The Cleveland Observer
CLEVELAND — Cleveland City Council returned from summer recess this month with borrowing, housing and tenant protections, public safety, utilities and redevelopment on its agenda.
The council held its first regular meeting Sept. 14 and met again Sept. 21. At the meeting, council members approved a $92.9 million package of bond ordinances along with property-tax levy legislation and several utility and redevelopment measures.
The council’s online legislative record had not yet posted formal results from the Sept. 21 meeting as of publication, but the meeting transcript records the votes taken during the session.
Council approves $92.9 million bond package
Some of September’s largest measures involve financing for city infrastructure and equipment.
At its Sept. 14 meeting, the council considered five general-obligation bond ordinances totaling to about $38.6 million. Those measures concerned the issuance and sale of bonds to retire outstanding bond anticipation notes previously issued for vehicles and heavy equipment, parks and recreation facilities, public buildings and the municipal street system.
The five measures total:
- $2.885 million for vehicles and equipment.
- $1.385 million for heavy-duty trucks and equipment.
- $6.73 million for parks and recreation facilities.
- $13.65 million for public buildings and facilities.
- $13.975 million for the municipal street system and related facilities.
The Sept. 21 financing package was larger. The council considered 14 bond ordinances, 1138-2026 through 1151-2026, totaling $92.9 million and grouped into five broad categories:
- $700,000 for municipal cemetery facilities.
- $17 million for vehicles and heavy-duty equipment.
- $9.35 million for parks and recreation facilities.
- $21.05 million for public buildings and facilities.
- $44.8 million for streets and related infrastructure.
The measures include one cemetery ordinance, two vehicles-and-equipment ordinances, three parks ordinances, four public-building ordinances and four street ordinances. The largest individual measure authorizes up to $35 million for the municipal street system and related facilities.
The council suspended its rules to place the legislation on final passage. The meeting transcript records 14 yeas (yes/for) on passage.
The Sept. 14 and Sept. 21 financing measures serve somewhat different purposes. The Sept. 14 ordinances concern bonds used to retire outstanding short-term bond anticipation notes, while the Sept. 21 ordinances authorize borrowing for identified capital purposes.
Council adopts property tax levy resolution
The council also adopted Resolution 1030-2026, accepting property tax levy amounts and rates determined by the Cuyahoga County Budget Commission, authorizing the necessary city tax levies and certifying them to the county fiscal officer.
The meeting transcript records 14 yeas (yes/ for) on adoption.
The resolution itself does not state the tax rates in its title. Cleveland’s legislative record includes a separate Tax Rate Resolution attachment containing the underlying rate information.
Tenant representation proposal remains pending
Ordinance 1031-2026 concerns implementation of Cleveland’s Legal Representation in Housing Court provision, Section 375.12 of the city’s codified ordinances.
The measure would authorize the Department of Community Development to enter into one or more agreements with The Legal Aid Society, identified as the lead partner organization, to provide legal services for eligible tenants facing eviction. The measure remains in the Development, Planning and Sustainability Committee.
Cleveland City Council passed its tenant right-to-counsel ordinance in 2019, and the program took effect in 2020. It provides eligible low-income tenants with children access to free legal representation in eviction cases in Cleveland Housing Court.
Police agreement and camera debt remediation.
The council approved Ordinance 1036-2026 on Sept. 14, ratifying a collective bargaining agreement with the Cleveland Police Patrolmen’s Association Analyst and Specialist Unit and amending compensation provisions for covered classifications.
The agreement applies specifically to the analysts and specialists unit rather than the city’s broader police officer bargaining agreement.
The council also adopted Resolution 1041-2026 on Sept. 14, calling on the clerk of Cleveland Municipal Court to waive automated red-light and speeding-camera citations issued before November 2014 and end related collection efforts.
The resolution calls on the clerk to act; it does not itself cancel the debt or compel the clerk to waive the citations.
Water monitoring and other utility measures approved
The council approved Ordinance 929-2026, authorizing the Division of Water to enter into one or more contracts with the Cleveland Water Alliance for water-quality monitoring in Lake Erie.
The measure provides for water-quality detection equipment and the deployment, maintenance and collection of data from four monitoring buoys. The contract period may extend for up to four years.
The council also approved utility legislation involving equipment and services for Cleveland Public Power, maintenance of utility control systems and underwater inspection, cleaning and repair of submerged and water-filled facilities.
Wage board proposal remains at first reading
Ordinance 1044-2026 would add Section 173.22 to Cleveland’s codified ordinances concerning compensation for members of the Fair Employment Wage Board.
The measure remains at first reading.
The Fair Employment Wage Board is part of Cleveland’s framework for enforcing wage-theft and payroll-fraud requirements connected with city contracts and financial assistance.
Redevelopment measures include Playhouse Square property
Ordinance 927-2026 would authorize a property exchange involving the Board of Education of the Cleveland Municipal School District and the city’s Public Health, Development and Public Safety departments.
The proposed agreements concern land exchanges for future redevelopment and what the ordinance describes as the mutual benefit of the city and school district.
A separate property measure moved forward Sept. 21.
The council approved Ordinance 456-2026, authorizing the city to lease property at 1301-1325 Chester Ave. to Playhouse Square Foundation, or its designee, for use as a parking lot for up to 10 years.
The ordinance also authorizes an option-to-purchase agreement and eventual conveyance of property the city has determined is no longer needed for public use.
What the September actions show
Cleveland’s September legislative work has centered on capital borrowing, tenant protections, public safety and labor matters, utility infrastructure and redevelopment of public property.
The financial scale of the bond legislation is significant. The Sept. 21 package alone authorizes up to $92.9 million in borrowing across cemetery facilities, vehicles and equipment, parks, public buildings and the street system.
But the dollar totals do not answer all of the questions that matter to residents. The next level of reporting is how the borrowed money will be allocated among specific projects, which neighborhoods will be affected, what debt-service costs the city expects and how the administration and council will measure the results of those investments.
The property-tax resolution presents a similar question. Council adopted the rates determined by the Cuyahoga County Budget Commission, but understanding the effect on residents requires examining the underlying rates and comparing them with the previous year.
As of publication, the council’s online legislative system had not yet posted the formal Sept. 21 meeting results, although the meeting transcript records the actions and votes described above.
