Policy Principles

Focus Area: Bold Voice for Business

Policy Categories

• Regional Competitiveness
  • The Cincinnati Region is dynamically positioned in three states with fifteen counties and numerous localities. For the entire region to grow and succeed, partners at every level of government must prioritize business-friendly policies to maximize competitiveness.
• Business-Friendly Tax Environment
  • Tax policies should stimulate growth, encourage innovation, support job creation and allow businesses to invest in their own operations and communities.
• Government Efficiency, Regulatory Reform and Accountability
  • Governments should operate in an efficient, cohesive and flexible manner. Taxpayer resources must be used strategically to drive future growth and opportunity throughout the region. Policymakers must act with transparency and accountability to their constituencies and avoid creating unlevel playing fields for any industries or sectors.
• Healthcare, Insurance, Energy and Environment
  • Businesses need certainty and stability for input costs. Policies should keep input costs low and predictable and compliance information should be straightforward and timely for all businesses.

Focus Area: Economic Development

Policy Categories

• Expand and Diversify the Talent Base
  • Jobs follow talent. Regional businesses will grow if they have a highly-skilled workforce to compete in a global economy. Governments at all levels should work to attract, develop and connect talent throughout the region.
• Economic Development Funding, Incentives and Projects
  • Public investments, tax credits and other tools that support job creation and economic development projects are paramount to regional growth. These tools must be aggressively deployed and protected to drive growth in all areas of the region.
• Entrepreneurial Empowerment
  • New innovations by local entrepreneurs and a thriving startup community are bringing global attention and opportunity to Cincinnati. Policymakers should continue to energize local innovators with strategic investments and favorable policies to stimulate further growth opportunities for entrepreneurs.
• Travel and Tourism
  • Revitalization throughout the region is making Cincinnati a premier destination. Our region’s unique offerings deserve support to continue building momentum in travel and tourism.

Focus Area: Transportation

Policy Categories

• Invest in the Future of Public Transit
  • Only 22.5% of jobs are connected by a 90-minute commute via public transportation. The challenge of connecting people to jobs, education and health care is driven by the lack of fast, convenient and direct bus service. Directing strategic investment into public transit and modernizing operations will grow access, ridership and the economic progress of the region.
• Improve and Maintain Infrastructure
  • Policymakers must work to improve and maintain the public infrastructure systems we use to ensure we can move people and commerce through the region safely and efficiently. Leaders should advance policies at all levels of government to increase investment in infrastructure and align grant scoring criteria to accurately reflect the region’s most pressing needs.
• Drive Innovation and Future Oriented Investments and Projects
  • The transportation landscape is changing rapidly. Policymakers should work to foster partnerships and policies that leverage technology to solve the most entrenched transportation and mobility challenges our region faces.
• Provide People With Transportation Choices that Fit Their Needs
  • Our transportation system must intentionally integrate multiple modes that will allow everyone to access all that the Cincinnati region has to offer. Public transportation projects should be multi-modal, safe for all users, and provide people with mobility choices.
• Align Regional Decision Makers Toward The Connected Region
  • The transportation landscape is complex and requires strong alignment from all stakeholders and policymakers. Collaboration and strategic leadership must ensure that all of our transportation partners are aligned, advancing future-oriented policies, and committed to the Connected Region vision.

Focus Area: Inclusion

Policy Categories

• Inclusive Growth
  • Growing our regional talent pool means intentionally prioritizing diversity. Reforming the immigration system and creating nondiscrimination employment policies on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity will make our region more welcoming for all and a more attractive place for highly-skilled talent.
• Prioritize Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprises (MWBEs)
  • Policymakers should prioritize the region’s minority and women-owned businesses to stimulate regional growth, especially by increasing access to public contracts and other opportunities to forge partnerships.