Good morning.

Today is Monday, March 23rd, 2026.

I'm calling the municipal service and properties committee to order, Madam Madam Claire.

Clerk, can you please call a row?

Here.

Present.

Okay, thank you.

Can you ex please excuse the absence of uh councilman Chris Harsh?

Okay.

All right, Director.

Uh just a moment we've been waiting for.

Um you want to get started with you have a presentation?

Uh Councilman, I did not load the same PowerPoint that we did last time since I gave it, you know, a couple weeks ago.

Um so I thought that we could go through the project lists and anything that's changed since the last time.

Okay.

Um if if council would like uh that presentation again, I could give it at the next committees.

This will go through a couple more committees.

I think we okay.

Um so is there any piece that you want to start with off the bit off the bat?

Um, Mr.

Chairman, would you like to go um piece by piece or uh yeah, let's just go piece by piece.

Okay.

Um so if we start with the um vehicles, uh what number?

That'd be two twenty-seven and and two twenty-eight.

So we could start with light vehicles, which is two twenty-seven.

And then just for uh council's information, so vehicles would would go from uh today's uh committee uh MSP into finance committee this afternoon if if approved by by MSP.

All right.

All right.

And in with me I have the assistant commissioner um as well as Director Laird and Assistant Commissioner, if you could Kushner.

Okay, let me read this piece into the record.

All right, we're gonna start off with ordinance number two two seven twenty twenty-six by council members Bishop and Griffin.

This is a departmental request, an emergency ordinance authorizing the purchase by one or more standard and requirement contracts for the purchase lease or lease with options to purchase of various light duty vehicles and equipment for the various divisions of city government.

Okay.

All right, Director, so it wasn't a um amendment to this piece.

Let me let me make sure.

All right, it wasn't amendment to this piece.

Okay, Director Clay.

Um yeah, Mr.

Uh Chairman.

So no MMS from our side on this piece.

Okay.

And uh ordinance two twenty two twenty-seven twenty twenty-six is regarding light vehicles, and the amount of the um proposed acquisition is five million sixty-nine thousand nine hundred and fifty dollars.

And um, in the ordinance itself, there's the list of the specific um light and medium vehicles that uh will be acquired with this this funding.

And um, we're happy to answer any questions.

I would say this is uh this is uh approximately the amount that um in a typical year would be spent on um light vehicle acquisitions.

Okay, all right.

Is there um any questions from the committee?

Um Councilman Brian Cage.

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman, Mr.

Chairman, and um light of discussions that we've had uh previously offline.

Uh I want to say that this these capital projects that are coming through.

Um I see nothing for Cleveland Public Power in any of the capital projects, and I've been asking for more than a decade now for the administration the past two administrations to invest in Cleveland Public Power, and it is gone for naught.

And the only thing that I have uh left to do is vote on projects.

So aside from the uh street resurfacing and repaving, I'm in no vote on any of the capital projects that are going through.

This has nothing to do with uh our with the director or or our commissioners here, but eventually I have to take a stand um with the lack of investment that the administration is doing to Cleveland Public Power.

So aside from the pieces that have to do with red with the resurfacing or roads and bridges, um please mark me a no on all the pieces of legislation for the capital projects, and that's just on principle alone for the lack of investment in the Cleveland Public Power.

And to the assistant commissioner, um, I don't think we've ever seen you at the table before.

Twice at the table before you know what I'm gonna say, don't you, Director?

There's an institution here that that we are deeply involved in.

If you could please come dress properly in the proper attire to the table, we we'd appreciate that.

But um, I just wanted to make that statement, Mr.

Mr.

Chairman.

When we're investing $70,000 in trucks, um, you know, passenger cars for $30,000, and we've got well over 130, 40,000 Clevelanders who need investment in Cleveland Public Power.

I just have to I have to take a stance eventually.

So please mark me a no on on the capital project, aside from uh the ones with the street resurfacing, because those still affect all of our our residents daily.

Thank you.

All right, thank you, Councilman Casey.

Um next I'm gonna go to uh Councilman Starr.

Thank you, um Chairman, for just this opportunity for this.

Um, this is a big part of our um budget as well as different things that's going on.

I definitely would like to um just reiterate some of the concerns that councilman uh Casey shared, and one of the things I received uh Sunday at 242 p.m.

was an email from uh business company Gallucci's in Ward 5 that they say they are writing um to respectfully request assistance from our office in resolving ongoing electrical services issues with Cleveland Public Power at my business.

Um Galocci Company located in a war fight despite multiple phone calls and emails and customer services, and they're out out a outage line.

Uh we continue to experience partial power outage affecting one or more legs or three phase electrical services.

And some of the challenges that they're having as a business is the fact that the infrastructure that's CPP continues to go out.

So when it's the a major rainstorm, rather it's just some different type of uh precipitation that takes place without having the proper updated system, it is affecting their business each and every week.

So they're trying to figure out from CPP what they're can do, but CPP don't have an answer because they're not receiving no investment from the city to be able to uh make sure the power outages is not continuously happen in the neighborhood.

And one of the biggest concerns is not just for this business, but a lot of residents in Ward 5 um deal with a lot of the same issues as well.

So this is one of the hardest things to just do is for us to be able to use dollars for capital improvements, but we're not investing in um our own electrical system in the city of Cleveland, and this is not to anyone at the table, but also to the administration um to know that we need that type of investment in Cleveland Public Power because I too um have service provider of Cleveland Public Power, and it's been time that I'm stuck in my garage because of the power went out.

So I gotta then get on feet and call a lift to try to get somewhere until the power comes back on because my garage is stuck in my apartment complex.

So um, this is a big piece of legislation on with a lot of different capital improvement investments.

Um I know during budget hearing we talked about it as well as the last couple years about when are we going to actually put dollars into investing into our electrical company?

Uh we did have 512 million dollars or 511 million dollars, and there was no real investment in Cleveland Public Power.

Um, but year in a year out, um it's hard for me to explain to a resident that we're not investing into something that is needed in our community.

So this is this is a tough vote.

This is gonna be a tough discussion, but also um from a standpoint of 227 when you talk about different things.

I did write out some stuff that I would like to possibly talk to make sure that we as council understand what we are doing, and one question I definitely will ask um along the fleet strategy and replacement um justification.

Can someone from the table just walk us through the fleet replacement strategy behind this ordinance?

I mean, including which vehicles are being replaced versus expanding the fleet and what conditions or age threshold triggered these purchases through the chair.

You answer that?

Yes, I okay, the chairman to the councilman director.

Through the chairman to the councilman.

Director, I mean, uh, Commissioner, can you um uh introduce yourself to the committee?

Oh, I'm sorry.

My name is Tom Kushner.

I am the assistant commissioner for motor vehicle maintenance.

Okay, motor vehicle maintenance.

Okay, all right.

Go ahead.

Um, so the amount of time that we keep a vehicle is all depend on what it's used for our normal.

Are you talking to the mic?

Commissioner.

Our normal turnover is uh approximately 10 to 12 years.

Uh and again, depending on how that vehicle is taken care of.

Sorry.

That's okay.

So okay, director.

Sorry, through the chair to the councilman, if I may, um the vehicles that you see on on this for the most part are are are catch-up vehicles, that's what I like to call them.

Um our fleet has been woefully under um under capacity.

So what you see here mostly is just really us catching up.

There's not a lot of replacement here.

There's probably very minimal.

I can't speak for public safety, but I can't speak for public works and because I was with parks for so long.

We're catching up here.

So most of this is really just to get us up to capacity.

I'll give you an example in streets.

We we need about 72 snow trucks right now.

We have about 58.

Okay.

So when you see these things, we're trying to add capacity to it.

So it's not so much adding and taken away.

It's more about we just we don't have the vehicles we need.

And so this is just really adding to our fleet.

So from that standpoint.

Hold on, just a minute, Councilman Starr.

Uh uh Madam Clerk, is is this mic working right here?

Um I'm um can we switch?

Can we give him another mic?

Is that working?

I think so.

We just want to make sure the folks at home hear you.

All right, did you need to repeat myself?

Go ahead.

Go ahead.

Uh if to repeat uh through the chair to the councilman, the vehicles that you find here on the sheet for public works and for uh parks is these these are to get us to capacity.

And they gave the example where in streets we need about 72 snow trucks to be at full capacity.

Right now we have about 58.

So what you see here is really us trying to get back to baseline.

So there's really not a whole lot of taking out and putting back in.

It's more so about us just trying to get the baseline first.

I can't again I can't speak for safety, but I can speak for parks and for public words, which the majority of these pieces are.

Thank you.

And I think from that standpoint, um, with this this ordinance coming in involving multiple departments, um, just for a general purpose, I believe those departments should come to the table as well with MoCAP just to make sure we get an understanding from questions.

Um then also I would definitely ask then from a standpoint do we have like a citywide fleet life cycle or policy or a replacement schedule to make sure we're not just doing something without making sure we get everything up to code as far as replacement of the vehicles.

Do we have anything like that through the chair to the councilman?

Yes, there is.

Uh our like I mentioned before, our uh normal life expectancy is somewhere between 10 to 12 years, uh, depending on its use and how it's taken care of.

Sometimes we can stretch that out longer.

Uh, but that's just about where we're at, honey.

And then from that standpoint, uh, with the purchase of these vehicles, um, are they going to actually improve service delivery, um, especially in neighborhoods, oftentimes um requests, calls for vacant properties?

Um, are there gonna be more quicker um response time or is it gonna be slower?

Um, what what is going to actually happen with the purchase of these vehicles that is needed as far as um the neighborhood and impact and service and delivery to the chair?

So I think that through the chart to the councilman, I think it it should help.

There's no reason why it should not, that but that would be up to the department using those.

Uh there are some special vehicles that we have in here.

Uh they're called the multi-hog that we are gonna use for bike lanes and vacant lots and alleys and things like that.

It's a multi-purpose vehicle.

It it sweeps, it snow blows, uh, it cuts, it does all kind of different, it's about five different things that this piece of equipment will use.

That's gonna be a change.

Okay, and through this through the chair, um, just to the table.

I know we've had other policies and ordinances um passed long before um I was here, in which we were buying vehicles every year on a year-end basis.

Is this able to get us caught up or have we continue to do that practice but never fully purchase vehicles?

Because one of the things that I remember hearing in 22, maybe 23, um earlier as a council member, it was that we had um a system in place to purchase new vehicles each and every year, but sometime that got delayed for some years that we didn't purchase vehicles.

Are we ever caught up on that or do we have anything to talk about why that delay actually occurred where we wasn't purchasing new vehicles so we could possibly get rid of some of the old vehicles if they were broken down or just get us caught up?

Do we have anything that we could talk about from there?

Yeah, through the chair to the to the councilman.

If um I'll just take a let's if I could just focus on one division to kind of we're looking at waste collection, and and on this list you'll see that it has like pickup trucks on on and stake body.

So the stake body is what's used to deliver our carts.

All right, it it it it delivers the larger those those kind of large loads.

So the pickup trucks are what our supervisors use to they pick up tires, uh they monitor crews with these.

Uh as far as us being able to, we're not at baseline.

I can tell you that right now.

We are not at baseline.

We have been doing the practice of leasing and waste, and then at the end, after about two or three years, then we purchase that because again, if we were to purchase outright, we would only probably be able to get half the amount of trucks.

Because uh a typical packers gonna be about 200 and something thousand dollars.

But if I can rent those, I can get twice that amount, and at the end of three years, then I purchase those.

That's what we're doing actually this year.

We went through a three-year lease, we've got 10 vehicles, now we're ready to purchase those vehicles right now.

Although it may, you know, there's pluses and minuses to doing that approach, but in our mind, being able to have the capacity at the time is the most important thing.

So here, uh what you'll see um again, if we just focused on waste, that's what you'll see.

We have things like the pickup trucks.

Those are, you know, because we focused on getting packers, uh, the pickup trucks were just kind of we just didn't do it.

Okay.

Um the a couple years ago we actually had to rent pickup trucks for our supervisors.

Now we're trying to actually purchase those.

So this is what we're trying to do to just get ourselves the baseline.

That and again, that's just waste collection.

We go through the different divisions, but that's gives you an idea of what's happening in our divisions, just trying to get ourselves the baseline.

How long it'll take us to get there really does depend on the amount of funding that we're able to get each year and the amount, you know, as prices change uh in the industry, the faster we move the better because prices do change, things do go up, and it takes a longer time.

Sometimes it could be an 18-month wait before you can actually get your hands on vehicles.

So the quicker we move, the better off we are.

But a lot of times it's not so much about any fault of anybody in City Hall, it's just a matter of the logistical change, right?

Things we're gonna take a long time to get.

So sometimes that puts us in a hole as well.

Okay, and through that standpoint, I think the earlier the sooner the better for us to start talking about um capital improvements, but also making sure we follow through on the dollars that are being spent or utilized because it's important to understand this is taxpayer dollars, and I see this ordinance itself is about five million dollars worth of um money being spent to make sure we help with our different fleet uh vehicles and things of that nature.

From the standpoint of just purchasing, how are we ensuring that the competitive pricing and transparency across all purchases?

How do we make sure we're not um are the ones being overpriced just because we're the city of Cleveland?

Is there anything that we can do to make sure that we're not getting hit with that high price quote because it says the city of Cleveland versus if a private vendor was purchasing this?

