Delete WardCouncil Meeting Highlights
Jun 03, 2024
City Council held its regular meeting tonight, both in person in Council Chambers and live streamed. Council is now on its summer schedule and will have a meeting on Wednesday, July 10th: Here are today’s highlights:
Campaign Donations: Council approved amending Section 110.02, related to limitations on campaign contributions. The amount an individual can donate in a calendar year for anyone running for a Council seat was increased from $1,500 to $3,000. The amount a political action committee can make in a calendar year for a candidate for the office of member of Council was increased to $6,000 from $3,000. The allowable contributions to mayoral candidates remains unchanged. No other city in Cuyahoga County puts donation limits for council candidates. Ord. No. 615-2024
Redeveloping Buckeye Road: Council approved entering into a forgivable loan of nearly $3.9 million agreement with Burten, Bell, Carr Development, Inc., to provide economic development assistance to partially finance hard and soft costs associated with the Buckeye Road Commercial Corridor Revitalization and Stabilization Initiative for up to 10 vacant and distressed mixed-use commercial buildings and parking lots. BBC plans to create an “Arts, Culture and Technology” district and other commercial corridor redevelopment on Buckeye Road. Ord. No. 635-2024
Basketball Coming to Cleveland Auditorium: Council approved entering into an agreement with the Cleveland Cavaliers to accept $3 million in improvements for Public Auditorium for the Cleveland Charge, an affiliate of the Cleveland Cavaliers, to conduct and host league basketball games. They will lease the Public Auditorium, for a term of six years, for Cleveland Charge games. The team will construct locker rooms and an office and team areas, upgrading, modifying and improving HVAC and other building systems, and making other related improvements. The Cleveland Charge, a professional basketball team in the NBA G League, had been playing its games in the Wolstein Center. They plan to begin playing at Public Auditorium in the fall and have 24 home games. Ord. No. 647-2024
Making Roads Safer: Council approved accepting a grant of $2,328,908 from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for the purposes of conducting safety audits and safety analyses of 8 high injury network street segments including West 117th, Denison (2 miles), Superior (3 miles), Woodland/Buckeye, ad Harvard. The city must provide $582,277 in matching funds. The grant will enable the city to advance the design of several corridors on its high injury network and implement supplemental planning and demonstration projects on other high crash segments. Ord. No. 546-2024
Recreational Marijuana Dispensaries: Council approved changes to where dispensaries can operate. The changes are aimed at allowing more existing structures in commercial districts to be allowed to comply with state regulations. Most commercial districts in the city are Local Retail districts –these proposed changes give the chance for dispensaries to be in existing storefronts. Regulations limit dispensaries in Cleveland to be 500 feet from churches, parks, schools, day cares, rec centers, and libraries. The new regulations allow dispensaries to include Local Retail, Limited Retail, Shopping Center, and University (College) Retail. Ord. No. 529-2024
Cleveland Pool Policy Change Requested: Council passed a resolution sponsored by Councilman Charles Slife, urging the Administration’s Department of Public Works, Division of Recreation to improve pool policies for the benefit of resident patrons this summer. The resolution states that Council suggests that the Division of Recreation devise a method to proactively disseminate information to residents about changes to individual pool hours. The resolution also states that Council suggests that the Division of Recreation allow patrons to wear Coast Guard – approved flotation devices that increase safety of swimmers. Non-approved floatation devices and recreational toys that are not proven safe should still be prohibited. Res. No. 530-2024