The committee follows changes occurring in Cincinnati City Government and monitors their impact on City Council, the City Manager, administrative staff, and the public's participation in the governmental process. Members are following the implementation of the Civil Service Charter Amendment in the Police and Fire Departments. The committee continues to monitor proposals for an Executive Mayor form of government and suggestions for changes in the way City Council members are elected. We are working with the Natural Resources Committee to follow city and regional transportation proposals. The committee meets as needed; call the League office for dates and times.

DIVERSITY

The committee helps educate League members and the community about issues that affect people of diverse ethnicities and persons with disabilities. We have studied the following issues and presented programs in the League's discussion units on Equal Opportunity, Persons with Disabilities, Affirmative Action, Equality for Women and Racial Profiling. Committee members continue to follow the Cincinnati Collaborative Agreement and the status of the city's community/police relations. Meeting times vary, call the League office for dates, times and location.

EDUCATION

We rely on the League of Women Voters of Ohio and LWV Cincinnati positions to reinforce our activities. Using state positions that call for accountability to taxpayers, members visited State-Board chartered community schools in the Greater Cincinnati area. Reports about each school were sent to the League of Women Voters of Ohio. We interviewed the administrators, toured the facilities and observed classes in operation. We continue to monitor these schools via news reports. The LWV Cincinnati position on Cincinnati's Public Schools will be used by the committee primarily to monitor the progress of the Facilities Plan and update our members on it. Additionally, our local position on Wyoming Public Schools will provide the basis for updating our Wyoming members on events and activities in that district. Currently, we are participating in the Cincinnati School Committee, the coalition of CPS education-minded groups that is working to draw up a "White Paper" (position statement). Meeting times vary, call the office for dates and times.

HAMILTON COUNTY GOVERNMENT

The County Government Committee follows issues concerning Hamilton County Government. We have studied and participated in COMPASS, the Comprehensive Master Plan and Strategies for Hamilton County, as well as the County's Planning Partnership. (The LWV Cincinnati is an Associate member of the Planning Partnership.) We have also closely followed the work of the Tax Levy Review Committee. The committee recently evaluated the procedure in Hamilton County for voting on property tax levies and produced a white paper that can be found on the Publications/Research page as a downloadable PDF file. Meeting times vary, call the office for dates and times.

HOUSING

Members address housing issues including lead hazards, predatory lending, affordable housing development, home ownership issues, public housing, home repair issues and housing discrimination. The current emphasis for the committee is subsidized housing and Section 8 issues. The Cincinnati League is a member of the Affordable Housing Advocate coalition. Committee meets at the league office on the third Tuesday of the month at 7 p.m.

NATURAL RESOURCES

The committee acts on environmental issues concerning resource management and protection, and pollution control related to land use, water and air quality. Our interest in the link between land use and transportation continues. The committee is currently investigating the Eastern Corridor project and the implications regarding both transportation and environmental impacts. Recycling and solid waste management is another interest of the committee, in particular the continuation of the recycling program within the City of Cincinnati and the encouragement of recycling throughout the region. The committee strives to keep abreast of water quality issues within the region (Mill Creek, Little Miami and Ohio River, etc.). Committee members continue to work with the Leadership Group to carry forward "Sustainable Cincinnati: A Regional Indicators Project." Meeting times vary, call the office for dates and times.