Mayor Justin Bibb visited New York City this week to talk about climate and energy. The occasion was Climate Week NYC, an environmental conference that coincided with the U.N. General Assembly.
Bibb highlighted energy affordability at an event organized by America Is All In, a climate group he co-chairs with former EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy and Democratic Govs. Gavin Newsom and JB Pritzker.
“Our residents are experiencing a cost-of-living crisis,” the mayor told McCarthy on stage. “This work is not just about lowering emissions. It’s not just about protecting our ozone layer. Those are all very important, lofty goals. It’s about how are we lowering cost?”
The talk opened with a video featuring a Glenville resident named Charlene Patterson. The city and CHN Housing Network helped her insulate her home and replace her furnace and water tank, bringing down her utility bills, she told Signal Cleveland.
The video also noted Cleveland’s plans to add more solar power to the local grid and encourage modular home building.
Back home, Bibb hasn’t yet explained how he’ll fix an electrical system that failed during the hot and stormy summer. Both city-owned utility Cleveland Public Power and investor-owned FirstEnergy are coming off a season of disruptive power outages.
CPP’s commissioner has acknowledged what has been known for years: The utility has a history of deferred maintenance. A strategic plan for CPP’s future is still under wraps.
“I have not seen it yet,” Brian Kazy, the chair of Cleveland City Council’s Utilities Committee, told Weekly Chatter. He said he believes the plan will lay out “the upgrade, stability and expansion of Cleveland Public Power.”
Kazy expects a presentation from CPP on the plan by the end of October.
Cuyahoga County Board of Developmental Disabilities launches levy campaign
While the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority is still debating when to ask voters for more money, other public services will be seeking tax hikes this November.
The Cuyahoga County Board of Developmental Disabilities marked the start of its campaign for a property tax increase this week. The board, which serves 15,000 residents with disabilities, has been paying the bills with a tax levy that voters passed in 2005.
Now, costs are rising and the number of clients is growing, CEO Amber Gibbs argued.
The 10-year levy would cost a homeowner $79 annually per $100,000 of home valuation. It would raise $99.6 million in new money for the board, which has a $177 million budget this year. The levy will appear on Cuyahoga County voters’ ballots as Issue 10.
The board’s advocates packed Vocational Guidance Services in Cleveland’s Central neighborhood and assembled Issue 10 yard signs. Jasmine Toney, a Kent State University graduate who serves as an ambassador for disability services, credited the board with helping her find a job.
“Thanks to these services that are provided by Cuyahoga DD, we are learning to work, live independently and care for ourselves and care for each other,” she said.
At Wednesday’s kickoff, there did not appear to be any elected officials on hand to take the microphone in support of the levy.
The levy campaign reported more than $500,000 on hand as of the end of June. The campaign has paid for polling, t-shirts and services from political consulting firm Burges & Burges.
The board is just one part of the county safety net coming to taxpayers for more money this fall. Cuyahoga County is also asking to raise property taxes for health and human services.
East Cleveland gets help from the Glass City
A former Toledo mayor will advise East Cleveland on how to turn around its police and fire departments.
The receiver overseeing East Cleveland’s troubled finances is hiring the firm Management Advisory Group to examine the city’s emergency services. The consulting team includes Mike Bell, a former Toledo fire chief and Ohio fire marshal who served as mayor from 2010 to 2014.
East Cleveland’s safety forces have a staffing problem, receiver George E. Shoup III explained in a filing with the Ohio Court of Claims. The court supervises Shoup’s work in East Cleveland and approved the request to hire MAG earlier this month.
“The City’s police department has been experiencing significant staffing shortages and police
officer turnover,” Shoup wrote. “Similarly, the City’s fire department continues to have difficulty attracting and retaining new, well-qualified fire fighters to maintain contractually-required staffing levels.”
MAG will charge the state $225 an hour, according to a memo submitted to the court. The firm estimated the total cost will come out to $26,550. The Ohio Office of Budget and Management, not East Cleveland, picks up the tab for the city’s receivership costs.
