Council Meeting Highlights (1/30/23)

Jan 30, 2023

Cleveland (January 30, 2023) - City Council held its regular Monday meeting tonight, both in person in Council Chambers and through live streaming.  The next meeting is Feb. 6th.

Here are tonight’s highlights:

Expanding & Improving  3-1-1: Council approved spending $4 million to revamp, expand, reconstruct 311 to manage citizen requests for non-emergency services. The 311 service should be a one stop shop for all non-emergency City services, from pothole reports, building violations, animal issues, and tree-trimming requests, among others. The goal of the RFP is to secure a new platform that can:

• Expand access to 311 with the launch of new channels to submit and track requests
• Collect resident contact information, complaints and inquiries
• Allow residents to check the status of requests by tracking number or calling 311

Resident will be able to contact 3-1-1 either online or through a phone call. The software will capture the requests from the public (via phone, internet, etc.), manage the response to each request, solicit feedback from the public after addressing a request, and monitor the resolution of non-emergency requests.  Ord. No. 88-2023

Say Yes to Education Cleveland Funding Gap: Current year funding for Say Yes to Education Cleveland faced a funding gap that needed to be filled quickly or SYC Family Support Specialists will have to be laid off. Council approved spending $600,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funding to help address the funding gap and keep Family Support Specialists serving Cleveland’s kids. Say Yes support services are designed to help students stay on track throughout their school careers, so they are ready to take full advantage of Say Yes Cleveland scholarships after high school for four-year or two-year college and other certificate programs. After a four-year ramp up since launch in 2019, SYC has an specialists for all 104 CMSD and partner charter schools. Ord. No. 52-2023

Growing the Workforce Pipeline: Council approved using $10 million American Rescue Plan Act funding to grow the workforce pipeline for current and anticipated demand in: residential and commercial construction, infrastructure and transit, green infrastructure, broadband, and lead and brownfield remediation. The major federal investments provided for in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, CHIPS Act, and Inflation Reduction Act are anticipated to create many jobs. These projects are on the horizon, and workforce is currently a limiting factor.

This initiative creates the structure and mechanisms for workers to connect to training, and ultimately employers and projects, employers, leveraging the operating structure of Ohio Means Jobs Cuyahoga County by funding – through sub-grants to execution partners – existing training programs tailored to meet employer needs, and adaptable as new projects emerge. Ord. No. 86-2023

Collective Bargaining Agreements Passed: Council approved the collective bargaining agreement with the Cleveland Building and Construction Trades Council. Council also approved the collective bargaining agreement with the Machinists District 54, Local No. 439; council also approved an amendment of an earlier ordinance relating to compensation for various classifications. Ord. No. 144- and 145-2023