Safe Travel Concerns Some School Board Members

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

Cleveland Public Meetings Report – The week of June 26

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

Board rules against city on parking tax issue

June 26 – Cleveland Board of Zoning Appeals

Covered by Documenter Janenell Smith (notes)

Parking tax: The board reversed a city decision to not waive roughly $87,000 in parking occupancy taxes. Similar to a sales tax, the parking occupancy tax charges patrons 8% of their parking fee. Parking operators are expected to collect the tax and pay it to the city. As the result of a three-year audit issued in 2022, the city retroactively assessed some taxes to residents who use the downtown Crittenden Court Garage. A city official said the audit was the result of a newfound capacity to ensure compliance. The board sided with garage representatives who argued that the residents were exempt from the tax under Cleveland’s code. City and garage officials had different interpretations of who was eligible for exemptions.

And then there were three: The board is down to three active members out of five. On June 12, Board Secretary Liz Kukla announced that former chair Kelley Britt retired. In the June 26 meeting, Kukla confirmed the departure of Terri Hamilton Brown. Brown is serving as the city’s interim director of Economic Development. With only three board members available, approvals to vary from the city zoning code require all three members to vote in favor. Otherwise, the request is considered denied, Kukla said. Appellants can request that the board postpone their cases until new members join. Board officials said they plan to add at least a fourth member within the next month.

Want to learn more about zoning? Check out this introduction to Cleveland zoning by City Planning’s Matt Moss.

Safe travel for Cleveland students a concern of some board members

June 27 – Board of Education, Cleveland Metropolitan School District

Covered by Documenter Marvetta Rutherford

Transit passes: The board approved the purchase of public transit passes for district students. The contract with the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (RTA) is not to exceed $1.27 million. Eric Gordon, in his last board meeting as the district’s CEO, said the passes are only for students in grades 9-12 who live a mile or more from their school. Students in grades 7 and 8 will have yellow school buses to ride.

Safety concerns: Some board members expressed concern about ensuring safe passage for students. Kathleen Valdez, also in her last meeting with the board, said the RTA contract is not sufficient in terms of safety. Valdez cast the lone vote against the contract. Leah Hudnall asked about future meetings with city partners to focus on safety. The district has plans to meet with the city, RTA, and the Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority, Gordon said. Sara Elaqad, who takes over as board chair this month, asked what students can do if they feel unsafe. Cards will be posted inside trains and buses with a phone number to the district’s Safety and Security Department, according to Gordon.

$14 million for food and supplies: The board also approved the purchase of food, supplies, and services for feeding students in the 2023-2024 school year. The cost is roughly $14 million.

Want the rundown of the changes with the board? Signal’s Paul Rochford has you covered. He also caught up with Gordon for an interview as his time as CEO comes to a close.

Civic Term of the Week

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

On Deck

We’re taking our quarterly break from assignments this week. But, Documenters are looking ahead to a full slate of meetings the week of July 10. Check them out below, and click here to see more upcoming local government meetings.

July 11

• 4 p.m. – Cleveland Urban Forestry Commission (livestream)

July 12

• 9 a.m. – Committee of the Whole, Cleveland City Council (livestream)
• 1 p.m. – Cleveland City Council (livestream)
• 3 p.m. – Cleveland Board of Control (livestream)
• 6 p.m. – Cleveland Community Police Commission (livestream)

July 13

• 8 a.m. – Cleveland Lead Screening and Testing Commission (Zoom)
• 9 a.m. – Cleveland Landmarks Commission (livestream
• 1 p.m. – Training Subcommittee, Mental Health Response Advisory Committee (Zoom)