Delete WardCouncil Meeting Highlights (10/3/22)
Oct 03, 2022
Cleveland (Oct. 3, 2022) – City Council held its regular Monday meeting tonight, both in person in Council Chambers and through live streaming. The next regular meeting will be Monday Oct. 10th. Here are tonight’s highlights:
Reducing Homelessness: Council approved the city receiving the HOME-ARPA Grant in the amount of $17,735,408 from the US. Department of Housing and Urban Development. In 2021, HUD allocated a special HOME fund allocation to 651 grantees to address homelessness through the development of affordable housing and non-congregate shelters. The City of Cleveland was one of the awardees. The legislation was amended to be consistent with charter rules that that any contract, grant, or loan over $50,000 to be entered into under this ordinance shall require additional legislative authority. Ord. No. 755-2022.
These funds can be used for four eligible activities:
- Production or Preservation of Affordable Housing
- Tenant-Based Rental Assistance
- Supportive Services, Homeless Prevention Services, and Housing Counseling
- Purchase and Development of Non-Congregate Shelter
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Gap Financing Housing Projects: Council passed legislation to use $35 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding for the “Housing Gap Financing Fund” to provide grants and/or equity stake in projects to incentivize the renovation and construction of affordable, workforce housing projects, mixed-income, and market rate projects. This will be accomplished two ways. 1) Invest in the existing pipeline of housing proposals submitted to the City of Cleveland through the Housing Development Office in Community Development. 2) Create a sustainable fund that leverages private financing with public dollars to invest in housing projects in Cleveland. Approximately $25 million of the ARPA funding will be invested in affordable housing and $10 million in market rate housing projects. Ord. No. 900-2022 |
Door-to-Door Property Survey: Council passed contracting with the Western Reserve Land Conservancy to perform the City’s door-to-door property survey, compiling the data, and performing other related services. Cities need data concerning vacant properties and building conditions to make informed decisions regarding the use of limited resources for code enforcement, demolition and rehabilitation.
Property inventories have become important tools for communities across the state. Western Reserve Land Conservancy has now completed property inventories in Akron, Dayton, Elyria, Lorain, Oberlin, and Sandusky. WRLC has received grant funds from private entities to perform the services relating to the Survey, in the estimated aggregate amount of $150,000, so there is no cost to Cleveland. Ord. No. 858-2022
Transforming Neighborhoods through Arts: Council passed legislation to use $3 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding to create the Transformative Public Art Projects Fund Program. The Public Art Projects Program will provide grants to Community Development Corporations, non-profit organizations and other public and private entities for publicly accessible art programs. This fund will “stimulate capital investments in Cleveland’s neighborhoods by providing grants for transformative arts projects with capital needs.” For example, transformative projects may include public art festivals that include a large scale of permanent art installations. Ord. No. 895-2022
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Direct Flights to Ireland: Council approved legislation for the city to provide economic development assistance, up to $600,000, to Team NEO, for Aer Lingus to start in May 2023 and maintain daily direct flight service from Cleveland to the Republic of Ireland for a period of three years. The city finances are a stopgap and may not be required. Ord. No. 978-2022
Upgrading 911 System: A resolution strongly encouraging the Mayor’s Administration to investigate upgrading the current 9-1-1 emergency response system to a “Next Generation 9-1-1 System” that will provide faster and more reliable emergency assistance by using updated technology to provide real-time information. Councilman Kevin Conwell was the original sponsor, but all of council added their names to the resolution. Res. No. 991-2022 |