Sharon Coolidge, and Jason Williams

Cincinnati

For once, everything appeared set up for a drama-free streetcar vote.

Seemingly everyone at Cincinnati City Hall believed City Council had a veto-proof six votes to rubber-stamp the streetcar operating budget.

Everyone except Councilman Kevin Flynn, whose surprise no vote sent the operating budget – and the meeting – into absolute chaos.

Wanting to consider Flynn's concerns, Mayor John Cranley threatened to veto the budget. Council members were left frustrated. Staffers were sent scrambling to see if there could be a last-minute fix.

In the end, it was another hourslong, circus-like streetcar debate and Council decided to send the budget proposal back to committee.

"Kevin is trying to save taxpayers money," Cranley said. "If we had known that before the meeting started, we would've held it and worked out all the issues. Council did the right thing to take it back and make sure the taxpayers are protected. I anticipate all this will get worked out."

It's expected to be resolved at a special budget committee meeting next week.

Flynn threw everyone for such a loop, that those in Council chambers still were confused after the meeting.

"Just to be clear: Today's deviation wasn't about dollar amount, it was about sources" of money, Vice Mayor David Mann said to Flynn before they exited Council chambers.

"Yes," Flynn said.

Going into Wednesday's meeting, all eyes were on Councilwoman Amy Murray and how she would vote. She abstained from the vote in Monday's budget committee meeting. But it still passed 6-2, including Flynn's approval, to move it to a full vote of Council.

Why Amy Murray abstained on streetcar vote

On Tuesday, Murray told The Enquirer she abstained because the administration inserted an additional $550,000 from the general fund just in case ridership projections fall short in the first year of operations.

In the interview with The Enquirer, she didn't say exactly how she would vote on Wednesday, but indicated she would vote no. "I'm uncomfortable voting for this expenditure of money," Murray said.

Meanwhile, Flynn began to question his vote on Tuesday afternoon, he said. That's when Councilman Chris Seelbach hinted during the transportation committee meeting that the streetcar should be free for a brief period of time after it opens to the public in September.

Then on Tuesday night, Flynn read the story about Murray's stance on Cincinnati.com, he said, causing him to change his mind. It surprised Flynn, who had worked closely with Murray to put the budget together. Flynn said he was up until midnight fretting his vote.

"I only told my wife," he said.

So when Council kicked off the conversation about the streetcar budget, Flynn's position became apparent immediately. He started by saying that he agreed with Murray and then began to question a previous decision that the $1.1 million being used to test the streetcar is coming out of parking money.

Instead, Flynn wants the start-up costs to come from the leftover money in the construction budget's rainy-day fund. Flynn is trying to protect parking revenue that has been set aside for running the streetcar.

Streetcar's first advertiser prompts pub crawl

Additional parking money may be needed to help run the streetcar in the first and second years of operations. If that cushion is not there, Council may have to later dip into taxpayer money in the general fund.

Flynn's change-of-heart underscores the concern he and others at City Hall have about how much money fares, advertising and sponsorships will bring in to help cover the $4.2 million annual budget.

In addition to the nearly $677,000 needed to be generated from fares in the first year, the city projects advertising and sponsorships to bring in $450,000.

But the city has only sold advertising to one company, Four Entertainment Group, which owns several bars and restaurants in the city. That deal is worth $4,000 in the first year, Flynn told The Enquirer.

"Obviously, we now have to proceed with the streetcar, but I'm always looking to save as many taxpayer dollars as possible," Cranley said. "Let's get it right."

How council voted:

• On the streetcar operating budget:

Yes: David Mann, P.G. Sittenfeld, Wendell Young, Chris Seelbach, Yvette Simpson

No: Amy Murray, Christopher Smitherman, Charlie Winburn, Kevin Flynn

• To send the budget back to committee:

Yes: Yvette Simpson, Wendell Young, Kevin Flynn, Christopher Smitherman, Charlie Winburn, Amy Murray

No: Chris Seelbach, P.G. Sittenfeld, David Mann

In other council news:

• Based on a motion made by Councilman Chris Seelbach, Council unanimously ordered the administration to repair barriers along Eden Park Drive that are missing or damaged, creating a safety hazard.

“This formalizes the city’s intent, orders the administration to figure out which office is responsible and get it fixed,” Seelbach said.

City Manager Harry Black said the matter is being treated as an “emergency public safety item.”

It will be fixed out of the current operating budget, instead of using money approved for road paving and new vehicles as the motion suggested.

• Council, in a 7-2 vote, banned all unnecessary to travel to North Carolina and Mississippi, after those states passed laws that many believe discriminate against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. Seelbach proposed the idea and defended it when Councilman Charlie Winburn asked what he hoped to accomplish. “Anti-gay legislation will not be tolerated by the City of Cincinnati,” Seelbach said.

Why Amy Murray abstained on streetcar vote