Issue 8 is similar to Issue 9. Proposed by Coast and the NAACP, it seeks to deny the city council the power to create a regional water district. So, just like Issue 9, this isn't directly about a regional water district, but about restricting the power of city council.
The city's oldest departments, The Water Works, is already the most regionally based government entity that we have. The Water Works supplies more than 48 billion gallons of water a year through 3,000 miles of water mains. The Water Works serves the entire city of Cincinnati, most of Hamilton County, parts of Butler and Warren Counties in Ohio, and since 2003, Boone County and Florence, Kentucky via a pipeline installed under the Ohio River.
I am joined by Stacey Benson, who is a representative of the Cincinnati Chapter of AFSCME, The American Federation of State, County and municipal employees and David Rager, the Superintendent of The Cincinnati Water Works.
