The City of Cincinnati going into the 2021 budget cycle had one of the rosiest projections in years, with revenues actually climbing.

But in the wake of the new coronavirus pandemic Cincinnati City Manager Patrick Duhaney in a Friday afternoon memo warned city council members and the mayor of "massive" budget shortfalls.

There will certainly, he said, be a shortfall this fiscal year, which ends June 30. And for fiscal year 2021 he said the shortfall is expected to be between $60 million and $80 million. The city's fiscal year starts July 1.

And that, he added in the memo, will certainly mean cuts to the city's 6,000-member staff.

The city's 2020 fiscal year operating budget was $416.7 million in 2020. So $80 million would be roughly a 19 percent cut.

"The impact of COVID-19 has caused a major financial impact to our City with an unprecedented rise in unemployment and the closure of many businesses and services," Duhaney said.

Police, fire, emergency communications, the health department and public services function, which he described as "vital to safety and well-being of our City during this crisis" will be prioritized.

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Department heads have been asked for suggested cuts, including the use of furloughs for non-critical employees, similar to Akron and Dayton.

"Our goal is to bring back everybody subject to temporary emergency leave as soon as we can," Duhaney wrote. "We must address this budget gap quickly so that we can continue to provide basic services to the citizens of Cincinnati."

Cincinnati City Council on March 18 gave Duhaney permission to seek a $150 million line of credit, which he is in the midst of doing. If that's secured, the shortfall could be covered by borrowing. with this money. Mayor John Cranley said the intention is not to use any credit.