Do we have anything in place to ensure that we are getting the most for our bucks as opposed to just being overpriced for vehicles through the chair?

Chair to the councilman, uh yes, we do a uh collective uh purchase through the state of Ohio, uh, which guarantees a lower price uh for the amount of vehicles we are purchasing.

Since there's such a wide variety of vehicles that each city buys that gives us a collective uh bargaining chip.

Okay, and then from that standpoint, are we leveraging any federal or state funding to offset some costs so we can be able to get more for our bucks?

Are there grants out there?

Are there extra dollars out there that can help assist us so we can get caught up to the baseline that we need that the director mentioned earlier through the chair?

Uh through the chair to the councilman, um in the I would say in the most recent past, I don't know of any.

However, uh, as of last year, we have been in the work with sustainability.

For instance, we are gonna purchase um two electrical, two electric pickup trucks as well as an electric um rear loader for for waste.

So it's something we're getting into now, but I can I can't say um that we've done it in the past.

So see director, that's why I like you because you you you right on point of where I was going next.

And one of my next questions was what is the portion of each vehicle that are electric or hybrid?

And what is our our long-term um plan for transitioning to more sustainable fee?

Do we have anything in place um to make sure that we get caught up on making sure we have um electric and hybrid through the chair to the councilman?

Yes, we we are we have been working very closely with sustainability.

So again, the the one grant I talked to you about is for that one um we uh uh for that one rearloader.

Well, again, we have about for right now in parking.

I think we have about Jeff, we have about what time?

We have about what six, is it six electric vehicles and parking somewhere in that neighborhood?

I think it's about six electrical vehicles and parking.

Our the but the strategy is this we didn't want to just wholesally just go all out electrical because the technology is still being developed.

So we have been doing a lot of um demos.

We had a lot of companies come in.

What we want to try to do is build our infrastructure first because we don't really have a charging infrastructure for a large fleet.

So we're trying it and we also wanted to wait because right now the the industry tells you you don't want to go all the way out with electrical right now.

It's probably better if you want to maybe do like natural gas.

We don't have the infrastructure for natural gas.

So our our plan is to try to as the technology gets better as our infrastructure gets stronger to add more fleet.

And as again, that that's really our our our main goal.

If you have a piece of equipment out there that you depend on and it fails, uh it's it's the worst thing.

So we know that we have dependable diesel and gas vehicles, but our goal is to once we understand and really know that we have dependable vehicles, uh, electric vehicles that can do the heavy work as you have with waste collection and street uh snow piles, then we will can gradually start making the the transition.

But right now we are kind of just taking our time piece by little by little to getting vehicles in that we feel wouldn't have as much risk if they go down.

Thank you.

And from that standpoint, as I wrap up, Chair, um, I do have some different amendments that I would like to send over um to possibly get included for us to make sure we have oversight as well as um reporting on a quarterly basis, as well as bringing up a plan to be able to say um potentially at least 25 percent of our city do city light duty fleet or electric or hybrid vehicles um by 2030 for us to be able to say, hey, um we mentioned about possibly getting moving this needle there and not doing it too quick.

So but putting a timeline together where we can have a transition plan um to include potentially um getting 25 percent of our fleet to become even more efficient from fleet to electric or to hybrid.

Um I definitely have some stuff that I wrote out.

I was going to possibly email over to you on a um policy and research team um because I don't it's it's I got different sections from fleet, um, from fleet modernization and sustainability requirements, some equity-based deployment, as well as some other procurement as well as things like that that I think we should have included, as well as making sure we have performance and um accountability reporting for what is going on with this one like you heard from the director, as well as I mentioned earlier, we had a system in place with the city where the city was required or they were given opportunity to purchase vehicles each and every year, and somewhere it was a bottleneck, and we did not figure out why they weren't getting purchased um every year when we since that legislation has passed.

So I definitely um with your with your permission and through you, Chair, as well as the policy and research team, if I can send over something shortly um as an email talking about some different amendments that I think we need to have in place just so we can make sure we understand where we are doing, but also having a strategy in place to get us to where some of the goals that you just heard from the director and I yell, Chair.

All right, thank you, Councilman Starr.

Uh you bring up some great points.

But you you know what I want to say is director, do we know how um like the life of electric vehicles since they're so new?

Is it is it a is it a way for us to measure like say we know a diesel vehicle usually lasts us maybe 12 to 15 years?

Do we have we is it's hard for us to determine how long electric vehicle is last?

Is that is that correct to say?

So I will let Tom kind of answer, but one of the things that uh chair is that we think you have to think about the battery.

Right.

That's typically the the main thing that you have to be concerned with is that battery.

So I'll let Tom talk more about that.

Tom, do you have anything to add to that?

Um I I don't think that the uh it's out there yet, how long they're gonna last.

Right.

There's just not enough of them out there.

Uh they're going through some issues with batteries right now.

Please can you talk into the micro?

I'm sorry.

Uh they're going through some issues right now with the batteries and manufacturers are so they've cut those back.

Uh I don't think they really came out to the public to tell us what was wrong.

Uh, but I I don't think there's a good study yet.

Right.

Okay.

All right.

Um is there any questions um from any other uh councilwoman Nikki Hudson?

Thank you.

Um through the chair to the director.

Um just to follow up on some of the points that my colleagues have touched on.

Are there any uh vehicles on these lists that are um for Cleveland Public Power?

Uh through the chairman, the councilwoman Cleveland Public Power goes through their own budgeting process that's outside of this capital plan.

So there's no improvements in this plan that relates to Cleveland Public Power, but we're happy to arrange a meeting with council with Director Kane, Finance Director.

I'm happy to be there myself.

But typically, if they need bond proceeds, they they go to the bond market for their own uh needs, and it would be outside of what is included in this plan typically.

Okay.

Thank you for explaining that.

Um that's all.

All right, councilwoman, you have any other questions?

So director, uh I I want to because these is the first year of some of the members here, uh, and we come every year we come and do the CIP.

We have light vehicles in our CIP.

Could you could you basically touch on that?

Yes.

So as you look at the various legislations that are before you today, um, bond council requires us to split each use into a separate type of legislation, um, in separate piece of legislation.

So they require us to separate light vehicles from heavy vehicles when we're speaking of of vehicles.

And then um, so you know, I have historical data just right here in front of me from 2023 to forward, and so 2023 we invested seven million in light vehicles, 24 it was five million, twenty-five.

Now that was if council recalls, it was kind of a half um CIP that was passed, and that was two million six hundred and ninety thousand.

And then this year we're we're just over five million.

Um, and then to the questions that related to um forecasting our future needs, we do have in the five-year capital plan the forecasted needs of vehicle acquisitions for both light and heavy um included in that CIP, and that's those are real numbers based upon vehicles that they've identified that we're gonna need in those years.

Before director, can you also touch on these vehicles are for what departments and why and what departments are not in this plan and why?

Uh got it.

So, Mr.

Chairman, so generally um what we have in the capital improvement plan among all the pieces of legislation are all of the general fund departments.

So that includes public works, it includes parks and recreation, it includes um public safety.

Um those are the three main departments.

But um we MoCap um works to program these into uh construction projects.

Um acquisitions are generally done either by the departments or um by MoCap for a department, and then um sustainability works with us to identify um uh throughout um our system where we can add um uh our um uh projects or acquisitions that relate to the city's sustainability goals.

So separate from that, um public utilities, um the airport, um those are two uh examples of enterprise funds that that have their own budgets that go through their own um budgeting process.

They have the ability to to um to have bond proceeds specific to their projects.

There's certain grants that are generally uh specific to their their worlds that don't relate to the rest of us.

Airport, for instance, there's FAA grants that they can go through.

Um so that's that's generally how things are split out.

Not to say that those couldn't be included in the five-year um capital plan for the city as a whole, but generally the enterprise funds um manage their own um investments and their own budgets uh to improve their their their operations.

Okay, all right.

Well, thank you for that, um director.

All right, any other questions?

Councilman Policy, you want to Okay, all right, sorry.

All right, Councilman Starr.

Yes, um, I do have uh some amendments that I would like to include um within this ordinance under um ordinary number 27-2026 where it says light vehicles and section three, um, after restricted income tax revenue, insert the funds number, which is funds number 20 dash 710, 20-717, 20-727, and 20-731 and after unspent insert light vehicles, and then in section three, line three, strike future, strike future and include bonds and replace with 2026 debt.

Um, then also in section three, strike and shall be charged against a proper appropriation accounts.

Um at the end of the section three, insert for any debt issue issuance that is not general obligation bonds, the director of finance should notify the clerk of council of the type of debt issued and its terms.

Okay, we have uh um an amendment on the floor is uh by councilman star.

Is there a second uh second?

Okay, councilman Casey seconds it.

All right, can we open it up for discussion?

Is there any discussion on the amendments on the floor?

Yes, Councilwoman Gray.

Cook, yes.

Uh, thank you, Chair.

Could could uh councilman star kind of explain the amendment?

I'm just kind of confused along the way where he want things to be inserted.

Yeah, so within his amendment, one a couple different things is to ensure that um we actually have a different identify the actual funding source numbers to be included within the legislation, but also want to make sure that if anything is required uh to spend additional dollars, it has to come back to council as well as what debt issues have been um contributed for this actual ordinance.

Okay, councilman Gray.

Does that explain it or do you want to differ you want some more clarification of that explaining?

That that that explained it.

I just uh just he is had so many places that he inserted things I couldn't follow that along the way.

So I'm I'm good.

Thank you, Chair.

All right, director, you want to comment on the on the amendments?

Uh yes, sir.

Mr.

Chairman, so is is this amendment what was sent over to me to review on Friday, or have there been further changes to it?

So that that amendment was sent over to you on Friday.

The only thing um that was different was that when we say debt, we want we expect the debt to be we we are taking it granted if the debt will be geo bonds, and if the debt is not geo bonds, we just want the clerk of council, we just want the director of finance to alert the clerk of council of what type of debt it is and its terms.

Okay, um, so Mr.

Chairman, uh just a reminder to city council, this will be the first year to go through the new way to finance capital projects.

So at a certain point, um finance will tally up anything that's been acquired or contracts entered into and go out to the bond market to issue debt, and then there's gonna be a gap between whatever that point is.

Let's just say it's uh August and the end of the year, where the finance director is gonna go after a short-term debt instruments, um, which um would uh um would replace the general fund dollars with with debt so that at the end of the year everything is even, meaning we don't have uh general fund dollars uh funding capital improvements by the end of the year.

Um those short-term instruments then would be rolled into the following year's bond issuance.

Um so I would I would just highlight um and so I'm I'm okay with these changes.

I would just highlight that um by use of um uh by use of that it's it's just the process by which that we can have an even uh balance sheet at the end of each year.

Okay, director, also I just want you to know that we are will amend each piece of the um CIP plan when it says debt.

We just want to know um we expect the debt to be geo bonds, but if they're not geo bonds, we just want to be alerted um of the type of debt and there is terms.

Okay.

All right, is there any other questions?

All right, Councilman Starr.

plan when it says debt we just want to know um we expect the debt to be geo bonds but if they're not geo bonds we just want to be alerted um of the type of debt and there is terms okay all right is there any other questions all right councilman starr yes um council chair person i uh i am actually sending over some different amendments just to make sure um we have some accountability regarding some of the things that we issue that i definitely just emailed to you and some of my colleagues for each section that I definitely think we should look at just to make sure um we have some reporting for what is going on within this ordinance um I do have maybe a page or two of different things that I just sent over I don't know if you want me to read everything into the record for the possible amendment or do we want to try to catch it later on at another committee on what would be your best recommendation for this different amendments that I think should be included in this legislation um as I mentioned for us to have the actual um follow up reporting regarding the accountability for this um ordinance uh yeah councilman star let's review that and we'll we'll we'll we'll tackle that a later date all right okay all right is there any other questions council president you want to make a comment no thank you all right any other questions all right seeing no further questions ordinance number two two seven twenty twenty six as amended is approved please sign it oh I'm sorry all right let me uh let me go back I'm sorry um ordinance number two two seven twenty twenty six madam clerk can you please call a row yes no um you can mark me as a no as amended it's as amended right all right okay uh ordinance number two two seven twenty twenty six is approved as amended all right please sign all right next up we have ordinance number two two eight twenty twenty six this is by council members bishop and griffin this is also a department of request an emergency ordinance authorizing the purchase by one or more standard and requirement contracts for the purchase lease or lease with options to purchase of various heavy duty trucks and equipment for various city uh various divisions of city government all right director um mr chairman so as as mentioned each type of acquisition uh requires a separate ordinance and uh this is for heavy vehicles uh the amount uh proposed for acquisition is ten million eight hundred and seventy four thousand six hundred dollars and the specific heavy vehicles are listed in the ordinance and I wanted to reference um by um by comparison that um so this this ordinance is is just under 11 million uh 2024 our purchase of heavy vehicles was 11 million 2023 was 13 million that was uh one of our catch up years and then last year of course was uh abbreviated year so it was only a million two hundred and ninety thousand which you know set us back a little bit um so this year we're we're back to the um almost 11 million all right um director uh director learn is there um is this are the is this list sufficient for you to operate your public works department uh to chair this this is uh the these are we absolutely need more but given the the what we have the constraints that we have we can work with what we have okay all right I'm gonna open this up to the committee any questions on on ordinance number two two eight all right no questions on two two eight councilman casey all right um councilman star seeing no further questions um councilman starr I'm gonna go to councilman star just a quick amendment similar to the one that we amended ordinance number two twenty seven um dash 2026 for um in section three where it says line three strike um future include bonds and replace with that with um 2026 debt and then in section three strike and shall be charged against the portion the proper appropriation accounts at the end of the section to include those council should be funds numbers 20-710 20-716 20-723 and 20-732 and after unspent insert heavy vehicles and then also at the end of section three insert for any debt insurance that is not general obligation bonds the director of the finance shall notify the clerk of council of the type of debt issue and is and its terms all right thank you councilman starr has an amendment on the floor um is there a second councilwoman Hudson seconds all right I want to open it up is there any discussion on the amendment all right

debt and then in section three strike as shall be charged against a portion the proper appropriation accounts at the end of the section to include those council should be funds numbers 20-710 20-716 20-723 and 20-732 and at the unspent insert heavy vehicles and then also at the end of section three insert for any debt insurance that is not general obligation bonds the director of the finance shall notify the clerk of council of the type of debt issue and is and its terms all right thank you councilman starr has an amendment on the floor um is there a second councilwoman Hudson seconds all right I want to open it up is there any discussion on the amendment all right no discussions on the amendment uh director do you have any comments on the amendment uh no sir all right those in favor of the amendment say aye aye those opposed the ayes have it all right ordinance number two two eight twenty twenty six as amended is approved please sign it you said all right councilman councilman uh councilman police if they can tell tell us where the new pumper they don't have to tell us not where the new pump or narrow ladders are going to what house what engine company um Mr.

