Cleveland City Council committee pauses street resurfacing plan; statewide ballot initiatives at risk, official says

Cleveland Public Meetings Report – The week of May 8

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

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

Residents ask Cleveland City Council to support accessible housing.

May 8 – Cleveland City Council

Covered by Documenters Karima McCree-Wilson and Regina Samuels

Accessible and affordable senior housing: Two public commenters spoke to City Council about the need for affordable, age-friendly housing. Diana Cyganovich and Marge Misak belong to Cleveland Westside Village, a volunteer community that aims to help people age in their homes. They urged City Council to raise accessibility standards in the city’s housing code. “Cleveland is an age-friendly city according to AARP [American Association of Retired Persons] and the World Health Organization, but are we really?” Cyganovich asked. Accessible housing should include at least one entrance with no steps and first-floor living, she said.

 

Keying in on home loans: Ward 2 resident Craig Guy spoke about “unethical, questionable practices” by KeyBank. The bank initially approved the home loan application he and his wife recently filed, only to later reject it without explanation, Guy said. The Slavic Village home they wanted to purchase was sold to a cash buyer who didn’t intend to live there, he added. “We invest in the homes we want to live in. We invest in Cleveland. If we continue to compete with outside organizations…we’re going to lose the battle to regain our streets, regain our communities.”

Utility bill relief: Council introduced legislation to offer some residents relief from utility bills. The plan calls for using up to $2 million of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) money to cover overdue electric and water payments.

Cleveland City Council talks community benefits of new construction

May 9 – Joint Committee, Cleveland City Council

Covered by Documenter Keith Yurgionas

The ABCs of CBAs: City Council members discussed a proposed law that would set city requirements for Community Benefits Agreements (CBAs). In this context, CBAs are contracts intended to make sure publicly funded construction projects benefit the community. The city has used CBAs for 10-plus years. This legislation “sets the legal framework for how Community Benefits Agreements are developed,” said Jennifer Heinert O’Leary, a City Council lawyer.

Equity and opportunity: If the city gives a project $250,000 or more in funding or financial incentives, here are some things developers would have to do:

• Meet the city’s diversity goals with vendors (O’Leary said there is room for improvement, noting that in 2021, only 6.5% of the city’s contracts went directly to minority-owned businesses)
• Mentor minority- and women-owned businesses and Cleveland small businesses
• Offer pathways to jobs for Cleveland adults and Cleveland high school students

If a project costs $20 million or more, and the city’s contribution is at least $250,000, additional requirements would include:

• Improving neighborhoods with street paving, greenspace, bike paths, and more
• Offering affordable housing or putting money into a restricted fund.
• Giving job opportunities to people who were formerly incarcerated

The proposal allows the city to recover money it gave to a developer if it violates a CBA.

Chill the market? Some in attendance said parts of the legislation could slow development. Baiju Shah, president and CEO of the Greater Cleveland Partnership, expressed concern about tax abatements and tax-increment financing being considered city financial assistance under this law. Doug Price, CEO of apartment developer K&D Group, shared Shah’s concerns about tax abatements and explained why. Ward 3 Council Member Kerry McCormack said he would support removing tax abatements from the legislation, saying he felt council already addressed that issue last year. Council President Blaine Griffin said he wanted to discuss it more. He added that council doesn’t want to halt new construction. “We definitely don’t want to chill the market. If we chill the market, it won’t be a benefit,” he said.

Officials also discussed a community survey about new construction. City Council launched it last December. As of May 6, 350-plus people had taken it. Take the survey.

Violence interrupters urge committee to support new safety fund

May 10 – Safety Committee, Cleveland City Council

Covered by Documenters Monica Doyle and Gennifer Harding-Gosnell

A drop in the bucket: For more than two hours, violence interrupters told City Council members about their work to stop gun violence. They urged the committee to pass a proposal that would create the Neighborhood Safety Fund. The city would use $10 million of federal stimulus money to create the fund. The Cleveland Foundation would manage it and distribute an estimated $500,000 each year to initiatives addressing the root causes of violence. Violence interrupters told council members that this funding is necessary, but $10 million is not enough.

Fighting for the last word: The legislation would give the Cleveland Foundation the final say on who receives grants. Council Member Richard Starr argued that City Council should be doing that. An advisory committee including council members would recommend grantees to the foundation, but the foundation would not have to fund them. Council members voted to increase the number of council reps on the advisory committee. They also voted to require that those council appointees report back quarterly. Starr was the only committee member to vote against the changes, saying, “It doesn’t solve anything.” City Council’s Finance, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion committee was set to review the proposal at its May 15 meeting.

Note: The Cleveland Foundation is one of Signal Cleveland’s funders.

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

Committee learns about plans for vacant school buildings

May 8 – Finance, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee, Cleveland City Council

Covered by Documenters Carolyn Cooper and Nicholas Ventura

Trudy Andrzejewski (left) explains the redevelopment plans for Empire and Nathaniel Hawthorne Schools. (Credit: Cleveland City Council YouTube)

 School redevelopment: The city is set to transfer two vacant Cleveland schools to developers for renovation. The developers will pay up to $110,000 total for the two properties. According to city official Trudy Andrzejewski, some Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD) properties have been vacant for more than 10 years. The two projects—Empire School in Ward 9 and Nathaniel Hawthorne School in Ward 16—will include new housing. The Empire School redevelopment will include affordable housing for seniors.

