Mayor John Cranley has quickly nixed any notion of using even a portion of the city's $18 million surplus to close the gap in operating dollars for the under-construction streetcar line.

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Although Cincinnati's revenue picture has brightened considerably, don't expect to see streetcar funding as part of it.Mayor John Cranley has quickly nixed any notion of using even a portion of the city's $18 million surplus to close the gap in operating dollars for the under-construction streetcar line.Watch this story"We will absolutely not use general tax receipts to pay for the operation of the streetcar," Cranley told WLWT News 5 Wednesday afternoon, leaving no room for misinterpretation.Cranley cited "big holes" in the city's fleet, road conditions and safety forces as evidence of priority needs. He has not been a supporter of the project from the start and campaigned successfully last year as an opponent of the streetcar, saying the city couldn't afford it.But now that there is a surplus, some city leaders say they are open to re-examining the issue of using general fund dollars to grease the wheels, so to speak.It makes sense to the president of the Over-the-Rhine Community Council.In a written statement, Ryan Messer said he believes the surplus is tied to the growth and redevelopment of Over-the-Rhine and that one shouldn't overlook the streetcar as a contributor. "Nowhere in the country have we seen cities operate a streetcar with zero dollars in the game," Messer stated.He is not the only one who appears on board with at least considering the possibility of dipping into a surplus.Casino cash that was diverted from the streetcar pot to balance the last budget is suddenly fair game.Council member Yvette Simpson wants to get into the weeds and make sure surplus figures are solid."Now that we got the surplus, we can actually look at casino revenues as a separate fund source," Simpson said.Vice Mayor David Mann said there was no reason to consider the surplus off-limits, provided all other options are exhausted."The world won't fall for me if the shortfall is made up of the general fund revenues," Mann said.The funding gap, like the surplus itself, appears to be a moving target.Efforts were underway at City Hall to understand if the actual surplus was closer to $18 million or $14 million.The money projected as needed to operate the streetcar can fluctuate by $900,000, depending on whether one factors in the pledge made by the Haile Foundation nearly a year ago.It committed to $10 million-worth of support over the next decade, but only if the private funds are needed as a last resort.The city is counting on ridership to bring in $1 million a year. But that was just a projection.Fares haven’t been set yet. There are no advertising dollars so far, nothing on naming rights and the parking permit idea is far from finalized.Initial discussions of an annual $300 parking fee for OTR residents have been met with howls of opposition in some quarters.Councilman Kevin Flynn has been working to identify sources of money for streetcar operation and does not support dipping into a surplus of the general budget for that purpose."The goal would be not to use it," Flynn said of the Haile Foundation funds.Attorney Tim Mara, who moved to Over-the-Rhine three years ago, disagreed."They should not be left off the hook for that commitment," Mara insisted.The streetcar operating agreement with SORTA arrives at City Hall in a couple of weeks.Amy Murray, who heads Council's Transportation Committee, would like to have the funding worked out by then or at least a firm outline of where the money would come from.She is doubtful about a special improvement district being created at this point, saying it should have happened prior to a decisive vote on the project."We've done it backwards and so I don't think people are going to vote right now to tax themselves," Murray said.So the funding options are not plentiful at this point.New City Manager Harry Black has made recommendations about how the surplus money should be utilized. He wants a sizable portion put aside in the event of emergency dollars being needed for winter snow and ice removal. Black has also suggested banking some to shore up the city's reserve, repaying loans and setting millions aside for labor contract purposes.There is nothing on his list about the streetcar.That is in keeping with the mayor's wishes that all streetcar project mitts be kept off the city's surplus.