Chairman of the councilman so we we don't know that but we couldn't get that information for you thank you very much thank you thank you all right is there any other questions all right all right director we can move on um could we do uh two three two so since director Laird's here that's for facilities okay thank you thank you thank you thank you okay ordinance number two three two six this is ordinance number two three two twenty twenty six as amended by council members bishop polensic Santana and Griffin this is a departmental request this is an emergency ordinance determining the method of making public improvements of designing constructing rehabilitating renovating replacing or otherwise improving public facilities buildings and other similar structures including site improvements and apportunists and authorize the director of public safety public works parks and recs and or capital projects as appropriate to enter into one or more public improvement contracts from for the making of the improvement enter into one or more professional services and other contracts needed to implement the improvements to apply for and accept grants and gifts and authorize the direct employment of the necessary labor for the department of public safety public works parks and recreation andor capital projects now let me uh read in to uh the record the amendment excuse me there's no legal objection to this legislation if amended as follows number one in section one line five strike two three two twenty twenty six a and insert two three two twenty twenty six bits is a list of uh projects attached to the uh legislation okay if anybody wants to look over this we can pass this around uh okay director this Mr.

Chairman uh thank you so this uh this specific uh type of legislation is related to our public facilities and um for point of reference um so this uh total projected uh expenditure is 22 million two hundred and fifty four thousand four hundred dollars and if we look um historically um to our expenditures for uh public facilities um back in twenty twenty three we were at fifteen million twenty four fifteen million twenty four which was uh uh a shortened year but twelve million seven hundred and thirty nine thousand and then this year you can see this is an increase over previous years at the 22.25 million um what I'd like to do is just highlight the changes that are in that amendment okay um because um all council members received um you know the the um capital plan in their boxes and on their tablets but these are the things that are changed related to facilities okay hold on hold on director so the what's on our tablet is not the actual final version of the project list correct uh through the chairman of the councilman so this amendment they would need to look at this amendment for a few changes okay all right that's and and generally these were um through some discussions between um yourself and council uh legislative staff to um make some changes a few of these were at at our our request as well okay all right go ahead um so

So the what's on our tablet is not the actual final version of the project list, correct?

Uh through the chairman of the councilman.

So this amendment, they would need to look at this amendment for a few changes.

Okay, all right.

And and generally these were um through some discussions between um yourself and council uh legislative staff to um make some changes.

A few of these were at at our our request as well.

Okay, all right, go ahead.

Um so first of all, um, under public facilities, the first line for 2001 Payne Avenue improvements.

We made um a designation in there that that's for design.

And to Councilman Polency's question, I'm not sure if the response got back to you, but 2001 Payne Avenue improvements are not related to public safety.

When um when the police headquarters is finished this year, and when the SWAT facility is finished, that building will be vacated by public safety.

And so what we've heard from Councilman Casey and others at the table is that we need to have a plan to stop leasing space and better utilize the space that we own.

So the plan is to fully renovate 2001 Payne Avenue and then vacate uh the uh the lease that we have at the end of the term that we have at Erie View, um, which is currently where Department of Health Sustainability Um Building Housing and other folks are located.

So this would allow us to do the design necessary for a future improvement of 2001 Payne, a historic building, something that we do want to keep that would allow us to move various departments into that building at the end of our lease at at the fives, which is at the end of 2028.

So we need to move pretty quickly to get that building rehabbed so that we don't have to renew the lease or have extensions of uh lease term Mr.

Chairman, put me down.

Okay.

All right, uh first we're gonna go to um Councilman King.

Go ahead.

I there's just a few more changes if you don't it's so the first change was just to notify that it was design for that that facility.

Um and then the only other change was um well, two more changes.

One was we removed the um shot uh detection system uh at the request of city council and public safety has um requested to use what was originally budgeted for that 1950, the same budget to purchase uh vehicular traffic intrusion prevention equipment.

Um in partially, this is in response to councilwoman Hudson's request, but um the um what this would include are um barricades to block off streets during events to prevent vehicular assault of pedestrians, but also attenuator equipment to be mounted on or be a part of city vehicles to block traffic lanes during freeway incidents to ensure first responder safety.

And then the only other changes where we have um the uh salt tones listed originally it was just Seville station in Ward 1, but we've added uh Ridge Road and Ward 11 as well.

Mr.

Chairman, those are the three changes.

Okay, hold on just a second, Director.

We have um a mix up here with the legislation to record two three four.

I think we just got it.

Yeah, yeah, this is one right here.

Oh, it's still two.

Should we so yeah?

Yeah.

Okay.

I got it.

All right, okay.

I think we back in business here.

Um director, are you finished?

Are you finished with all your first I'm gonna go to Councilman Brian Casey?

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

Mr.

Chairman to the director.

8.65 million in renovations to City Hall next year.

Can you can you go over the big one, which is the $7 million ask?

What exactly it is that we're going to walk in and just see starting to be done.

Yes, sir.

Happy to I'm going to give a brief overview and then uh Mark Dooleck next to me, the manager of architecture and site development will get into the details.

But I just wanted to highlight to council that um, you know, Councilman Casey, you brought to our attention that we need better ADA accessibility into our building.

Um this plan will accomplish that.

We've also heard from the public that um the way that folks enter through security is unwieldy, especially at busy times when people are queuing into the garage.

This will um address that as well.

And we've also heard um positive feedback about changes to the environment to the people's house to make it a more welcoming space, and so this project will accomplish that as well.

All of those improvements that Mark will go through are in the garden level, which is what we used to call the basement.

Um so with that, uh Mark will be a little bit more.

Mr.

Chairman to director, when did it become the garden level?

It was it's been the basement for 200 years.

Where's the garden?

Uh so uh garden level uh arose out of an idea to uh really think about how we can make all parts of this building uh usable and welcoming, and anybody that has an office in the basement um just kind of makes it sound like you're you're not in a proper part of the building.

So garden level is something that's used in many buildings around the country, and that's what was adopted uh for that level.

Who adopted it?

Uh uh who who adopted it?

Yeah, we just walked in one day and all of a sudden the G is a B.

Or the B is a G.

We we didn't consult City Council on that one.

Yeah.

All right.

Mark, thanks.

Uh thank you, Director.

Through the chair to the councilman.

Um to build on what the director mentioned.

Um the whole idea is this idea of welcome.

Um rooted in accessibility.

So the main features are really the creation of a new west entrance that works in tandem with the garage entrance, through which most people enter the building from the garage or from the elevators down from the plaza level.

Um really creates kind of a new people's lobby, so you can enter from the west, either down that accessibility ramp that will actually be um starting right at those west steps.

There will also be an exterior freestanding uh glass and metal entrance canopy.

Um then the small lobby that is the current way you come in through the little glass tunnel from the garage.

That small lobby becomes expanded into what we think of as the people's lobby, which will include the coffee shop and a more gracious security point where you get into the building uh more into the center of the building.

So you can come in either the new west entrance or that entrance from the garage and find the security desk there in the middle past a new coffee shop, and then you'll find community relations there on that same point.

So that's really the big move.

Um so mr mr.

So there's a current entrance that's not used just outside uh recreation, right?

Is that what you're talking?

Is that will that be a new way into City Hall?

That's the new West way into City Hall, correct?

Uh through the chair to the councilman, yes.

Okay.

And then when you're talking the other stuff coming in from the garage, right?

What will the new entrance look like?

When you come uh through the chair to the councilman, through once you've passed from the garage through that.

You come through the by the stairs.

Yes.

Come in through by the stairs.

So you come in, and what you'll see is the new larger lobby with a seating area to the right with the coffee shop to the right, and then you will see to the left, you'll see some new restrooms, and you'll see the new security desk that instead of being right at the point you entered the building, will be more in the middle of the building aligned with the central circulation of the building.

So where will you go through security?

So currently right now we know how it's set up.

So once you get through security, you go through the door, you've got community relations to your right.

That's staying.

Yes, up through the chair um to the councilman.

Uh where uh recreation is right now.

Straight ahead, correct?

That is going to be where community relations will be.

So what's community relations going to become?

Community relations is going to become this new lobby and the coffee shop.

Okay.

And then where's where's recreation going?

Um through the chair to the councilman.

Recreation is being relocated over to public auditorium.

Okay.

Isn't this nice to know?

I mean anybody ever think about consulting with the council on what the people's house should look like.

Any anything?

Any, I mean, you we're just we see seven million dollars and it's supposed to be okay.

Even the stuff that's up in the hallway now, right?

We just walk in one day and all this new stuff is is hanging, and we're what we're thinking to ourselves, how are we paying for this?

Who who decided that the seven million dollars did you consult with council leadership?

Did you consult with with the chairman of municipal services and properties?

I'm I mean how are we paying for it?

Are is it being bonded out?

I mean all of a sudden this you're changing something that's and I understand the administration doesn't like history, right?

But I mean, come on.

You're you're you're gonna uh explain it, tell me eight and a half million dollars?

And from what I'm understanding, this is only 2026, right?

There's more coming of 2027, right?

Because I heard 21 million over the over the next two years.

That's what I'm hearing, right?

But I don't know.

So please explain, Mr.

Chairman, to director my somebody where we came up.

You never ran a plan by city council, you never you never nothing.

Just please explain to us why this is a great idea.

So, Mr.

Chairman, the the the councilman.

So, one question I heard is how this is being funded.

It's being funded through the capital plan.

Capital plans are funded through bond proceeds.

And another thing I heard was that there's a 21 million dollar ask in the future, and if and all council members have been provided with the five-year capital plan, there's there's no 20 month 21 million expenditure in the future.

Um there are future phases that um help with um bathrooms and air circulation and lots of other things in the building.

Um and currently, as you know, we're doing the exterior, including the tuck pointing the roofs, the front doors, um, and uh some piping work in the building.

So there's a lot of deferred maintenance in in the people's house in in city hall, and um whether it's little things like stopping the leak that was on the city council mural to um you know major things like repairing the roof, there's just a lot of work that needs to be done.

Um the good news is is that um the exterior work will be finished this year, and then uh we can start focusing on the inside of the building, and that's what we do with um all of our public facilities.

We try to work on the exterior, the envelope, meaning the the the walls and the roof first, and then start working on the inside of the building.

The reason why the basement level, um the garden level was was decided to go um first is because that's where most the majority of the people enter.

That's where the majority people have majority of people have their first touch point with the building.

And um I think it's uniformly agreed that it's uh a negative uh impression of the building.

So while um uh most of the building hasn't been touched, um it is absolutely the case that um that level of our building, which most people pass through, has not been touched in I can't even think how many years.

Um so um so that that would be my response to your to your questions.

Well, Mr.

Chairman to the director, people have been coming into this building since 1912, and I don't believe that anybody's ever said, hey, I'm not going into Cleveland City Hall because we're not because it's a we go through the basement, or because we have to walk by community relations, or we walk right into, you know, for me it's about priorities, right?

And eight point six five million dollars would get how many more streets redone in the in the city, right?

To me, this is just uh uh uh a cosmetic thing to make somebody look better, right?

This is this isn't this doesn't improve the city services, this doesn't you know stop people or invite are we're not gonna get more visitors coming into City Hall because you know we've we've got a coffee shop and uh and uh lounge for the people.

People aren't coming down here to hang out, they're coming down here to do their business and then to leave, right?

They're not they're not coming down here to hang out at a coffee shop.

Might be nice for the employees, but we we have something for them already, right?

So I again I'm a little taken aback that this whole plan to to renovate city hall was not run through through city council at all.

Um how much have we we spent so far in the modernization of City Hall, Mr.

Chairman to the director?

Um Mr.

Chairman, so we did provide that information to City Council.

