Okay, I see I relieved the tie rule today, so I apologize, everybody.

Leave it up to McCormick's life to be disciplined and have on their tie today.

In order to be um marked present.

We have a third thing.

Okay.

All right, Madam Clerk.

When we have a quorum, let me know.

You have a quorum.

All right.

Oh, wait, we have to be on, you have to be on camera.

Could everyone please be on camera in order to be counted to call the road?

This should be very quick.

I know that councilman uh star and councilwoman Moore have uh an agenda that they have to be at in a minute.

So I want to hurry up and get this done.

Who do we need?

Who do we need to have a quorum?

Councilwoman House Jones.

Uh we just need her to be on camera.

Okay.

Councilwoman House Jones, can you hear us?

There we go.

Okay.

She just okay.

So if everybody could be on camera, Madam Clerk, let's call the role.

Griffin.

Here.

Bishop.

Can you hear?

Yeah.

Conwell.

Madam Clerk, I think it's something technical.

I just got a message from Councilwoman House Jones.

There we go.

Yeah, Council President.

We couldn't unmute ourselves.

There we go.

Okay, now you can unmute yourself.

All right.

Can you hear me?

Yeah.

Let's start over, Madam Clerk.

Okay.

Griffin.

Here.

Bishop.

Here.

Conwell.

Here.

Ray.

Hairston.

Present.

Harsh.

Here.

House Jones.

She said here.

Yeah.

Uh Jones.

Casey.

Present.

Kelly.

Moore.

McCormick.

Presence.

Present.

Santana.

Like.

Present.

Spencer.

Here.

Madam Clerk.

Just for the record, Mora and Santana both have problems unmuting.

I'm looking at their them nodding, but they both have acknowledged that they are here.

Can someone please make sure that we acknowledge them as here?

Vikita, yes, they're they're marked as here, and Vikita is working on the technology.

Okay.

All right.

We'll move to the next uh step.

The next step is we do have a quorum.

Will everyone please uh take a moment for silence and uh rise for a moment of silence followed by the pledge of allegiance.

Thank you.

A pledge allegiance to the flag.

And two all right, thank you.

Uh Madam Clerk, please share the communication.

File number 1064 2025.

Public notice dated August 29, 2025.

In accordance with the charter of the City of Cleveland and the rules of Cleveland City Council, there will be a special meeting of Cleveland City Council Wednesday, September 3rd, 2025 at 11 a.m.

This meeting will be conducted virtually in accordance with Ohio's open meetings law and section 101.021 of the COD 5 ordinances of Cleveland, Ohio, 1976.

Public access to this meeting will be available via YouTube live stream online, Cleveland TV Channel 20, live broadcast or live stream online.

This special meeting will be conducted virtually and only for the purpose of consideration of ordinance 1065 2025.

Signed, Blaine A.

Griffin, Council President.

Thank you, Madam Clerk.

Please move the first reading emergency ordinances to be passed.

By council members McCormack, Starr, House Jones, Hirsten, and Griffin by departmental request.

Approving the report of the assessment equalization board on objections concerning estimated assessments with respect to the recreation of downtown Cleveland Improvement District, determining to proceed with the plan to provide public services within the district, adopting the assessments, levying the assessments, and authorizing the city to enter into an agreement with downtown Cleveland Improvement Corporation and declaring an emergency.

Okay.

Read the motion to suspend the rules.

By councilmember Bishop that the reading of the minutes of the last meeting be dispensed with the journal approved.

Seconded by Councilmember Casey.

Thank you.

Call to roll.

Griffin, Bishop, Conwell, Gray, Pearson, Harsh, House Jones, Jones, Casey, Kelly, Moore, McCormick, Polency, Santana, Slife, Spencer, Star.

14 years.

Thank you.

Call to roll on passage.

Griffin, Bishop, Camwell, Gray, Hairston, Harsh, House Jones, Jones, Casey, Kelly, Moore, McCormack, Polencick, Santana, Slipe, Spencer Star.

14 years.

Thank you.

Councilman McCormick.

I'm sorry, you were saying something.

I think he got it.

There it is.

Councilman Cormac, did you have something to say?

I I Mr.

Chairman, I'd just like to make a couple of comments whenever is appropriate.

Please proceed, sir.

Thank you, Chair.

I I want to thank all the council members for any very busy time coming out today.

I know there are two other council members, uh, House Jones and Star that currently represent downtown as well.

So I won't monopolize all of the downtown council representation.

Um, but I wanted to uh thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

Uh, we also have uh President and CEO Michael Demer on the call from Downtown Cleveland Alliance.

Um, I want to thank uh him as well for his leadership.

Um, and in addition, Mr.

Chairman, uh the folks that walk our our neighborhood streets every single day, chair, whether it's cleaning, providing safety to our residents, uh helping with directions, helping jump a car, whatever it might be, down to the folks that help uh promote our beautiful city at downtown Cleveland Inc.

uh I just really want to thank them, uh Mr.

Chairman.

They are the front line of the folks that uh represent our city to our residents, our visitors, to the employees that come into downtown.

So I want to thank my colleagues for being here today for supporting downtown Cleveland Inc., Mr.

