Meeting called to order

This Cleveland City Council General Fund budget meeting started at 1:15 p.m. There was a certain heaviness in the atmosphere. Cleveland City Council members appeared to lack energy, though I couldn’t put my finger on it at the time. It may have been due to the 3.5-hour morning budget session.

Committee Chair and Council President Blaine Griffin opened the meeting with remarks from Cleveland Director of Finance Paul Barrett. 

Barrett said that the budget is a work in progress and that the 2026 budget is “tight.” He said the budget reflects a 3% raise across the board for city employees.

There was some concern from council members about how general obligation bonds (GO bonds) were being used. GO bonds are used to fund public infrastructure projects. Council Member Kevin Bishop asked if the city was borrowing too much with this financial mechanism.

Next up, Jessica Trivisonno, deputy chief of staff and chief strategy officer for Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb, presented the proposed 2026 budget for the Office of the Mayor, which is just shy of $4 million. Trivisonno voiced the finer bullet points of the office’s achievements and initiatives.

The real excitement came when Cleveland City Council and Clerk of Council were up to bat! Their proposed 2026 budget is about $9.8 million. Council Member Richard Starr had searing questions for Patricia Britt, the clerk of council.

Starr asked Britt for the operational goals of her office. Britt appeared confused by his questioning and said she didn’t understand what Starr was implying or asking for.

There was a heated discussion between Starr and Griffin. Starr said he’s not getting the support he needs from the various departments at City Hall or from some council staff. This discussion between the two council members took up a chunk of the roughly six-hour meeting. Council Member Joe Jones expressed similar concerns. 

Griffin noted that an organization is reviewing council’s staff operations and will make recommendations. Jones wanted to know if there was a bidding process for this project. Griffin said there was not, adding that it wasn’t a contract. He said he asked for recommendations from council members.

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Griffin said the Law Department handles contracts that govern many of the projects council members want to do. This could be a reason for their frustration, he said, because contracts have to be reviewed before approval. He also noted that even he gets frustrated with the time-consuming process. 

Council Member Kevin Conwell commented on a culture of inefficiency and waste at City Hall in terms of getting council-approved money out the door in a timely fashion. He said he often doesn’t say anything about it, but added that “it drives me crazy!” 

Council Member Stephanie Howse-Jones also expressed concerns about why it takes so long to get something done. Council’s operations are also a problem and have been an irritation in her four years with the body, she said.  

Council Member Kris Harsh, new chair of council’s Operations Committee, said members of council staff were dedicated and sincere. He also said the stress of these jobs is real.

Griffin closed the conversation by saying that 15 people trying to make a decision was not always going to be efficient or effective. He went on to say it’s not right to publicly vilify staff who work with them daily.

Starr took exception to this characterization of the discussion, and the two briefly yelled and argued over each other until the next city official came up to present their budget proposal.

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The remaining city entities that presented were:

• The Landmarks Commission, which eyes a 2026 budget of about $470,000. Secretary Daniel Musson presented. There was discussion about handling properties in disrepair.
• The Board of Building Standards & Appeals, which is in line for a budget of about $374,000. Executive Director Carmella Davis presented. Davis said a fifth board member position has been vacant since August 2019.
• The Board of Zoning Appeals, which is asking for about $446,500 for 2026. Secretary Liz Kukla presented. Kukla and Davis said their respective boards are working on digitizing their records. The City Planning Commission, which is pursuing a 2026 budget of about $3.74 million. City Planning Director Calley Mersmann presented. 
• The Department of Aging, which is proposing a budget of about $2.5 million. Director Mary McNamara presented.

The Department of Law was not heard today. Council pushed it to the next day. In all honesty, I excused myself at 6 p.m. Due to the heated exchange between council members, this game went into overtime! The meeting ended around 7 p.m.

Best wishes!

These notes are by Documenter Bilal Hakeem.

If you believe anything in these notes is inaccurate, please email us at documenters@signalcleveland.org  with “Correction Request” in the subject line.