I think I brought it here.

Um but um so that would include the collaboration furniture that you see, uh digital signage, which is not yet in yet, the static signage which you which is currently in.

Um I can't wait for the digital signage.

This way I'll know where I'm going.

Yeah, it'll be it'll be nice.

I'm excited about it too.

I think we have a different form of excitement.

Um so I do not have a sum on all the work that was uh on the city hall projects.

We provided it to council December 15th, I believe.

Okay, well I'll go back and find it.

But one last one last question, Mr.

Chairman, to the to the director is that how is spending this 8.65 million and the other however many millions we've spent already, how does that better improve city services to the residents of the city of Cleveland?

So uh through the chairman of the councilman, I feel strongly that really what it relates to is um retention of our employees for the longest time.

Our employees were working in a building that had falling down plaster, it had bathrooms that flooded, it had uh, you know, areas of the sub basement that folks were supposed to keep their records for retention that were uh beyond uh um uh um you know decay.

Uh I I really feel strongly that whether this was um um you know the the plan of the previous administrations, but this building has been uninvested in for so long that the time has come that if we're gonna continue to operate in this building and continue to retain talent, we need to have a better facility for folks folks to come to.

Mr.

Chairman to the director, and I feel that same way about Cleveland Public Power.

By the way, it's 22 million dollars the renovation over five-year plan for for the city between what you've got budgeted for and what you've already spent.

That's what I was that's what I was told.

Somebody looked up what you sent us already.

Um thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

Thanks, Director.

All right, Council McCays, you bring up some great points.

Um Mr.

Chair uh uh director.

Um what about the lighting in City Hall?

Have we uh have we come up with a plan for the lighting in City Hall?

Because City Hall is quite dim.

Um Mr.

Chairman, thank you for the question.

Yes, part of the uh part of the modernization plan is the kind of electrical upgrades that will allow us to do uh new lighting, certainly throughout the garden level, so that the overall level of brightness is more appropriate for for the space.

Okay, so director, um, while we on the topic, who is um who determined the the order of uh improvements like the lighting.

I mean somebody might say the lighting is is important, it's a lot more important to have a coffee shop.

Um so who's making a determination we're gonna do this first, this second, this third, this fourth.

Who's making that determination record?

So, Mr.

Chairman, um we through the through the Capitol Plan um we've um outlined future uh phases of improvements, and our our total work was scoped through a study of all the downtown work uh uh buildings.

So that would be 205 St.

Clair, where we have you know multiple functions, IT and taxation are the two that most folks know about.

Um City Hall, the fives, um missing one more public auditorium.

Oh, yeah, public auditorium.

And so Pain Avenue.

Oh, yeah, in 2001 Payne Avenue.

So with that study looked at everything, and then it broke it down into sort of the dominoes that need to happen fall first in order for uh the full system to be improved.

So um with that, maybe is there any more you can add to that, Mark?

Um uh yes, uh Mr.

Chairman.

Um we called it the city or the downtown facilities uh assessment study.

And so what the director is saying is correct.

We looked at all the facilities and determined what needed to be renovated when.

So within the context of City Hall, we did decide to start with uh the the way one enters the building.

So exterior first, as uh director mentioned, we always start with the exterior first, so that's gonna keep the weather out.

This uh exterior of the building had not been substantially renovated in decades.

So we hope you're uh pleased and excited about the work that has been done to date and that will be completed before the end of this year on the roof and the facades that uh keep the elements out and make it easier to heat.

The way the projects we have prioritized work is that each project allows the area of the building that we're impacting to have all the related improvements done at once.

So while we're beginning with that garden level for the entrance experience as well as better security and an enhanced employee and visitor experience, we are also doing the related HVAC improvements and the related electrical improvements and the related plumbing improvements.

So rather than looking at a specific system, we are really looking at all the systems in an integrated way and coupling those with where we're doing interior improvements.

I hope that answers your question.

Well, I mean, the the thing of it is is that the most important part of the building is for us to be able to heat the building in the wintertime, right?

So if we're working on the facade, um and I'm not saying that the facade is not important, but if we're putting in a coffee shop when our heat goes out, uh what's more important as and and what I'm saying is the electrical system, the lighting system, those are major, major um uh infrastructures uh of this building.

And uh, you know, and that's why I'm asking what what are we doing first?

Are we doing the infrastructure first?

For example, if we painted City Hall before we fix the plaster, I mean that would be backwards, correct?

So that's what I'm saying is who who's determined the method, the order of what were we doing improvements to City Hall?

And do we have a bona fide uh have we have a well thought out plan and order we're doing stuff at City Hall because this is a major, major building with all kinds of renovations and we and you're right, director, and I agree that all of the maintenance have been deferred for so long, but we do have to have a proper order for a maintenance schedule.

Okay.

All right, but but director, this is the con it's a topic for another day.

I'm gonna next I'm gonna go to Councilman Shaw.

Thank you, Chair.

Uh good morning uh to the director.

Good morning, everyone.

Thank you for coming to the table.

Uh I wanted uh just understand a few um things about the downtown facility study, you know, as I'm new.

I hadn't heard about it before.

Has the council ever received a copy of that study to the director through the chair?

Uh through the chairman of the councilman, I do not believe we have.

I don't believe that uh we have happy to um love to see a copy of that study um so we can understand you know what might be coming down the pipeline and um through the chair to the director.

I think some of the friction points that I'm hearing, you know, time and time again between what the council sees as um not having involvement, I think we're frustrated because understandably this is the first point of contact where a lot of folks have um a point of touch with the city services, but the majority of folks we're seeing are actually getting impacted by the rec centers, the other facilities throughout the city.

And as the council members that represent our city in the actual field out there, more often than not, we're hearing why is the city hall looking so nice when our facilities out there, our rec centers, our parks are not at the same level.

And I think as leaders, I think we all agree, we want to set the example that we won't expect others to live by.

And I think that goes for our facilities as well.

And this is just I think what I'm understanding is we want to have some more involvement from the public, including council members in this planning.

And as part of that study, where was there any community engagement done in terms of understanding what are the ways that people are actually interacting with city services?

Uh through the chairman of the councilman.

So first of all, I did want to say that um you know, in the past, um as the city had uh funds for facility improvements, generally in the past, and especially before there was a test tax increase in 2018, I believe it was, all that money was really put into rec centers, and even though it doesn't feel like our rec centers are uh what they need to be, whether it was roof projects, tuck pointing, thing things, you know, mechanical repairs.

Um we're we're now sort of rounding the corner on that.

We have very few roofs that need to be done.

We have, I think, three systems that have HVAC needs that are programmed in the capital plan.

So now we're starting to turn our attention to some of the facilities that have never received investment.

So that includes a lot of the facilities under Director Laird where people are working that haven't um you know received any investment.

It includes um the ridge road tipping station where folks are living in a trailer because the offices are not occupiable.

I mean, there's a lot of deferred maintenance that we're trying to catch up on through um Mark and his team's work by identifying the needs of of the different departments.

You know, there's been a big emphasis on police stations, there's a new emphasis coming up with fire stations, and I guess all that's to say that there's been deferred maintenance throughout our entire um system, and probably the only place where we where we attempted to invest money was in the recreation centers.

Um for better or for worse, they are what they are at this point.

But now we're trying to um not ignore the rec centers but also move on to all the other facilities that haven't seen investment in you know 20, 30, 40 years.

I I hear you.

Thank you.

Thank you for walking through walking me through that process.

And you know, once again, I would um back up what other council members have said, and I think I would as well like to see some more participation from the community regarding these improvements for City Hall itself.

If we're gonna call it the people's house, I want to see actual engagement and feedback from the people in terms of what would be helpful ways.

Um, what are the ways that we can transition?

I mean, you know, just looking at how accessible even City Hall is by public transit, what are the ways we're improving for people to actually get to City Hall so that we can see an uptick in folks coming here to use it.

I mean, I absolutely would love to see more people coming to hang out on the garden level, um, coming to hang out in the public hall, but the hours are limited, right?

All of these, I think there's a variety of other factors as well where I would love to see more public engagement around and an understanding of how can this um public asset be leveraged so that the people are more welcome and feel like this is their home as well.

And um councilman, I apologize.

I I missed the uh the response related to public engagement.

So what the engagement that we did was with city workers.

So there was engagement that went out through the consulting team that looked at um the facility, and um boy, that was probably in 22 or 23.

I can't I can't remember exactly, but it was an engagement with folks to really understand, okay, hey, the uh whatever floor bathroom floods every time, you know, things like that, as well as hey, it'd be really nice if we had more healthier options to eat, you know, in the building.

So so we um so we did engagement in the building, but we didn't do engagement at writ large.

Um I will say too that um we did a lot of historical analysis of what how the building functioned originally, and um it is interesting that um you know, prior to the need for security and in and the things we have to live with today, um, each of the the basement um stairway entrances at each of the the um exit points were functioning, and there were departments that if you wanted to go to I can't remember which department would be in the the basement level, you would come down that set of steps to access that department.

Mark probably knows a little bit more detail, but but it was really interesting that we're we're now putting back an entrance that was a functioning entrance of City Hall when it was originally built because there were lots of people that needed to come in here, and so there were different entrances that served different needs at in the building.

I don't know if you wanted to add anything.

You don't have to.

Thank you.

Yeah.

Uh no, that's that's great to uh understand more of the history.

Personally, I would I would love to see us go back to that uh more welcoming creating more of those welcoming spaces for our people, including understanding how can we lift some of these security restrictions because it absolutely does not create a welcoming environment when you're forcing people to walk through that also causes a lot of backup and ADA changes, right?

So um you know, I'm always uh mind of if we're gonna put a lot of restrictions, I want to understand why, and unless we have direct threats or any other things we can point to in terms of concrete ways of why we believe this is necessary, I think taking away some of these security protections so that we can increase the ability for people to come through freely would absolutely absolutely be a step in the right direction for making it the people's house.

Thank you, Chair.

All right, thank you, Councilman Shaw.

Um before I go to Councilman Polency, uh Councilman Shaw, you you brought up a couple uh points that I want to touch on.

I think 9-11 has changed the way we view uh public buildings and the level of security that we have in our public buildings.

So uh I know back in the day that you probably didn't have security at each each uh entry point, but since 9-11, I think the world has changed, and you do have security at each entry point into city public buildings, government buildings.

Um but director, what I want to ask you about in this seven million dollars, is is this where is bathrooms included in this uh public assist facilities uh the renovation?

Where's the bathrooms at?

Um thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

The bathroom facilities, as you know, are throughout the building.

For the initial phase, we are certainly looking at um replacement and new and improved bathrooms in the garden level.

Um what we are doing is looking at within this budget how far into the other areas of the building we can push it uh within the budget we are asking for.

So we it could be throughout the building, but we don't know yet because we're gonna be bringing uh construction manager on board and determining how much scope we can achieve in this first phase, and we'll do as many bathrooms as we can.

So what you're saying is that you don't have a plan for the bathrooms, but you have a plan for the entryways in the coffee shop.

You have a plan for that, but not a plan for the bathrooms.

Um Mr.

Chairman, we do have a plan for the bathrooms.

Um the question is when in the sequence of construction, in terms of the disruption to the area of the buildings that get renovated, when those make the most sense, both from uh construction sequencing perspective as well as a construction cost perspective.

The intent over the two phases that are proposed as part of the five-year capital improvements plan is to address all of the toilet room rooms within those two phases.

One phase we're asking for is this year, obviously, and then another phase in 2028.

Okay.

All right.

I'm gonna next I'm gonna go to Councilman Polency.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman, my honorable colleagues, and to the uh directors and to uh Mark.

Um this piece of legislation, when when do you hope to get this piece passed to the administration?

Uh Mr.

Chairman, so the next uh stop on the train would be um the uh DPS committee, and then the next stop would be finance committee.

So there are a lot of important projects in here.

So you know, we're hoping to have it passed um in the sequence of those committees without a delay, but but that's at the discretion of city council.

Okay.

Um so we're talking about 232-2026 B piece, correct right now in this piece.

Excuse me, I'm sorry.

232.

Yes.

232, yes.

And the B piece.

Yes.

Yes.

Okay.

Yeah.

So and this goes to your committee, I believe, as well.

Yes.

Okay.

Um, Mr.

Chairman, again to my honorable colleagues, and you have two competent directors here uh who I um have indicated publicly, I believe they've been doing a good job, and Mark, I've worked with him over the years.

I want to go back to uh the discussion that was initiated here.

Is that somehow, and I I don't believe you're doing this deliberately.

You wouldn't do it deliberately, and I don't John Laird wouldn't do it delivery, but there might be some other people who would do it deliberately in City Hall.

It's like the council is being ignored.

And so when we're talking, and I'm gonna go follow up on Councilman Casey's line of comment.

8.6 million dollars is in this for City Hall.

And um and historically, nothing could be done on this side of the hall.

I'm talking pictures on the walls, stuff on the floor, none of that without the concurrence of City Council.

Nothing.

You can never touch this side of the hall.

The rotunda City Hall was designed for the separation of powers, the rotunda separator, the mayor's office from the council's office, the administrative from legislative.

Nothing could be done on this side without the concurrence of the leadership of council, and then in some cases the the vote of the council.

Um I learned that very quickly.