 

Abandoned properties: Council Member Kevin Conwell said residents often call him about vacant CMSD schools because of issues with debris and vandalism. Council Member Mike Polensek said he also hears about CMSD neglecting its vacant properties. He had to obtain city landmark status for the Henry W. Longfellow Elementary School to ensure its maintenance. The school has since been converted into a senior living facility.

 

And also: The committee advanced legislation that will provide free legal help to people facing eviction. The proposal allows the city to give $500,000 to United Way for that work. Despite concerns from Polensek that this would have unintended impacts on landlords, City Council passed the ordinance later that evening.

• 7 p.m. – City Council (livestream)

• 3 p.m. – Cleveland Board of Control (livestream)

• 2 p.m. – Public hearing at Cordelia (2058 E. 4th St.) about a proposed DORA, City Council

• 9 a.m – City Planning Commission (livestream)

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

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

May 15 – Cleveland City Council

The cost of Browns Stadium: The Browns could soon ask Cleveland to help finance renovations to the city-owned lakefront stadium, and Ward 2 resident Essie Williams offered her opinion on the topic. Williams encouraged council to not spend more taxpayer money on that stadium or a new one. How much exactly has the city put into the stadium? About $350 million since 1998, according to an analysis by Signal Cleveland’s Nick Castele.

Battle for ballot initiatives: Ward 15 Council Member Jenny Spencer drew attention to an Ohio special election set for Aug. 8. Voters will decide whether to stiffen requirements for residents and advocacy groups wanting to put issues on statewide election ballots. It would also make approval of those issues — called ballot initiatives — more difficult, raising the requirement from 51% of votes in favor to 60%. Spencer urged the public to vote no on the proposed constitutional amendment. The Republican-led Ohio Legislature approved this election in early May. It comes as organizers are gathering signatures in support of an abortion-rights ballot initiative.

On council’s radar: Council introduced several proposals and referred them to committees for discussion. Some of that legislation includes:

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.

City officials discuss plans for repaving streets, rehabbing parks

May 15 -Municipal Services and Properties Committee, Cleveland City Council

Covered by Documenters Sarah Tan and Regina Samuels

Council Member Brian Kazy (center left) talks about a proposal to use $10 million of ARPA funding for road resurfacing. (Credit: Cleveland City Council YouTube)

Road rage: Council members were unhappy with a proposal to use American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) money for a citywide infrastructure improvement fund. The request included $10 million for road resurfacing on top of what City Council has already allocated. Council members said $10 million was not enough. Council Member Brian Kazy also expressed frustration with the distribution of funds. He said his ward only received an extra $85,000 for repaving.

James DeRosa, director of the Mayor’s Office of Capital Projects, said that from the list of F-graded streets, they selected streets shared between ward boundaries and streets that were especially wide, awaiting difficult repairs, or consistently requested for repair. The legislation was tabled for further discussion.

Trail connectors: The committee approved $3 million to begin construction on a lakefront trail on the East Side. The trail would connect Euclid Beach Park Pier to Shore Acres Drive. It also passes through private and public land. Cuyahoga County, a partner on the project, is taking steps to ensure public access to the trail. This includes formal easements with private property owners to guarantee at least 50 years of public use.

Council Member Kerry McCormack asked if there are plans to extend the trail through Bratenahl. Jim Sonnhalter from the Cuyahoga County Planning Commission said property owners in Bratenahl weren’t interested.

Left wondering: Documenter Sarah Tan asked, “Has there been any strategic planning around how to split ARPA funding equitably among the wards and for agreed-upon larger goals?”

May 17  – Transportation and Mobility Committee, Cleveland City Council

Covered by Documenter Kellie Morris

Council Member Rebecca Maurer (left) discusses an amendment she worked on. Council Member Deborah Gray listens in. (Credit: Cleveland City Council YouTube)

Oppor-union-y: The committee revisited and advanced legislation it previously had held for review. It would let the city find a new concessions manager for Hopkins International Airport. In a prior meeting, Council Member Rebecca Maurer discussed concession workers’ opportunity to unionize. Maurer worked with the city to draft an amendment requiring that opportunity in concession agreements going forward. Airport official Christine Gilmartin, along with some council members, asked if the change would require employees to unionize. It would not.

Studying Burke: What are the potential economic costs and benefits of closing and redeveloping Burke Lakefront Airport? The city wants to know and thinks Econsult Solutions, Inc. can give some answers. The committee advanced a proposal to give $115,000 to the Philadelphia-based firm. It will do a four- to five-month analysis. Director of Economic Development Tessa Jackson described it as a data-driven case study.

Few Clevelanders work for TSA: Of the 366 Transportation Security Administration (TSA) workers at Hopkins, just six live in Cleveland. Council Member Kerry McCormack asked if city officials could help boost that number. The city does not hire TSA employees, said Interim Director of Port Control Dennis Kramer. McCormack suggested working with regional officials to address the disparity. The topic came up as the committee advanced a proposal to renew a lease for TSA to use space at the airport. The city receives about $62,000 a month from the lease.

Workers at local Starbucks and REI stores are trying to exercise their right to unionize. Signal Cleveland’s Olivera Perkins takes you inside those efforts.

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

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

On deck
Check out some of the local government meetings Documenters are set to cover this week. Click here to see more upcoming local government meetings.