The Cincinnati Streetcar, now known as the Bell Connector, weathered numerous controversies on the way to completion. Now it faces the prospect of balancing its budget less than three years after launching.
Hannah Sparling and Sharon Coolidge report from Cincinnati: "The streetcar’s new budget predicts a nearly $1.4 million deficit in fiscal year 2020 – a big enough gap that it will suck up the streetcar’s reserves and could, for the first time, leave city taxpayers on the hook for the difference."
According to the article, the streetcar's poor financial situation is caused by low ridership and loess-than-expected advertising revenue. It's still unclear how the city will address the budget shortfall.
FULL STORY: Will taxpayers have to bail out the streetcar? Maybe. There's a projected budget deficit.
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