I couldn't change the color of the men's room when I came into City Hall without a vote of my colleagues, and then without the uh administration deciding what color it was gonna be.

Okay, I learned that very quickly.

I learned that from George Ford.

So here we are.

So there's been no sit down with us to the to lay out.

I'd like to really see the design for the basement.

When I came into city council, there were offices in now which you're referring to is the garden.

Okay.

Um and then that we got away from that.

So I'd like to really see the layout.

I'd like to see the layout for the basement.

I'd like to see the pictures and the diagrams and the layout, artists, the architectural design for the rest of City Hall, because I do believe, as has been said, this is the people's house.

Every time I come in here, I kid you not, every time I come in here, to me, it's special.

Because I never thought I'd be here as growing up.

I never thought I'd be a public official, the council person.

So when I come in at City Council, and I come into this committee room and I go into that chamber, it's always something when the day comes I'm not here, I'm gonna miss that going in that council chamber because of what I know what it is represented to the people of the city of Cleveland.

But is Councilman Casey and other my colleagues have indicated?

Every one of us have all kinds of issues, rec centers, parks, playgrounds, resurfacing.

We all have that that that demand placed upon us.

So here's another 8.6 million on top of the money we've already spent, which I believe is important to we got a water type display.

I mean, but even today, as I sit here, I got bungee courts holding my office door together.

My patio door that goes on into the balcony.

I got bunch of courts holding it together.

Okay?

They the heat doesn't work in the in the office.

So I got a I got a space heater in there to keep the because I'm on the north side, and if I don't put that space heater on, you know, I'm wearing my my jacket and and my earmuffs in there.

Um so there's still all kinds of issues here that need to be addressed.

But we have a right.

This chairman, this committee has a right to see what's being done here.

And it needs, and that has to be agreed to before we pass anything on here.

Because as I, you know, when I hear about a coffee shop and then the garden, what's next?

Justin's disco?

Okay.

What are we gonna put in here?

This is this is a city hall building.

It's not a party center.

Okay, it's not a party center.

So I we got a cafeteria.

Is the cafeteria going anywhere?

Um, Mr.

Chairman of the Councilman.

So there are improvements proposed for the cafeteria, but it's not going anywhere.

Okay, so I want to know what the improvements are, because I go down to the cafeteria.

I want to see what's going to go in the cafeteria.

On the first floor of City Hall, is Archibald Willers picture, painting, is that is that going anywhere?

Uh Mr.

Chairman, there's no plans to change the artwork.

Okay, so the bells aren't going.

The Cleveland bells aren't going.

Uh through the chairman of the councilman, correct.

That the Slovenian maiden on the first floor is not going anywhere, correct?

Um, Mr.

Chairman, we're we're focused on the permanent improvements, not anything that can just be moved around like that.

Okay, well, because I see different things going on the walls, I don't know if you're gonna start sticking archibald down in the basement somewhere.

Okay, Mr.

Chairman of the Councilman, there are folks that focus on public art, but we're we're not focused on that.

But the point I'm trying to make to both of you fine gentlemen, because I I think we leave very confident.

We have Mark is very confident as well.

Look, we exist.

This side of the table exists.

And if there's anything I'm ever gonna do in this body, you guys know I'm gonna protect the council.

Because the council represents the citizens, and we have to sign off on let me see, what is it?

22 million dollars on this one piece of legislation, if I'm not mistaken.

On the bottom, let me go to the bottom.

Twenty-two million.

That's a lot of smackaroots, okay.

And I want to know exactly what it's going for and what the the end results are gonna be.

So I'm gonna just jump in, Mr.

Chairman, if I can, Payne Avenue.

Someone's gonna have to show me and lay out to me what's going in Payne Avenue.

Because we're spending 90 million on the police headquarters.

Is that number still correct?

Uh through the chairman, correct.

90 million is our uh agreement with the developer to purchase and renovation.

I can keep hearing that the numbers have gone up, but no one has told us any different.

No, the the 90 million is is through an ordinance with council.

That's what Turndev will receive for both the building and the renovations.

So, Mr.

Chairman, my colleague, I want to see what's going in Payne Avenue.

Exactly, because we've been talking about this getting out of lease.

We got Payne Avenue.

We got all these gonna be all these empty school buildings that we're gonna have all over the city as a result of the mayor supporting the closure of 18 more schools.

So I want to know is there any possibility utilizing the school buildings, especially the newer ones that are being vacated?

Um so I'd like so I'm gonna ask respectfully through the chair.

I want to see what's going into Payne Avenue.

You mentioned about the facilities utilization.

We have been asking for facilities utilization plan for God knows how long, citywide.

Now you touched about a plan that had been done.

What was the plan, Mr.

Chairman, to the Director Darauf?

What plan have you completed or you're undertaking now?

Um, Mr.

Chairman, so as uh as you and I have discussed facility plans in the last couple months.

Right.

As I understand your request, you're seeking a analysis by city staff of all the facilities that the city owns, public works facilities, fire stations, police stations, city hall, et cetera.

We do not have such a plan as one document done by city staff.

The plan that we just referenced was through a consulting team to look at the downtown work buildings.

So that's 205 St.

Clair, public auditorium, uh review, and City Hall.

Okay.

So in you said, Mr.

Chairman, briefly, uh, you indicated parks is leaving down, leaving the basement and going across the street.

Um you're go they're gonna go into where public properties used to be.

Um Mr.

Chairman of the Councilman.

So if you think about where Director Laird's office is, if you're facing public auditorium, he's on the right hand side of public auditorium.

So um parks and recreation would be on the left side of the building as you're looking at um public auditorium.

So currently you have parking in one level of that.

Um currently you have um special events on the public work side of the building, if you will, the right side, they would be moving to the to the park and rec side so that so that park and rec and all of their departments are stacked up, and the same in the future, we could do the same thing with Director Laird and his folks stacked up on the right side of the building, the west side of the building.

We have a right to see this.

The council has a right to see the changes in public auditorium.

We have a right to see the changes in City Hall.

And if need be, I'd like to I'll take a hike in the basement to see what's gonna go on down there.

Um, and then I want to jump right through here to the um within this legislation.

You also have the um Which which legislation I'm sorry?

The the B piece, the B piece.

The two 32-2026 B.

I'm looking at the project, that's where the Payne Avenue is in that one.

Okay, got it.

Okay.

Um, because we've got all these other pieces floating around here.

But the uh let me see what else we got here in this one.

Um the um the on-call professional service OCPS, the 1.2.

Can you explain what that is?

Uh yes, sir.

So um both in engineering and in architecture, when we have specialty needs of for instance, um, councilwoman Hudson asked us to do an analysis of uh of the HVAC and air filtrative system at a fire station.

Okay.

We use that to hire an expert in mechanical systems to go out to the building with Mark and his staff to do an analysis of how we can um fix that particular specialty item.

And so that's how we supplement staff.

It could be for a design, it could be for a technical analysis and solution.

Um, but that that's how we supplement our staff and the knowledge that we have with experts in the field.

So this this is separate than the overall plan to address the 26 firehouses.

Uh that is general throughout the whole division.

So it could be at a fire station, it could be uh an issue at City Hall, it could be um an issue at a recreation center.

Okay.

Thank you.

So, Mr.

Chairman, I I made that request.

I want to see what's going in the 2001 Payne Avenue.

We need to know, and and this is probably the best.

We need to know this council, this chair need to know what buildings or what divisions, what sections are still gonna be in rent outside of the city.

We need to know that.

Through the chairman and the councilman, which ones will be leased?

Is that the question?

No, we we need to know after after which you're proposing for Payne Avenue, and we have the new police headquarters coming online this year.

We need to know what we're where we're still gonna have lease agreements or be in rental situations outside of the city, outside of city government.

We can pr Mr.

Chairman of the Councilman, we can provide that to you.

I think is if we're gonna think if we're gonna work harder and smarter as it pertains to city facilities, then we need to know what we still have outside because we're spending a substantial amount of money uh right here, renovating City Hall.

So again, my question is why aren't we moving more departments and more sections back in the hall?

Do you you have you have a cafeteria, but you want to build a coffee shop.

How does that gonna impact the cafeteria?

Is that gonna put the cafeteria out of business?

I don't know.

I mean I need I know I need to understand that.

Because that cafeteria is utilized by city employees.

Um who's gonna run a coffee shop?

Is it gonna be the same people?

Are we gonna go out for a bid?

Do we need a coffee shop in City Hall?

When you got the cafeteria, where do they got coffee?

I don't know.

I mean, um these are questions it's been it's dropped on us today, but we haven't, and this chair of this committee hasn't had the opportunity to really dig down as to what's really needed here at City Hall and what isn't.

Again, I want to go back to the I think the the from the way the chairman opened up the meeting and my other colleagues.

City hall um is a place for not only our employees and we want to improve the the working environment, but it's also a place for people to come uh be who have business here.

And it's not a place to hang out, it's not a place to party, it's a place to come and do your business and leave.

Um and I wanna make sure that our focus is on that.

That's what I want to make sure our focus is on that.

I mean, because of all the other issues we're confronted with here, members of this body are confronted with daily.

Every day I go out in my neighbor, I drive, I f I need this fixed, I need that fixed.

I can't get this accomplished.

And my frustration level here um is increasing day by day, day by day, because I I get the impression that it's all about um optics here.

We gotta somehow it's about optics here at City Hall, and the reality is in our neighborhood.

And that's what concerns me is and it's a growing concern uh my honorable colleagues into the administration.

Again, I've said we have two competent directors here who I feel very um strong about who are doing a good job.

And Mark, I know the job that he's done traditionally here.

Um but I hope you understand.

You gotta respect the chair, you gotta respect this committee, got to respect the council.

I'll leave it at that.

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

All right, thank you, Councilman Pelican.

Is there any other questions on the public facilities plan?

Director, did you mention uh councilman?

I'm gonna go to Councilman Shaw first.

Sorry to interrupt, Chair, and just um one final thing.

I I know between the to the chair to the director, but in the A and B pieces we took out the section regarding the um gun detection technology.

Correct.

Um could you speak to a little bit more on that to the director through the chair?

Uh yes, sir.

So we had a request from uh councilman bishop to remove that item as uh he represented it.

There were some council members that wish to have it removed.

Can you I thank you for clarifying that?

Um and I think yeah, there is some real concern um in council that this money is gonna be used for um contracting with Flock, who we've you know been at the table before, we've talked about our hesitation with those things.

Can you verify that our money is not gonna be going to Flock because we've taken this out?

Oh uh through the chairman and the councilman.

So that that item has been taken out.

Um I I do not know how public safety may use Flock in other ways, but as far as a uh line item in this capital plan, it is no longer in there.

And as you know, we are now um approving a project list that would be for projects that would be eligible for expenditures.

Sure.

So if it's not listed, it is no longer eligible for capital funding.

I will say that I had conversations with Director Drummond, and they are um planning on an RFP for gunshot detection, which would be out at some point this year.

Um, but they haven't gone through that process yet, and I believe that that would be the process by which they would determine the vendor, and at that point they would need to come to city council with specific legislation for authorization.

Thank you.

Yes, all right, thank you, Councilman.

Um Director, going back to the um facilities public utility.

I think um did you touch on the on-com professional services.

Explain.

Explain to the committee what that is.

And as you say that's citywide.

Uh yes, sir.

So I took a stab at it.

Let me let Mark um talk about on call professional services in a little bit more detail.

Thank you, Director.

Uh, Mr.

Chairman.

Um we have a very dedicated and competent staff in our division, but we cannot do all things.

Um this is explicitly to supplement services for the many projects we do which don't have a specific contract without side design consultants.

So as director had mentioned, there are a lot of small things for which we need uh engineers, we need cost estimates, um, we need a variety of things.

Um we do this every year.

What you're seeing here, and the reason it's more than the $600,000 is this is really for both 25 and 26, because we did not have this in 2025, if that helps answer your question.

Okay.

All right.

And if if I could um so I I I do want to highlight that that there are times mo most often when council puts money into a project, and we use this to supplement that money to actually design it.

So councilman Harsh wishes to have lighting in one of the parks.

Well, we had to issue a task order with one of these firms to design that lighting plan.

So his money went into the lighting, but we also supplemented it with um you know multiple thousands of dollars for the design of that plan.

Okay.

All right, Director, um, a couple questions, a couple of other questions.

Waste collection carts.

Is that uh is that historically been a capital expense?

Uh through the chair, too.

Uh I'm sorry, to the chair, yes, that has traditionally been a capital expense.

Okay.

And um also the waste, uh, the Willard Park garage, the lighting, is that an enterprise fund, Director?

Is Willer Willard Park ruler garage that's part of an enterprise fund, correct?

Um Mr.

Chairman, I maybe you could answer this one.

Yeah.

Yeah, so I'll do the best I can.

In the short answer, yes, but parking uses both a general fund side and an enterprise fund side.

The parking garage is the enterprise fund.

Okay, so if it's an enterprise fund, um shouldn't the funds that's collected from the Willard Park garage with the with the parking fees, shouldn't that be um covered by those type of fees or should it or or are we are we um have do we have enough funds to cover that without going into the general fund to write bonds on them?

So, Chair, I uh I I would have to get clarification from finance.

My understanding was that the enterprise funds that can do revenue funds or can have enough revenue to raise it to raise a bond, can do it on their own.

