Cleveland’s annual budget hearings are full of numbers, questions – and jargon. Cleveland Documenters assembled some of the common terms you might hear and what they mean as well as useful information on some of the different city departments and offices and what work they handle.
Are there additional terms we should define? Contact us here, tweet us at @CleDocumenters or send a text to (216) 220-9398.
Click on the arrow to see the next term.
Budget Terms to Know: Operating Budget 
Budget Terms to Know: General Fund 
Budget Terms to Know: Mayor’s Estimate 
Budget Terms to Know: Capital Budget 
Budget Terms to Know: Fiscal year 
Budget Terms to Know: Expenditure 
Budget Terms to Know: Fund 
Budget Terms to Know: Encumbered funds 
Budget Terms to Know: Unencumbered Funds 
Budget Terms to Know: Debt Service 
Budget Terms to Know: Fee 
Budget Terms to Know: Bond 
Budget Terms to Know: Bed Tax 
Budget Terms to Know: Property tax 
Budget Terms to Know: Liability 
Budget Terms to Know: Casino Revenue Funds 
Budget Terms to Know: Special Revenue Funds 
Budget Terms to Know: Rainy Day Reserve Fund 
Budget Terms to Know: Student Activities Fund 
Budget Terms to Know: Street Construction Fund 
Budget Terms to Know: Cleveland Stadium Fund 
Budget Terms to Know: Grant 
Budget Terms to Know: Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) 
Budget Terms to Know: ARPA/ American Rescue Plan Act 
Budget Terms to Know: Director/Commissioner 
Budget Terms to Know: Department 
Budget Terms to Know: Division 
Budget Terms to Know: Cleveland Department of Public Works 
Budget Terms to Know: Cleveland Department of Building & Housing 
Budget Terms to Know: Cleveland Department of Port Control 
Budget Terms to Know: Department of Aging 
Budget Terms to Know: Cleveland Department of Public Utilities 
Budget Terms to Know: Cleveland Department of Law 
Budget Terms to Know: Cleveland Department of Human Resources 
Budget Terms to Know: Cleveland Department of Community Development 
Budget Terms to Know: Cleveland Department of Economic Development 
Budget Terms to Know: Cleveland Department of Finance 
Budget Terms to Know: Office of the Mayor 
Budget Terms to Know: Cleveland Office of Sustainability 
Budget Terms to Know: Community Development Corporation 
Budget Terms to Know: Public Auditorium 
Budget Terms to Know: Parking Lots 
Budget Terms to Know: Greensheets 
Budget Terms to Know: Cleveland Municipal Court 
Budget Terms to Know: City Planning Commission 
Budget Terms to Know: Community Relations Board 
Budget Terms to Know: Central Collection Agency 
Budget Terms to Know: Golf Courses 
Budget Terms to Know: Cemeteries