayor Aftab Pureval said during the deal's announcement in November 2022. “In just the next five years, we are facing $385 million in unfunded capital needs.”
“This couldn’t be coming at a more important time for our city,” Mayor Aftab Pureval said during the deal's announcement in November 2022. “In just the next five years, we are facing $385 million in unfunded capital needs.”
Pureval told CityBeat during a sit-down interview in June that the city already spends the proceeds from the lease on infrastructure, but a state law change made it so this sale would remove any flexibility on that spending.
"I don’t trust future mayors or future city council members any more than anyone else does, so in order to safeguard that $1.6 billion, in order to safeguard it from becoming a slush fund for pet projects, we partnered with the state legislature in order for the sale to move forward. In order for voters in Cincinnati to even vote on selling the railroad, we had to get state law changed," Pureval told CityBeat in June.
"I don’t trust future mayors or future city council members any more than anyone else does, so in order to safeguard that $1.6 billion, in order to safeguard it from becoming a slush fund for pet projects, we partnered with the state legislature in order for the sale to move forward. In order for voters in Cincinnati to even vote on selling the railroad, we had to get state law changed," Pureval told CityBeat in June.
The sale in a nutshell
City leaders are asking Cincinnati voters to approve the sale of a city-owned multi-state railway, the CSR, to embattled rail giant Norfolk Southern. Under the terms of the agreement, Norfolk Southern would pay Cincinnati $1.6 billion to own the single rail line that runs from Cincinnati to Chattanooga. The funds would be invested in a trust that, according to the estimates of the CSR board, would allow the the city to live off of the interest, potentially paying out double or triple the current lease amount of $25 million annually.Critics of the potential sale are vocal about selling the nation's only city-owned multi-state railway to Norfolk Southern, the company responsible for the train derailment and toxic aftermath in East Palestine, Ohio.
The latest in opposition
Unions and umbrella councils that unite them have started to release statements in opposition to the sale. Abby Friend of the Derail the Sale campaign has tracked these closely.
"It’s noteworthy to point out that the American Federation of Government Employees and Railroad Workers United [...] are all among the organizations that have strongly endorsed a 'No' vote on Issue 22 in November," said Friend. "Many regular Cincinnatians have bravely spoken out against the billion dollar company behind this sale."
Last week, other prominent groups came out opposed to the sale include Cincinnati's NAACP and the Unity Council for the East Palestine Train Derailment.
Cincinnati voters will decide on Issue 22 on Nov. 7.
Cincinnati AFL-CIO Labor Council (CLC), a labor council representing thousands of Cincinnati-area workers, recently walked back its support of Issue 22 after a successful motion to retract the group's previous endorsement.
Last week, other prominent groups came out opposed to the sale include Cincinnati's NAACP and the Unity Council for the East Palestine Train Derailment.
"Pardon us, if perhaps we may have 'trust issues,' but if doing the right thing, meaning specific allocations for spending that benefits disenfranchised communities, is part of the planned intent of the sale, then why not be intentional to develop the plan?" Cincinnati NAACP wrote on Facebook.
Cincinnati voters will decide on Issue 22 on Nov. 7.
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