Typically these smaller ones don't have it, but I I need to make sure that that is the case.

Okay.

And it's the same with the Willard Park garage parking meter shop and enforcement move and improvements.

So that's part of the enterprise fund also.

The meter shot would be general fund.

General fund that is the general fund side.

Okay.

All right.

All right, is there any other questions on the public facility part of the CIP?

I'm gonna go back to Councilman Palency.

Just to require it because the question was raised about the gunshot detect.

Because the piece of legislation I have, the the printout has gunshot detection in there.

So you did it have you amended it or set over a new piece?

Mr.

Chairman, yes.

So there is an amendment that um is part of what councilman bishop has that made that change as well as the the two other changes that I referenced at the very beginning of this presentation.

Thank you.

Thank you.

All right, so we've taken the gunshot detection out of the CIP and Councilman Shaw has made that, but it is but public safety can stick it back into their budget, as that's what I'm understanding.

Okay.

They can come in with a a piece of legislation and go out for go out for a contract or uh RFP or RFQ.

Right which we suggested last year that they do.

I suggested that in December of last year that they do that.

Um so hopefully they're gonna follow suit and we'll see what happens when they bring something to us.

Thank you.

All right.

All right.

So next I'm gonna go to Councilman Starr.

Yes, I would like to issue an amendment for this ordinance.

Um including for this, we should um include the actual tax fund numbers as well as a section three launch three line three strike feature future and include bonds and replace with um 2026 debt um in section three strike and shall be charged against the proper appropriation accounts and at the end of section three insert uh for any debt issuance that is not general obligation bonds, the director of finance shall notify the clerk of council of the type of debt issue and its uh and its terms.

All right, Councilman Starr has an amendment on the floor.

Is there a second?

Second councilman Casey seconds it.

Okay, I'm gonna open it up for discussion.

Councilman Shaw.

Okay, all right.

Is there anybody else uh in for discussion on the amendment on the floor?

All right.

Those in favor of the amendment say aye.

Aye.

Those against the amendment.

All right, the ayes have it.

All right, so ordinance number two thirty-two-six as amended is approved.

Please sign it.

I'm sorry, I'm sorry.

Let me let me back up here.

I'm sorry.

I'm sorry, Director.

Yep.

Um Madam Clerk, can you call a roll on ordinance number two three two 2026?

Yes.

No.

Yes.

Yes.

All right, thank you, Madam Clerk.

Mr.

Chairman, the the request that we made, they're gonna provide those to you that we made of the administration.

Uh yes, director.

Yes, sir.

So the requested um that we um referenced um the councilman policy reference, will you have get them back to the council?

You the the request of yes that he referenced earlier, yes, yes, yes.

Are you are you clear on that, Councilman Pollins?

Okay, all right, thanks.

Um we do two three one cemeteries.

Okay, the systemator's instruction.

All right, ordinance number two thirty-one twenty twenty-six.

By councilmember Starr, Bishop, Santana, and Griffin.

This is also a departmental request, an emergency ordinance determining the method of making the public improvement of designing, constructing, or can or constructing, rehabilitating, renovating, or replacing or otherwise improving the Erie Street Cemetery and the Highland Park Cemetery Mausoleum, including site improvements and opportunities, and authorizing the director of parks and recreation and or capital projects as appropriate to enter into one or more public improvement contracts for making of the improvements, enter into one or more professional services, and and other contracts needed to implement the improvements to apply for and to accept grants and gifts and authorizing the direct employment of necessary labor for the Department of Parks and Recreation and or capital projects.

Okay, director.

Mr.

Chairman, so as I referenced in what I gave a PowerPoint presentation a couple weeks ago, there is a separate type of bonds for specifically for cemeteries.

Okay.

And so we um we need those bonds only when where there's a need for a cemetery improvement.

And so this year um we have two projects which are um in this specific legislation.

One is for improvements at the Eriside Cemetery in the amount of half a million dollars, and um that's needed because the cemetery was established in 1826, and so this is its 200th anniversary, and so uh the request is funding for an improvement project at the cemetery, and then uh the second is for improvements at the Highland Park Cemetery Mausoleum in the amount of 150,000 dollars.

So that would be a total of 650,000 proposed for cemetery uh uh bonds and uh happy to answer any questions.

Okay, director, you said it was a special bond for cemeteries.

Could you can you expound upon that, please?

Uh yes, so generally for uh the general fund, we have uh facility bonds for public facilities, we have road and bridge bonds for roads and bridges, we have recreation bonds for anything related to recreation, including recreation centers would fall under recreation bonds.

Um and then for cemeteries they're called cemetery bonds.

And how does a cemetery bond differ than say like a recreation bond or a facilities bond?

How does that differ?

Um, Mr.

Chairman, it's purely by topic.

It's just that we're required by uh bond council to split projects um into buckets, and each bucket relates to a type of bond.

So there is something specifically related to cemeteries, and those are cemetery bonds for cemetery improvements.

Okay.

Um director, to the so this is this this ordinance will actually make improvements to two different cemeteries, and it's one to a mausoleum.

So what's going to be done to the mausoleum at Highland Park?

I'll ask Mark to give details on that.

Mr.

Chairman, um there are two components of that facility.

One of them is the actual crypts that contain uh remains.

Um the uh improvements will be related to some ongoing water infiltration issues uh related to that component of the Highland Park Mausoleum that were not addressed in the last renovation project about six years ago.

Okay, and what will take place at the Erie Cemetery?

Um Mr.

Chairman, we have Jim McKnight coming to the table, who's our um uh section chief for site development.

Um and I think everyone here has recognized his good work through the projects that he's done in your awards.

Uh Mr.

Chairman, um the project at uh Erie Street Cemetery is in recognition of the 200th anniversary of the cemetery.

We're gonna be rest uh restoring the uh center um driveway access drive that comes from East uh 9th to East 14th, and then also doing a restoration plan of a plaza space at the flagpole and the former uh site of the chapel on that uh at that historic cemetery, and then tree planting as well.

So it's much needed improvements to recognize the 200th anniversary.

So the Erie Park Cemetery is right here on 9th Street by Jacob right, not I don't want to say Jacobsfield, um progressive field.

It's right across the street from Progressive Field.

So I I took uh for some strange reason I walked through that cemetery one day just about a year and a half ago, and I noticed that a lot of the tombstones were deteriorated and fell over.

So who who maintains all of that?

Um there's a uh early settlers association that's involved, but many of those um are very old gravestones.

So there's no necessarily family um ancestors that are there to replace those stones as they deteriorate.

So it's really up to the settlers association, I believe, to make efforts to restore those.

And so I think their efforts are ongoing, but uh we've been certainly in contact with them regarding the improvements we are gonna make this year, and hopefully there'll be other efforts to restore some of those headstones uh this year.

Okay.

All right, and and and is this six hundred and fifty thousand dollars?

Is it broken down what goes to Erie and what goes to the mausoleum at uh Highland Park?

Do you have that director?

Um Mr.

Chairman, yes.

So in the ordinance itself, um it should list the amounts that go to each project.

It's half a million for Erie Street Cemetery, and it's 150,000 for the mausoleum.

And um actually I don't know that I see that.

It's um let's see here.

I'm not sure that I see that breakdown in here, but that that is the intended breakout.

Um so we're happy to um to include that in there as as needed.

I don't see that breakdown in here.

Okay, could you submit that to back to the council um when you get uh you at your earliest opportunity?

Okay, we get a request for the breakdown of which which uh which project gets what how much dollar, how many dollars?

Okay.

And Mr.

Chairman, you don't you don't have a spreadsheet to go with that one, do you?

Uh I do not.

Okay.

Yes, we um we we will for sure have that for you.

We have a spreadsheet um for that one.

Okay.

All right, I'm gonna open it up for questions on ordinance number 231, 2026.

I'm gonna go to uh councilwoman uh Hudson.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Um question our cemeteries enterprise our cemeteries funding through the smaller.

Uh through the chairman and the councilman, not not to my understanding, no.

Are they small enterprise funds?

Oh, I don't know.

Yeah, small enterprise funds.

Yeah, I thought it was the enterprise we'll have to get back to you.

I don't it's part of it.

To my knowledge, it's part of the NFT.

Council Balenci, can you answer that question?

Yeah, I believe an enterprise fund.

Yes, enterprise fundament.

Okay.

Um so my my question then is um since this is an enterprise fund, and you know, my earlier question about CPP not being included because it's an enterprise fund.

Um what makes the determination which enterprise funds are on this list for improvements?

Um the councilwoman, great question.

Um larger entities like the airport and Cleveland Public Power can go out and get their own debt.

Um cemeteries um parking, some of the other ones don't have enough income to cover any debt obligations that they would have.

So the question earlier about you know, could the income from the garage, for instance, pay for parking.

I I think the issue there is that all City Hall employees get a discount in the parking garage, and therefore it it just doesn't cash flow as um uh with enough revenue to cover the expenses that it has.

Um cemeteries um I think are considered while they're enterprise fund, they they don't bring in enough revenue to take out their own debt.

Okay.

Thank you for the explanation.

Um so uh who keeps track of you know the the money that goes in and out of uh cemetery um account.

Uh through the chairman of the councilwoman, um so cemeteries fall under the um parked and rec department, and so we would have to ask Director Nichols and the finance director to provide that information.

Um it's it's something that I haven't been involved in, but we can get that for you.

Okay, thank you.

I'm just trying to figure things out.

Um through the chair, uh are these the only two cemeteries that the city of Cleveland owns, or are there others?

Uh through the chairman and the councilwoman.

No, we we we definitely have many more cemeteries, uh large and small throughout the city.

Okay.

Yes.

Uh thank you.

That's all.

All right, thank you, Councilwoman.

Uh Councilman Palency.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman, my honorable colleague.

Um the I'm getting I'm getting texts here from people uh who are watching this, believe it or not, who are with the early settlers association saying that they do not um maintain the stone.

So it would be up to the responsibility, the city to reset the stone if a stone headstone fell over.

So um the other thing is, Mr.

Chairman.

Thank you.

Um how many cemeteries we presently are maintaining?

Do we happen to know?

Um Mr.

Chairman, I I don't have that information, and I'll have to ask Director Nichols and get back to the group.

And I'd like to know if there are still are there interments, Mr.

Chairman, still done at Erie Street, or is that no that as I understand the cemetery is is um closed for interments.

Yes.

Okay.

And uh Mr.

Chairman and my colleagues into the viewing public, I think a lot of people don't realize if it was not for the city maintaining these cemeteries, they would not be maintained.

And it's been a historical uh challenge for us here.

Um the only thing we have that works to our advantage is that the occupants can't complain about the uh the city services.

Um but family members do complain.

Okay.

Uh but family members do complain about the sometimes the condition of the cemetery.

So I think that the viewing public needs to understand um that this is a this is a this is one of the these responsibilities that the city has had to assume because nobody else would.

And if we didn't do it, maintain these cemeteries you can only imagine what they would look like.

So I'm I'm appreciative.

I've always been appreciative, Mr.

Chair and my colleagues, and to the administration that the work that the city has done on cemeteries.

It's a tough job, as you just heard Erie Street is how old?

Uh 200 years now.

Yep.

And so uh if it wasn't for us uh doing what we need to do, um they would be in deplorable condition.

So I'm very appreciative and I'm very supportive of this because um it's a requirement that's been placed on us.

Um it's like an unfunded mandate.

If we don't fund it, it doesn't get done.

So thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

Thank you.

All right, thank you, Councilman Listing.

Um go to Councilman Casey.

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

Mr.

Chairman to the director, just to follow up on Councilwoman Hudson.

Um small cemeteries is an enterprise fund, correct?

And uh or cemeteries is a small enterprise fund, and you're bonding this money out for a small enterprise fund, correct?

Uh I do not know.

Through the councilman chairman, I trust you that it's a small enterprise fund, and yes, we are bonding this money out.

Okay.

And Mr.

Chairman, to the to the director, where exactly is Highland Park Cemetery Mausoleum.

Um through the chair to the councilman Highland Park Cemetery Mausoleum is in the city of Highland Hills, Village of Highland Hills.

Excuse me.

Outside the City of Cleveland, correct?

Uh, through the chair to the councilman, yes, that is correct.

Okay.

And Mr.

Chairman to the director, six hundred and fifty thousand dollars, just because I'm gonna stay on this kick all day long, would probably purchase more than 150 to 175 polls for Cleveland public power within the city of Cleveland to help us replace our fractured our fractured polls throughout the city.

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

All right, thank you, Councilman Casey, for that breakdown.

Uh we do we surely need polls um repaired in the city of Cleveland.

All right, is there any other questions on ordinance 231 2026?

All right, I'm gonna go to Councilman Starr.

Well, this ordinance number 231 uh make a couple amendments for this ordinance regarding as cemeteries.

Um in section one after improvement insert and the estimated sum of six hundred and fifty thousand dollars in section three after after restricted income tax fund in both places, insert fund number twenty-seven twenty-five, and after unspent, insert cemetery.

Then in section 10, line three and eleven, strike future, include bonds and replace with 2026 debt, and section 10, strike and add shall be charged against the proper appropriation accounts.

Um at the end of section 10, insert below for any debt insurance that is not general obligation bonds.

The director of finance should notify the clerk or council of the type of debt issue and its terms.

