Council Meeting Highlights

Feb 24, 2025

City Council held its regular meeting tonight, both in person in Council Chambers and live streamed. The next Council meeting is March 3rd. Here are today’s highlights.

Improving Council Members' Annual Budget Review: Council approved an amendment, sponsored by Councilman Kerry McCormack, to ensure members have the information they need during annual budget hearings. Specifically, they approved adding to the section that covers the Mayor's Estimate, that "beginning in 2026 the Mayor’s Estimate shall contain the budget and the employee headcount and pay bands from, at a minimum, the previous year." Council members expressed concern recently during budget hearings that the presentation didn't allow them to do year-to-year reviews. Ord. No. 220-2025 

Property Swap Between City and CMSD: Legislation was introduced that would allow the Directors of Parks and Recreation and Community Development to enter into a property exchange agreement with the Board of Education of the Cleveland Municipal School District for the mutually-beneficial exchange of various properties needed for public purposes including construction of the new JFK High School Athletic Stadium at property near the new JFK High School and City-owned JFK Recreation Center. The new JFK High School Athletic Stadium will have an artificial turf field, a track, a grandstand, a field house, and other amenities. In return, the city will receive the former JFK High School and its property.

The City has agreed to provide up to $2.1 million in funding to CMSD for the construction of the Stadium. CMSD and the Director of Parks and Recreation will also enter into an agreement about the shared use of the new stadium, for 15 years years and renewing automatically from year to year thereafter until terminated by either party Ord. No. 246-2025

Council looks to Oppose Senate Bill 1: A resolution was introduced, sponsored by Councilman Richard Starr, to strongly oppose Senate Bill 1 which prohibits diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts at Ohio’s public universities. If SB 1 is enacted, public colleges could no longer conduct any training or orientation regarding diversity, equity or inclusion, have an, or use DEI in job descriptions, or offer any new scholarships that use DEI. Universities would have to declare that they will not take positions on any controversial beliefs or policies, meaning a subject of political controversy, including climate policies, electoral politics, foreign policy, diversity programs, immigration policy, marriage, or abortion.

This bill allows the General Assembly to withhold or reduce funding to a state university if it determines they have failed to comply with these policies. In addition to prohibiting DEI efforts, this bill also bans faculty from striking, shortens university board of trustees terms, and requires students to take an American civic literacy course to include the American economic system and capitalism, among other things.

Students and professors at Ohio’s public universities are concerned that if SB 1 is enacted, students will choose to pursue a college degree in other states outside Ohio where they can learn in a diverse environment and express their speech freely. Res. No. 252-2025

Land Transfer Proposed Near Opportunity Corridor: Legislation was introduced to allow the Director of Community Development to transfer more than 20 permanent parcels located in the vicinity of East 75th Street and Grand Avenue, to the Department of Economic Development for inclusion into a consolidated site to be used for future redevelopment. The properties transferred will become a component of the Department of Economic Development’s Land Reutilization Program. The properties are near Opportunity Corridor and Orlando Bakery. Ord. No. 231-2025

Professional Health Services Needed: Legislation was introduced to authorize the Director of Public Health to amend an earlier contract with the Ohio Public Health Association to hire a temporary Registered Environmental Health Specialist for no more than 13 weeks for $10,000. The amendment will add additional staff and expand the contract to one year for up to $100,000. The Public Health Professional Services Program helps to build Ohio’s public health workforce to meet the staffing needs of agencies around the state. Administered by the Ohio Public Health Association, PHPS matches public health professionals with available part-time, temporary, short-term, or seasonal positions in the public health field. Ord. No. 237-2025