Chairman, as well as all of the folks at downtown Cleveland Inc.

who on a daily basis do an incredible job representing our city and helping our people.

Thank you, Chair.

Thank you.

Uh, I want to give um a brief opportunity for any other downtown representatives to uh make any comments before I allow Michael Damon to make a comment.

And then I also want to acknowledge Mr.

Bob Falls, who's the board chair for Downtown Cleveland Alliance for being here.

Councilwoman House Jones cannot unmute.

Can somebody unmute Councilwoman House Jones?

Councilman Starr, would you like to make any comments?

Um, yes, good afternoon, uh, good morning, and thank you so much, uh, Council President.

I know Councilman McCormick uh, you know, shared just the work of uh downtown Cleveland and what uh the work that they do to be in partnership, um, initially, you know, again, keeping our streets uh safe and clean, but even expanding now into the work of um uh you know connecting, you know, in our portion that I represent, you know, we are dealing with our unhoused issue, and even now, you know, being a part, you know, of trying to connect our unhoused homeless residents with services and working to clean up the area that we know will be an ongoing challenge as we understand our economy is changing and many people are dealing with uh uh homelessness.

And so being able to work in partnership with property owners who understand this investment and they are willing to put up the dollars to ensure that we get the additional support that exceeds kind of the capacity of the city of Cleveland, you know, just as a value uh to residents and visitors alike.

And so again to the downtown Cleveland team, thank you, and really thank you to all other property owners who have said yes and are really ready and willing to put their dollars where their mouth is so that we can get this additional service.

So thank you all too much, and I really thank our colleagues uh for taking time out of their busy days um uh to put this forth, understanding you know, assessment and uh putting the assessment on people property taxes.

There is a deadline uh that is coming up uh on the 12th, I believe.

And so being able to get everyone's support to convene is really appreciated.

Thank you so much, Council President.

Thank you, Councilman.

Could somebody please make sure they unmute Councilman Starr?

Unmute Councilman Starr.

There you are, Councilman Starr.

Yes.

I'm not just showing that I started, but I definitely want to say uh brief support this ordinance.

I'm gonna have fun to uh uh Michael Blue over the past groups when we discussed this forums of boost.

And I want to say thank you to the colleagues for taking time out today today to make this vote happen.

Thank you.

Uh Mr.

Demer, did you have any comments before we finalize this?

Yes, uh, Mr.

Chairman.

Uh thank you.

And I I really want to thank all of you.

Uh on behalf of our board of directors.

Uh, I'm joined uh today by DCA chair Rob Falls, uh, our chief operating officer, Audrey Gerloch, uh, and our policy director, Sam Rocco.

And again, on behalf of the organization, I want to thank all of you.

It is not lost on any of us.

Uh, that this uh is an inconvenient time, and uh really, really appreciate all of you making the time today.

Uh, but even more importantly, uh appreciate your support for uh the organization over the last 20 years.

And I would be remiss if I didn't uh really thank this body uh for its role in uh opting the city of Cleveland into the special improvement district downtown for the very first time uh in its 20-year history.

I really believe that the insightful questions that you've raised throughout the process uh in understanding the importance of downtown to the rest of the city has been really instrumental.

Uh we are big believers that our city thrives as one Cleveland, the strong downtown core in vibrant neighborhoods, reinforcing one another.

I think the downtown Cleveland Improvement District is the foundation of that work.

Uh, we're about building partnerships and getting things done together.

Uh, the improvement district is really a public private partnership that aligns property owners and local government to get together to deliver enhanced services uh to get results for workers and residents.

So I want to thank the property owners uh for their continued support and partnership.

Again, extremely grateful to this body uh for your partnership and for being here today.

I'm looking forward to uh the next seven years and what we can do together and building uh not just a stronger downtown, but a stronger city of Cleveland together.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

I'd be remiss if I didn't also tell everybody thank you for taking a break out of your busy time in order to come and be a part of this special meeting.

Uh, this was six million dollars, approximately six million dollars that was on the line to make sure that we keep our district safe, our downtown central business district safe, clean, and uh and uh really moving in the right direction.

So thanks everybody, madam clerk.

Please uh excuse the absences.

Or did you call the roll on passage yet?

No what Mr.

Uh President, I neglected to say the name of the order the uh number of the ordinance, which is 1065 2025, when I read it.

Okay, so is that duly noted and on record now?

Yes.

Okay, thank you.

So uh at this point, I believe we are calling the roll on passage.

We did.

Okay, so let's move to excuse the absences, all of the absences that uh of the council members that are not here, please excuse those absences.

By council member Bishop, that the absence of council members Bray, Jones, and Kelly are hereby excused.

Seconded by Councilmember Casey.

Thank you so much.

Uh Council is adjourned to the call of the chair.

The next meeting is a very important meeting on September the 15th, 2025.

And I'd encourage anyone who would like to talk to myself or the attorneys to make an appointment uh to discuss anything pertaining to that meeting.

Thank you so much, everybody.

Uh please enjoy your day and get back to kissing babies and shaking hands and trying to get votes.

See you guys later.

Thank you, everyone.