Cleveland City Council Approves Smart Parking Meters

Cleveland Public Meetings Report – The week of June 5

Meeting coverage by Cleveland Documenters | Compiled by Signal Cleveland’s Doug Breehl-Pitorak and Anastazia Vanisko | Edited by Rachel Dissell, Mary Ellen Huesken and Lawrence Daniel Caswell

Here’s what happened last week in local public government meetings covered by Cleveland Documenters.

Public commenters ask council to help stop gun violence

June 5 – Cleveland City Council

Covered by Documenters Janelle James and Emma Sedlak

Project Ripple: Public commenters urged City Council to take more action to address gun violence in Cleveland. Leslie Jennings-Maldonado, Michelle Bell and Sharri Thomas (who goes by Ashley B.) shared their support for Project Ripple. It is a grassroots coalition working to address gun violence. They asked council members to treat gun violence as a public health crisis. Jennings-Maldonado referenced recently passed legislation that will establish a $10 million fund to address the root causes of violence. She said that is not enough.

Library working conditions: Michael Wood, of SEIU District 1199, talked about working conditions for the 350 members of his union employed by the Cleveland Public Library. He said the library system fails to keep its employees safe. He described an incident where an employee went outside to eat lunch only to be shot at when they discovered someone breaking into their car.

Youth mentorship: City Council passed legislation allowing the Community Relations Board to apply for a $2.1 million grant for youth engagement and mentorship programming. The programming will be for youth returning home from the State of Ohio Department of Youth Services system. It will include trauma-focused treatment and education.

Wondering what else council passed? Documenters Janelle James and Emma Sedlak have more coverage in their notes and live-tweet thread.

Watch the full public comments or read transcripts edited by Documenter Gennifer Harding-Gosnell on the Public Comment CLE website created by Ohio City resident Angelo Trivisonno.

Committee reviews 30+ items ahead of council’s summer recess

June 5 – Committee of the Whole, Cleveland City Council

Covered by Documenters Kellie Morris, Stésià Swain, Carolyn Cooper, and Regina Samuels

Council President Blaine Griffin discusses a proposal to raise parking fees. The committee did not move the proposal forward. Credit: Cleveland City Council YouTube

Final flurry: Full council met as a committee for nearly 10 hours to discuss a 38-item agenda. Here are some pieces of legislation the committee reviewed in the morning session and passed later that night at council’s regular meeting:

• Lead inspections: The committee approved legislation allowing the Cleveland Department of Public Health to perform lead investigations in the city. The state would reimburse the city for each investigation from its Medicaid money. The legislation also allows the city to contract with local companies or agencies (such as Environmental Health Watch) to do investigations.

• In transit: Council members allowed a zoning change for a new housing development along Stokes Blvd. The development includes 255 apartments and eight townhomes, but only 89 parking spots. The transit-oriented development will have multiple transportation options for residents. They include electric car charging stations and space for bicycles. Some residents will be given tickets to local transportation services. Because residents have access to various modes of transportation, the development will be exempt from city parking codes.

Theme parking: Conversation about parking carried over into the afternoon session. The committee – and later council – drove forward a $5 million plan for buying and implementing smart parking meters. The new meters will accept payment with coins, cards and phone apps. Meanwhile, the committee put the brakes on plans to raise parking fees. Council President Blaine Griffin said council had not had the chance to vet the legislation. Council Member Richard Starr said situations like this frustrate him. “What’s the point of having committees if we don’t have things brought to us in a timely manner to vet?” he asked.

Bedrock and benefits: The committee approved several more pieces of legislation, which council also passed that night, including:

• Riverfront development: The city will spend $3 million on infrastructure improvements along the downtown riverfront. The work spans streets, utilities, sewer facilities and more. Bedrock Management Services LLC, a company of Cavs majority owner Dan Gilbert, is set to contribute about $4.2 million.

• ‘The people’s legislation’: The committee closed the marathon meeting with legislation regarding Community Benefits Agreements (CBAs). The new law sets the legal framework for community benefits tied to construction projects. Council member Jasmin Santana called it {the people’s legislation.” Officials started this initiative so that “development in our city will benefit our residents,” she said.

Four Documenters tracked this mammoth of a meeting. To see what else the committee did,  check out notes from Kellie Morris and Carolyn Cooper as well as live-tweet threads by Stésià Swain and Regina Samuels.

Bookmark our Meeting Briefs page for more short summaries, and visit Documenters.org for all Documenters coverage.

Civic Term of the Week

Want to brush up on local government lingo? Check out our Glossary of Civic Terms.