All right, councilman Starr has amendment on the table.

Is there a second?

Councilman Shaw seconds it.

Uh is there any discussion?

All right, there's no discussion.

All right, all in favor of the amendment say aye.

Aye.

All opposed.

The ayes have it.

All right, so two ordinance number two thirty-one twenty twenty-six as amended.

Madam Clerk, can you call a row?

Yes.

No.

Yes.

Yes.

All right.

Okay, ordinance number two thirty one twenty twenty-six as amended is approved.

Please sign it.

All right.

Um, next we're gonna go to ordinance number two thirty-four for recreation.

Ordinance number two thirty-four, twenty twenty-six by council members Bishop, Santana, and Griffin.

This is a department of request.

This this ordinance, uh, ordinance number two thirty-four twenty twenty-six as amended, an emergency ordinance determining the method of making the improvement of designing, constructing, rehabilitating, renovating, and replacing or otherwise improving recreation facilities, ancillary, recreation buildings, parks and playgrounds, and other similar structures or amenities on city-owned and city lease property park property, including site improvements and opportunities, and authorizing the director of parks and recreation public works and/or capital projects as appropriate to enter into one or more public improvement contracts and or one or more public improvement requirement contracts for the making of the improvements, enter into one of more professional services or other contracts needed to implement the improvements to apply for and accept grants and gifts and authorized authorizing the direct employment of necessary labor for the Department of Public the Department of Parks and Recreation, Public Works, and or the Office of Capital Project.

Enter into one of more professional services or other contracts needed to implement the improvements to apply for and accept grants and gifts and authorized authorizing the direct employment of necessary labor for the Department of Pub uh the Department of Parks and Recreation, Public Works, and or the Office of Capital Projects.

Okay.

And let me read the amendments into the record.

There's no legal objection to this legislation if amended as follows.

Number one, in section one, line six strike 234 2026 A and insert 234 2026 B.

Okay.

All right.

And um so 234 2026 B should be on our tablets.

Okay.

All right, Director.

Mr.

Chairman, thank you for hearing this uh piece on recreation improvements.

Um this uh request is uh larger than uh typical years, and so uh we're at uh just over 13 million, 13 million three hundred and one thousand five hundred dollars for reference last year, which was the abbreviated year, we were at six million two hundred and eighty thousand.

And uh 2023 we were at 11 million, so at 13 million, we are um investing uh more funds into our recreational facilities.

I wanted to briefly go over what the changes are between uh spreadsheets so the um attachment uh B that you have with you.

Um I did uh fix some um uh spellings in there, but the two things that I do want to um up you know brief counsel on was there was a 25,000 dollar improvement for um um sustainability improvements at the Collinwood Rec Center, which um the dollar amount stays the same, but it will be for a public EV charging station installation at the Collinwood Rec Center.

Um and then the other change was um Councilman Bishop, you had requested that we remove projects that couldn't be uh completed in 2026.

So um we did uh postpone the um grant match for the Luke Easter Skate Park to 2027 since we won't need to use that match money money in 2026.

Uh Councilwoman Gray, it's not going away as much as it's just not being needed this year, the match money for the skate park grant.

And councilman bishop asked us if we weren't gonna use the money this year not to include it in the 26 plan.

Yes.

So councilman Bishop asked us to go through all of the projects being proposed for 2026, and anything that will not be expended this year, he asked us to move it to 2027.

So the match that we were proposing for the skate park at Luke Easter Park is being moved to 2027.

Since we've applied for the grant, if we get the grant, we won't need the match until next year.

So that is one change that is in this um amendment to this ordinance.

Not abandoning the project, just not needed until next year.

Yes.

Um, and then the other changes just that um for the um kitty pool restoration program staff has asked after discussions with um parks and rec asked us to focus only on the Halloran Kitty pool.

Um that's a pool that Councilman Kelly had set aside money to do renovations of that kiddie pool, and we're gonna need our funds to really just focus on that one kiddie pool.

Um so instead of three, there's just one listed, which is Halloran.

Um, and then the other changes were just um were minor clarifications.

Um so with that open to any questions.

Okay, direct.

Excuse me.

Okay, director, can you um comment on the excuse me, Rockefeller House, Greenhouse Urban Forestry, 1.8 million dollars.

What is uh what will what would that project entail?

Uh yes, sir.

So Mark, we'll get into the details.

Um, but through past capital improvement plans, there was um uh uh uh a master plan that was funded um for the greenhouse project, and then there were other phases of the project that were already funded that will be rolled into a project that is um um almost out to bid, I guess I'd I'd say.

So, Mark, if you could go through the the what's what's involved in this particular funding.

Thank you, Director.

Um Mr.

Chairman.

Um the initial phase that is funded through previous uh bond years has been very focused on urban forestry.

That's the renovation of the urban forestry headquarters, as well as one of the garages that they use for their vehicles.

Um what this allows us to do is really do the first set of improvements to the greenhouse itself.

So that is a lot of exterior restoration for the most part.

So does that any of those improvements include any kind of solar projects?

Um Mr.

Chairman, this fund does not include solar projects, this 1.8 million.

So, Mr.

Chairman, there was um I appreciate the question because if you recall um in the 2024 bonds, there was um funding approved for uh solar at at the Gunning Rec Center, and then we had Councilman Casey and Councilman Slife um express uh concerns about solar on that building, and that was $1 million fifty thousand dollars.

And um we were um um we were instructed that council did not support that expenditure.

So we have come to you, Councilman, uh in with the goal of reallocating that million dollar, fifty thousand dollar twenty twenty-four allocation for solar glass at the greenhouse project, but that is not currently included in this plan, and it's an open question to you as the chairperson for how we proceed with uh the reallocation to the solar glass project at the greenhouse project.

Okay, all right.

So um so that hasn't been decided, so we'll we'll we can kind of tackle that at a later date.

Correct.

Okay.

All right, another question I have is the um locker room improvements at zone recreation center.

Um it's a million dollars.

What what what what is that gonna entail?

I mean, how that's a is that a lot of money for a locker room improvement.

Um Mr.

Chairman, so I'll have Mark speak of the details.

Um, but just to um express to council that uh councilman Spencer had set aside uh somewhat substantial amount of her discretionary funds towards the rock locker room project.

So the locker rooms will will be more expensive than what you see in this budget, but she's supplemented it with her her funding.

So Mark, if you could talk to the locker room projects, and this is one of many locker rooms we've been doing throughout our our portfolio of the director, what's the typical cost of a locker room?

Because I mean uh uh I mean they they're not but so big.

And and for to my recollection, um the charge is locker room across that across that public hall was about a about just over a million dollars.

Am I right about that?

It was it was comparable, but so I'm just trying to figure out at a recreation center, we're gonna put in a million dollar locker room.

Go ahead.

Uh thank you, Director.

Um, Mr.

Chairman, um, as the director alluded to, we are on the verge of completing uh several uh complete locker room renovations.

Um these are buildings that are about 60 years old.

A zone isn't quite as old.

But what a locker room renovation entails is a lot of pretty expensive, it's HVAC work, it's electrical, it's truly comprehensive.

We're also doing some reconfiguration because the amount of lockers and the way the toilets and showers are configured really need to be improved to function in a way that's uh more in keeping with modern recreation center and locker room standards.

The other thing we are doing in all of these, and this would include zone as well, is we're creating that family restroom that also includes a universal changing table.

So the improvements are uh require reconfiguration as well as full system upgrades.

So that's why we get into uh the costs are about between 1.1 and 1.4 is what we've seen at the other recreation centers.

Maybe just which ones?

Yeah, the the ones that have been completed have been Third Good Marshall Recreation Center, Cadell Recreation Center, and Esther Brick Recreation Center.

So what was the cost of the Third Marshall Recreation Center?

Do you recall that?

I don't recall that offhand.

I want to say it was over a million dollars.

It was over a million dollars.

Okay.

All right, I'm gonna go to uh councilman Casey.

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

Uh Mr.

Chairman, to the director.

In this, you've got five hundred thousand dollars to parks and rec offices over a public auditorium.

So kind of technically, because of the upgrade we're doing here, we're gonna throw another five hundred thousand dollars into upgrading offices for public auditorium, just so our parks and rec can move over there.

Am I correct in thinking that?

Uh Mr.

Chairman, yes, that is correct.

Okay.

And then Mr.

Chairman to the director, I remember last year, and I know my colleagues will believe the uh African American cultural gardens came to us with a hundred thousand dollar ask, and I remember the mayor um at the table during his letter of transmittal, pledged that hundred thousand dollars, said that we could probably get that money to them, but we still don't have anything in the capital budget for the African American cultural gardens that they're redoing.

Has anybody approached you regarding that?

Uh through the chairman of the councilman, nobody has approached me.

I do understand that they're starting a project this year, but nobody's approached me to add money into this for the for that.

All right, I think my colleagues will remember that we we agreed that we would gap finance them, their hundred thousand that they were short.

So if we could look into reaching out to whoever's doing the African American cultural gardens, and then um during uh opera or when we when we heard heard the budget, we know that we're subsidizing Highland Golf Course for 900,000 dollars out of operations, and now it looks like there's 1.1 million dollars going into Highland Golf Course.

So again, we're subsidizing Highland Golf Course for $2 million this year.

And I misspoke a little earlier, Mr.

Chairman to the director, because I said that the $650,000 that's going into part of it Highland out there would have gotten us about $150 polls.

I was incorrect.

I underestimated that $650,000 would buy us $866 poles, and this $1.1 million dollars that we're spending on a piece of property outside the City of Cleveland would purchase Cleveland Public Power $1,579 polls.

So just in what we're spending in capital outside the City of Cleveland, we could have purchased 2300 new polls for the City of Cleveland.

I'm just throwing it out there because I'm gonna stay on what we're missing out on investing within one of our biggest assets in the city of Cleveland as we continue to subsidize properties that regular Clevelanders don't use, right?

I just wanted to point that out to my to my colleagues in regards to that.

Aside from that, Mr.

Chairman, um, thank you very much.

All right, thank you, Councilman Casey.

I'm gonna go to Councilman Palency.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman, my honorable colleagues.

Um I'm gonna go down the list here.

So you indicated the Collinwood Recreation Center, the solar thermal capital system repair.

You've you've deleted that through the chairman of the councilman.

So we're gonna I'm gonna have uh director O'Keefe come up because she is here, but um we have removed that item and instead at the request of sustainability replaced it at the same budget for public EV charging station installation.

And um and director O'Keefe, if you wanted to speak to that.

Sure, good morning to the chair.

So the replacement is the solar thermal that was originally listed.

Some work has already been completed on that.

And this is both our sustainability improvement resilience improvement.

So we requested a purchase capital purchase dollars for EV charging stations for public use at that location.

So again, you're telling me the committee that the solar thermal capital repair system has already been fixed.

Uh through the chair work that was under that 25,000 that proposed 25,000 was already completed.

Yes, that's okay.

I I want I want I want that in writing.

I want someone to tell me that in writing that that repairs would make is that's one of the few rec centers with several with solar panels on it.

Because that was a um what was that?

Gold, I think it was gold lead certified building, and that was part of the lead gold certification that we put the solar panels there.

So I want to make sure they're replaced.

Uh and I want to know where Mr.

Chairman, uh someone can send me that doesn't happen now.

Show me where this um EV charging station is gonna go.

I want to see where it's gonna go at the rec center.

My other question, Mr.

Chairman, is farther down.

I want to follow up on Councilman Casey's line of question.

Highland Park Golf Course irrigation system.

I caught I called uh and talked to Metro Parks.

I caught I called and talked to Metro Parks, who operates a multifaceted golf course operation.

They informed me they don't subsidize any golf courses.

They subsidize none of their golf courses.

They're all self-sufficient.

And they're very well maintained, as we all know.

So here we are, you're asking us besides the subsidy that we've been asked to put in in the in the uh general fundy, another 1.1 million.

Um I keep asking myself, why are we doing this?

I don't get it for the life of me.

This I've raised this over the years.

We have got this golf course should go to Metro Parks.

I don't get it.

We just keep plowing money in here.

And and we've got Metro Parks, which has one of the finest golf course operations in Northeast Ohio.

And we just this is like a money pit.

You know, I I think of uh that movie uh with uh Bill Murray, what was it with the golf course?

Um what was that?

Crown exactly I think about the the gopher holes.

We just peaked Paul and Marty in the gopher holes out here.

This has become the caddyshack operation out here at the golf course.

We're just plowing it in here, you know, plowing it in, and Mr.

Chairman, I I'm gonna have a real problem voting on this if that remains in there.

I mean, this is there comes a point here.

We just got to draw the line in the sand and say, you know what?

That one point when you look at uh all my colleagues go around his table and talk about parks and playgrounds that need to be improved in our communities, our rec centers.

Another one point one to going into a golf course that we should not be operating is beyond me, and uh I'm just I'm beyond it at this point.

I think there's there really needs to be some serious questions asked there.

On the greenhouse, um I would ask respectfully to the chair if I could see what the improvements are at the greenhouse if there are uh any uh artists I mean artists, any um uh designs, any concepts for the greenhouse.

I go there.

Um I I go there and buy plants when they have the plant sales.

It's because I can remember going there as a child with my grandparents, my grandfather.

Um it's a historical uh site.

