Cleveland City Council Excludes ARPA Spending on ‘Civic Participation’

 

Cleveland City Council hears residents’ calls for veteran housing:

May 1 – Cleveland City Council

What happened: Residents Makanya Smith, and Walter Collins asked City Council to help fund a housing development for veterans in the Union-Miles neighborhood. Smith said the project could provide social services for common problems veterans face, including post-traumatic stress disorder and depression. Later in the meeting, City Council introduced legislation for a grant agreement with Union-Miles Development to approve up to $750,000 to cover part of the cost to construct about 11 homes for veterans experiencing homelessness. The development would bear Walter Collins’ name.

Public commenters again came out to ask that Council members approve $15 million of American Rescue Plan Act money for West Side Market repairs. Ramat Wiley from the Cleveland Public Market Corp. said the proposed $15 million can be a stepping stone towards the market’s rehabilitation. Council introduced legislation April 24 that would allow the city to spend  an unspecified amount toward repairs.

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 raises rental car fees; West Side Market gets new vendor:

May 3 – Cleveland Board of Control

What happened: The board approved a $6-per-day charge on car rentals from Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. This new fee is in addition to what customers already pay to rent a car. Dennis Kramer, the Interim Director of Port Control, said the fee will help pay to build an on-site rental facility, a goal outlined in the airport’s master plan. The fee was approved by City Council, but the amount was left to the Board of Control to decide. Kramer told the board that peer cities like Pittsburgh and Columbus charge $5 to $9 per day in similar fees.

A new vendor: The board approved Lucky Bonsai Limited to rent a stall in the West Side Market’s produce arcade. The rental agreement is from June 1, to August 31, 2023. The market’s Senior Strategist, Jessica Trivisonno, explained that when a lease is less than a year, the board sets the rate. For Lucky Bonsai Limited, the board approved a rate of $795.85 a month. Trivisonno said this was consistent with the rates charged to other vendors with leases expiring on August 31.

May 1 – Finance, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee, Cleveland City Council

Civic participation nixed as ARPA use: In its last meeting of 2022, Council created a special fund to house $215 million of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) money. At Monday’s meeting — and finalized by full Council afterward — the committee removed civic participation as a category the city can spend that money on. And it added the following to the already-existing list of ARPA priorities:

Earlier this year, Council scrapped a proposal to use APRA money for participatory budgeting, which lets residents lead the budgeting process for some public money.

‘A model’ of criminal justice reform: The committee gave the Cleveland Municipal Court the OK to contract with Court Community Service.

The legislation, which Council passed later that night, approved spending nearly $370,000 to allow the court to provide alternatives to incarceration and heavy fines for people convicted of low-level offenses. The people in the program do community service hours with nonprofits and government agencies. “I think you are a model of what we need to continue to do when it comes to criminal justice reform,” Council Member Kerry McCormack told court officials.

TIF of the iceberg: A downtown hotel project moved forward, but not without some questions from committee members. They wanted to understand precisely what the developer — NuovoRE — was asking the city for. Officials explained that the city would give up an estimated $4.4 million in tax revenue over 30 years as part of a Tax Increment Financing (TIF) agreement. That money would help fund the renovation at 1900 E. 6th Street.

Project partners expect the effort to cost $64.3 million and create 105 full-time jobs. Full Council passed the proposal later that night.

Wondering what residents thought Cleveland should spend ARPA money on? Check out this searchable database created by Cleveland Documenters of more than 1,100 ARPA spending suggestions from community members.

Cleveland neighborhood safety fund under review:

May 3 – Safety Committee, Cleveland City Council

To fund or not to fund: Debate will continue over whether the city should spend $10 million of American Rescue Plan Act money on a violence-prevention fund. The committee held the legislation for more discussion. The proposal would let The Cleveland Foundation set up and run the fund. The foundation would use it to issue grants to programs targeting root causes of violence (Note: The Cleveland Foundation is one of Signal Cleveland’s funders). Council Member Richard Starr said his concern was The Cleveland Foundation having final say on violence-prevention strategy. He would prefer City Hall and Council keep that authority. The legislation would establish an advisory committee, explained city official Sonya Pryor-Jones. That panel would include herself, other administration staff, Council members and residents. The advisory committee could make recommendations, but the foundation is not obligated to follow them. Council’s Safety Committee is set to discuss the proposal again at its May 10 meeting.

Downtown CDC takes on crisis-intervention: Ed Eckart Jr., of the Downtown Cleveland Alliance (DCA), said that the community development corporation trains its safety personnel in crisis intervention. The information came up in discussion about a proposal to allow people to drink alcohol outside on East 4th Street. People would have to buy a specific cup from participating restaurants and bars. Council members asked about safety. Eckart, former assistant director of the city’s Public Safety department , addressed their concerns. The committee discussed and advanced the legislation for further review.

Care to comment on the proposed outdoor-drinking area on East 4th Street? Council is hosting a public hearing at Cordelia, a restaurant located at the downtown dining strip. It is scheduled for 2 p.m. on May 18.

Cleveland Metroparks reps mum on potential funder of Gordon Park improvements

May 1 – Municipal Services and Properties Committee, Cleveland City Council

A Metroparks mystery: The city is looking to lease a portion of Gordon Park to the Cleveland Metroparks. The proposal, which the committee passed, would also allow the park agency to make improvements costing about $8 million. Metro Parks reps Sean McDermott, and Kyle Baker did not share details about the improvements. Despite pressing from Council Member Brian Kazy, they did not name the foundation set to provide the $8 million grant. “Honestly the funds are dependent on the fact that the process moves through,” McDermott said. “Perhaps at the next committee meeting we can have that comfort level to bring forward that name.” The property should remain a community park with ballfields and places to picnic, Council Member Anthony Hairston said.

Needing a lift: A five-week summer sports camp is coming to Case Western Reserve University, with $150,000 in support from the city. Starr asked about transportation options for kids. Dennis Harris, project director, said the budget used to include bus transportation, but that service has mostly been cut. Full Council approved the city’s contribution at its evening meeting.

Curious about how City Council moves legislation? Check out our one-page guide to Council’s legislative process.

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 what local government meetings Documenters are set to cover this week.