for more on how Cleveland's budget process works, see this handy guide from the Signal team (it's from last year but the process is the same):

Today's hearings are expected to start the with the Division of Public Health, which begins on page 180 of the 2024 Mayor's Estimate (the long document that is the proposed budget for the city, for the year):

You can catch up on the tweet threads from yesterday's hearings here:
before lunch:
AFTER lunch:
we do more than tweets, too! Documenters' notes will be available soon at

The hearing is scheduled to start at 9 am here:
A couple of early birds are already raring to go

The meeting was called to order - Councilman Kevin Conwell is chairing the meeting this morning.
Finance Chief Ahmed Abonamah is at the table with the Council this morning

Diving right into the Division of Public Health, beginning with the division's administration budget.
There are 16 full time division administrative staff budgeted. The total budget for administration in 2024 is $2.5 million

Next is the Department of Health Equity & Social Justice (page 198 of the mayor's estimate) - $2 million budgeted for 2024, with 9 full time staff.
This dept includes programs like Moms First and the city's HIV programs

next up: the Division of Health. $5.8 million budgeted for 29 full-time staff in 2024.
There was some questions about the mobile unit & bilingual staff.

Jasmin Santana & Jenny Spencer both asked questions about the jump in contractual services costs ... ~$1.4 million last year to ~$2.2 million budgeted for 2024
Spencer said higher contracted services costs was a "theme" with this year's budget, beyond the Div. of Public Health

Abonamah said many contracts weren't fulfilled in the previous year and were carried to the current year, resulting in higher contracted services costs across the budget.
Conwell asked if they "put in arrears"
"Not in arrears" said Abonamah

Rebecca Maurer asked about the janitorial contract at the McCafferty clinic and if it was a unionized contractor.
Abonamah said he'd have to get back to her with that info

next up: Division of Environment (pge 189 of the mayor's estimate) ~$2.5 million budgeted for 2024, 22 FT staff, with 7 vacancies.
this is the division that handles health inspections & lead poisoning referrals

some discussion of litter and trash: Stephanie Howse-Jones said she & Richard Starr will propose legislation for an "excess litter fee" that assesses fees against producers of litter. That $$ can be used for litter clean up
Originally from Oakland, CA:

Next: the Division of Air Quality. $1.3 million budgeted for 2024, 8 full time staff.
Air Quality does some work county-wide. Little discussion here, moving on & wrapping up the Public Health section

Next is the Community Relations Board - it begins on page 75 of the mayor's estimate. Kerry McCormack opened this section and then handed the chair to Blaine Griffin.

Mike Polensek asks about the violence interruptor positions (it's the outreach coordinators under the street outreach team).
He says 6 staff is "woefully inadequate" - back in October he said he wanted there to be at least 2, maybe 4 per ward. He repeated that again today.

Abonamah says there contracted services (like w/ the Peacemakers Alliance) and grants to other programs that extend the work of the city's violence interruptors.
Polensek said too many of the groups doing this work are in silos.

Polensek ALSO said that the proof would be in the pudding - which makes this a great time to remind anyone reading this that YOU can play budget bingo during these hearings!!

Richard Starr said you can't do community relations work "part time" - he says it's an "around-the-clock job".

Stephanie Howse-Jones asks how 22 people can successfully do all the things that the Community Relations Board is trying to do.
- and -
Is community relations even the right entity to take on huge things like violence interruption?

Anthony Hairston says the city should boost contract hiring people in specific neighborhoods to do community relations/violence interruptor work.
He said you can't hire someone from the west side to work on the east side, you can't hire someone from Glenville to work in Hough.

Hairston says the $10 million endowment from the Cleveland Fdn isn't enough - it's spread too thinly across too many organizations:
He echoed Starr's earlier comment about staffing. Hairston says you can't expect full-time results from part-time hiring.

Should also note - several councilpeople applauded the work of individual community relations staff people and by name.
Concerns seemed to be centered on the board not having the resources it needs - and that high-performing staff aren't compensated enough for their work.

and at the end some discussion about the office space rents from private landlords (like at Erieview) - Blaine Griffin kinda cut that off a bit and suggested councilpeople hold those questions for later in the hearings

next up: Office of Prevention, Intervention & Opportunity - $5 million budgeted for 24 w/ 20 staff & 15 board members.
15 board members - listed as vacant? - this is the Black Women & Girls Commission:

Griffin and Starr asked questions that suggested this office is an extension of the Mayor's Office and doesn't have certain authorizations (like to purchase food, or to house a commission)
Abonamah pushed back on that
Griffin said Council's legal advisors would look into it

Polensek says he doesn't know what the money to the Office of Prevention, Intervention & Opportunity is going to.
Harsh asked for a detailed list of the "other contractual" costs ($2.8 million, over half of the office's budget) and says "it's something that's gossiped about"

Hairston said he'd keep it brief, and he did. He pointed out that PIO has $5 million budgeted, compared to $3 million for community relations - which many councilpeople want to see get more resources

that wraps up PIO - Council will break for lunch after building & housing @cledocumenters @signalcleveland

Office of Sustainability was read and sailed by with no questions or discussions

Next up and last before lunch: Building & Housing (beginning on page 274 of the Mayor's Estimate)
first section here is the director's office

OK another quick change of plans - they're going to luch afterall and will reconvene with Code Enforcement (page 278 of the budget book) at 12:30
@cledocumenters @signalcleveland

The motivating issue at the end of the AM session was Griffin's desire to make sure council gets to eat hot food (they had to eat cold food yesterday).

Another documenter will be covering the afternoon session - follow @cledocumenters & @signalcleveland for that thread!!

the thing that stood out to me the most from this morning's hearing:
some Councilmembers' advocacy for the work of the the Community Relations Board -vs- their skepticism of the work of the Office of Prevention, Intervention & Opportunity

Also differing lines of questions about contracted services:
Some councilmembers' concerns about contracted services for Community Relations: why isn't there a lot more money here?
Some councilmembers' concerns about contracted services for PIO: where's all this money going?

50 or so people were tuned in to the YouTube stream with me at any given time.

And that concludes my coverage of the AM session of day 3 of the budget hearings. Thank you for reading along with me!

Have questions? Think we got something wrong? Send any inquiries on the meeting or these tweets to @cledocumenters. Or email us at cledocumenters@gmail.com