CH council president looks back at 2024

There is no way to do a comprehensive review of 2024 in 600 words, but I’m going to give it a try anyway.

Since I became CH City Council president, VP Davida Russell and I have done a number of things to improve the way city council operates. In order to save space in this article for other important topics, please go to our website: www.clevelandheights.gov/524/City-Council and look under “2024 Council Leadership Accomplishments.”

Regarding the recent budget controversy, here is a summary of the many concerns most members of council had while evaluating the mayor’s proposed budget:

• The budget was prepared by an understaffed Finance Department that had no director for the past year; the interim director quit during the budget hearings; and the city administrator, who is also responsible for preparing the budget, gave his notice at the end of last summer; the budget presented to council was characterized by a staff member as an “embarrassment."
• The mayor’s proposed 2025 budget was almost $1 million in the red, and that’s without allocations for most capital projects (30% of 2024 budget), a pending service workers contract, and a salary study that will undoubtedly call for higher wages for many employees.
• The budget hearings, and the quality and timeliness of the budget materials council received, paled in comparison to the budget process we experienced last year when the administration had a finance director.
  
  

After rejecting the mayor’s budget, city council passed a temporary budget (6-1) on Dec. 19. The temporary budget not only fully funds all current city employees and city services, it also gives the city time to create a more accurate, long-term 2025 budget based on currently missing information, including:

• the city’s unencumbered balance for 2024 and the last three months financials
• the results of the state’s 2023 financial audit
• the results of council’s independent CPA firm’s review of our 2024 budget
• the results of the Archer salary study
• an allowance for a new service worker agreement
• a capital budget based on real numbers
• council’s not-yet-answered questions

Although our current financial situation appears to be stable, a budget with this many unknowns would put our city on an unknown trajectory. That trajectory should be the focus; not an estimate of our current reserves. We need a budget framework that is based on solid, up-to-date information. And when we get that information, we will be able to finish the entire 2025 budget.

But the budget situation feeds into an even larger concern—the high rate of staff turnover at City Hall.

Since the mayor has taken office, there have been 11 directors who have either resigned or been fired. There are currently 50 or so job openings overall that the administration needs to fill. Most concerning, however, is the fact that the mayor has had three Parks and Recreation directors, three Finance directors, and soon, three city administrators. It’s hard to get things done with all the vacancies, and the revolving door of directors.

There are, however, many excellent directors and staff members. Planning Director Eric Zamft and Public Works Director Collette Clinkscale regularly interact with council in a most professional way.

I am concerned about the mayor’s use of city resources, city platforms and social media to air his political grievances.

On the other hand, I am so grateful for council members Cobb, Larson, Petras, Posch and Russell. We work very well together and support the mayor’s agenda about 98% of the time.  

Next year, council must finish the 2025 budget and the review of the City Charter. It is also an election year for the mayor and four city council members, soooo . . .

HAPPY NEW YEAR!