Um, and I know it's been it's been neglected over the years, and I just want to make sure that whatever improvements that we're making at the greenhouse are gonna sustain it.

Um how old is the greenhouse at this point?

Do you know?

I don't.

Uh Mr.

Chairman, I do not know how old the greenhouse is.

100 years old.

At least.

At least, yeah.

Okay.

So I'd like to see what the improvements are at the greenhouse.

I support those improvements.

It's been long overdue, and uh I'd like to just see those.

But again, I Mr.

Chairman, I got a real problem with another 1.1 going into the golf course, and we can't maintain the things in our neighborhoods.

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

All right, thank you, Councilman Policing.

I'm gonna go to uh Councilwoman Gray.

Thank you, Councilman.

I just want to uh say um just have a question.

I think already um I already know we are on the same page with Eastern Park, which you have done a great job with the amenities on the exterior and also on the interior of the recreation center.

Um per se of what what has been done.

Uh the um you have the um park pavilion program chair to the director, is that the new pavilion that's um almost completed?

Well, it looked like it's completed for that 100,000 going towards that and already been that was that allocated out of my funding or out of the city funding.

Um Mr.

Chairman of the Councilwoman, this is for the picnic pavilions.

Oh, the picnic pavilions.

Yeah.

Oh, really?

Okay, let me put back on that.

Wow.

So Chair to Mr.

Wright, so the 100,000 is going to the pavilions roofing that need to be replaced.

Correct.

I'll let uh Mark uh elaborate more, but I believe it's for the picnic pavilion roofs.

Yes.

Um, through the chair.

Yeah, that's correct.

Uh repairs were made by property management to two of them.

The three remaining ones need to be renovated.

Wow, wonderful.

Um, Chair to uh Mark, you said three, we have five pavilions over there.

So only three gonna be um uh renovated out of the five.

Through the chair to the councilwoman.

Um two have been addressed already through property management.

Okay so they've repaired two of them appropriately.

The remaining three need new roofs, painting, all those things.

So this is to renovate the remaining three that are still in need of repairs.

Okay.

So meeting chair to Mark meeting repair as in patch or replace the entire roofing because we have some holes that can really was um was uh a sight to see so what you mean as in uh repairing chair to mark uh through the chair to the councilwoman uh that means uh tearing off the roof replacing all the rotted decking as needed and putting a new shingle roof on to make it good oh wonderful 340 years yes so chair to mark when was that done because I have to drive over there and then take a picture I am elated right now I had no idea that uh um that the renovation had been done on the roofing um at on the pavilions um through the chair to the councilwoman our understanding is that two of the two of the pavilions have been addressed with pretty straightforward repairs they were the two that were in the best condition of the five pavilions so those are the ones that have been completed by property management this program will renovate the the other three as a as we just talked about oh thank you thank you for that uh councilman uh um bishop um we appreciate that we went we've been waiting for a long time because we share our events uh at the park as uh as the other councils do as well but um finally um it has been uh um done thank you for that and my second question um looking at um uh going down the list uh looking at uh the previous you got ward four is that arch beer park converted basketball courts to pickleball is that on Larry Doby way uh chair to uh the director what does that mean is that the Larry Doby way whereas the tennis court one of the tennis court going to be converted to the pickleball um nope that's at a different park on the west side which Jim can speak to the current this is currently this is correct the old yes ma'am okay because I know okay this is current all right okay so that has nothing to do with ward three okay um I think one more thing let me go ahead and look and uh Chairman if I could just say about the park pavilions so um you know that was a need that that came up through the park and rec master plan that we have assets that weren't functioning properly that the community could really benefit from so um first public works attempted to do repairs on the ones that weren't too bad that needed a complete roof tear off and so then we programmed the three in your ward uh for this year at Luke Easter Caroosh Park is programmed for next year and then we're gonna look to see what else is in our system whether it can be repaired by public works or if it needs a roof tear off that would be programmed through um the capital plan but for right now it's Luke Easter and then Caroosh that are ones that are lined up okay so feedback from council of your needs with regard to existing pavilions would be appreciated.

All right thank you thank you chair that's that's it all right thank you councilman uh gray uh surely uh Lukista Park is a very important uh park on the um on the east side of Cleveland is used by quite a few different uh entities and quite a few different wards and we really uh uh love to see that park um uh kept up to um quality standards so our our residents can recreate over there in the park one question chair I'm sorry all right go ahead go ahead councilman uh this is big uh Zamma George main parking lot please address that excuse me councilwoman the par the party lot yeah the party parking lot please give me the best answer that I'm waiting to hear on the party parking lot through the chairman the councilwoman said that that that is that is a resurfacing of that entire huge lot that's that's adjacent to the rec center it's a monster of a parking lot and it is in extremely poor condition um it there are other lots at Luke Easter that are not being addressed at this time it's just for that one lot we did start this parking lot uh this park and and recenter parking lot improvement plan a few years ago um and and so there's a lot of needs in the city but the the it that is so heavily used that that rise rose to the top but but there's there's the need all throughout our system and and we'll continue to make improvements to parking lots.

Thank you so much.

And when will chair to the director when will the resurfacing start this year?

Mr.

Wright.

Yes, the um the improvements to Zelda George uh through the to the council uh woman through the chair will occur um later this summer.

It's a project that we want to look at not only the uh condition of the lot, but also what we can do from a design standpoint so that we diminish the activity that goes on in that parking lot uh that isn't necessarily a recreationally um oriented.

So we'll um we'll look to that and then do the design and more than likely um bid that project out for construction later this summer.

All right, thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Message here.

All right, thank you, Councilwoman Gray.

Uh Councilman Hosen.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Um, I just you know have to follow up on Councilman Casey's points about the uh Highland Park golf course.

Um also you know, noting that it's not in the city of Cleveland, I recognize it's historical uh significance.

However, um, you know, when you're faced with a lot of um, you know pressing needs in a city, I think something like a golf course should be towards the bottom of priorities.

And I noticed there are only a handful of items on this list that are a million dollars and above, and um the golf course is is one of them.

Um and then I I just want to point out I I do appreciate the pool furniture because it's something that's been missing at our city pools.

Um Lake Pool Park is in Ward 11, just uh FYI.

Um I you know, I also recognize the importance of investing in our parks and rec centers.

Um, but I do uh just want to note that I I will be a no vote on this also just because of the amount that's being spent to subsidize the Highland Park Golf Course.

I think it should be um spent within the City of Cleveland.

Um that's all, Mr.

Chair.

All right, thank you, Councilwoman.

Um there are any other questions on ordinance number two.

I'm sorry.

234 2026 as amended.

All right, Councilman Starr.

No, my only question would be when it relates to this Highland Golf Courts.

I believe we did um last term, we went into uh nonprofit owner operation system that is in place, and within that operation system is similar to what the West Side Market did, I believe.

Um why are we still subsidizing?

Have do we have any updates or breakdowns on what is causing us to still have to subsidize for the club course, or have the nonprofit given us a follow-up uh review to process me to the chair um discussing where they're gonna be at as far as dollars and expected uh revenue streams going in their future, um, because it seemed as if we're still subsidizing.

I don't know if the model is actually working for the goal course or what not, or how can we be able to ensure that we don't have to continue to uh pay for something that seemed like it's underutilized through the chair.

Uh through the chairman and the councilman so um this particular expenditure is related to the pump house, okay, which feeds the irrigation system, and then um improvements also to that irrigation system.

And so when the golf course operator brought to us the need for capital improvements, um this is an improvement that stays with the land, and that if their contract terminates their management agreement terminates, it gives a benefit to the city as the ultimate owner of the golf course.

So we were very specific in an improvement here that relates to our asset, not something that could be um you know, maybe um not have a useful life that's longer than their management agreement or something that say golf carts that they could you know take to another location should their management agreement end.

So first I wanted to highlight that.

Second, I'll highlight that um I know that the um the administration has been working with the golf course for um how they are sequencing their improvements in relation to how that increases income to the property, and that this was seen as something that um I think to Councilman Plensick's point, if the Metro Parks would have taken over this golf course, that would have been one of the things that the Metro Parks would have done at the beginning so that you don't have to subsidize it in the future.

So I think the problem is is that we didn't give this operator a complete golf course, meaning we have an old pump house that um isn't you know going to last into the future.

So unlike the Metro Parks, we are doing some improvements going forward since we didn't give them a completely renovated asset for them to manage on their own uh balance sheet um in the black uh because some of the operating expenses that they have are because we we didn't continually invest in the asset.

So I think that's the best way I can explain this.

It is it is absolutely an improvement that stays with the land and will benefit the city's long-term ownership of this asset.

Okay, thank you.

And I yell, Chair.

All right, thank you.

All right, Councilman Stark.

Yeah.

Yes, I do have amendment to ordinance number um 234-2026, the regulation in section one at the ordinance insert and the estimated sum of 12 million eight hundred and one thousand five hundred dollars, and in section twelve at the restricted income tax in both places, insert the fund numbers 20-552, 20-558, 20-561, 20-565, 20-577, 20-584, 20-90, 20-595, 20-700, 20-708, 20-714, 20-720, and 20-727, and after unspent, insert recreation.

In section 12, line three, and 11, strike future include bonds, and replace with 2026 debt in section 12 strike and shall be charged against the proper appropriation accounts at the end of the section 12 insert um for any debt insurance that is not general obligation bonds.

The director of finance should notify the clerk of council of the type of debt issue and its terms.

All right, thank you, Councilman Starr.

Okay, council councilman star has an amendment on the table.

Is there a second?

Uh councilman Shaw seconds it.

All right, is there any discussion?

All right, those in favor of the amendment say aye.

Aye.

Those opposed.

The ayes have it.

Okay, ordinance number two thirty four twenty twenty-six as amended.

Madam Clerk, can you please call a roll?

Yes.

Five gray, yes.

No.

No.

Yes.

Yes.

All right, thank you, uh, madam clerk.

Uh ordinance number two thirty-four twenty twenty-six as amended is approved.

All right, we're gonna go to uh ordinance number three two thirty-six.

What's that?

Did I say the right number?

Yeah.

Oh 234.

That was 234.

Okay, 234.

Okay.

All right, this is 236.

All right.

Uh ordinance number 236 2024 as amended.

No, I'm sorry, ordinance number two thirty-six twenty twenty-four as amended by council members Bishop, Santana, and Griffin.

This is a department of requests, an emergency ordinance determining the method of making a public improvement improvement of designing, constructing, rehabilitating, renovating, replacing or otherwise improving roadways, streets, bridges, sidewalks, and other similar projects, including site improvements and opportunities, and authorizing the director of public works and or capital projects as appropriate to enter into one or more public improvement contracts for the making of the improvement, enter into one or more professional services andor other contracts needed to implement the improvements to apply for except grants and gifts and authorizing the direct employment of the necessary labor for the Department of Public Works and or Office of Capital Projects.

All right, this ordinance uh uh and let me read the amendment into the record.

There is no legal objection to this legislation if amended as follows.

Number one, in section one, line six strike two thirty-six twenty twenty six A and insert two thirty-six twenty twenty-six B.

Okay.

Um I'm also I want to um communicate that to the committee that the uh 236 2026 B is on your tablets for road and bridges uh bonds.

Okay, director, can you take it from here?

Uh yes, sir.

So thank you for hearing this ordinance related to the road and bridge bonds.

Um for uh for the sake of comparison.

Uh this is uh more than double uh what we've put into roads and bridges in uh any any recent year.

So this this request is just under 45 and a half million dollars.

Um by comparison, last year, which was an abbreviated year was uh $13 million forty-five thousand dollars.

Um 2026 was 26 million dollars, 2023 was 21 million dollars.

So um at uh 46 and a half million dollars, we are investing um quite heavily in roads and bridges throughout our city.

Um this does include the increase that council requested during uh the budget hearings, which was to increase residential resurfacing from the 12 million up to the 20 million, and uh 20 million is what we invested last year also at the request of council.

So again, this year there's that additional eight million that's included in this ordinance.

Um I did want to highlight a couple of the changes that were made um through the amendment.

Um is just correcting um uh the name of uh the Whitman, uh which is a roadway that we misspelled.

Um we did add the type of project into that list so that it's more clear if it's a design project or if it's uh ODOT funded project or where the grant funds are coming from.

And um, and then finally, the only the only substantial change was that uh councilman you had asked us to scrub the list to make sure that all of these projects could be entered into in 2026 and to take out anything that might not be uh ready for um expenditures in 2026.

So to that end, we have moved the St.

Clair project um from 2026 into 2027.

Um and instead we've replaced it with the NEF Road Project, which Councilman uh Palencick is aware of.

It's a county 50-50 project, which um is at $651,304.

So um that's a decrease in the capital plan due to that project.

We also decrease the amount of money that's needed for the state road project, which is an urban paving um project for the design down to 200,000 dollars.

So those are those are the changes, and then as I mentioned, going from 12 million to 20 million for residential resurfacing.

Okay, all right, thank you, Director.

Um the um Cleveland moves, can you um 1.5 million dollars of citywide um expenditure?

Can you explain what the Cleveland move uh implementation can you explain what that is and what do we get for that?

Yes, sir.

So I do have a um a sheet that I'm gonna pull up here.

But Cleveland Moves is the uh the plan, the um citywide mobility plan that our um uh uh city planning um commission has adopted.

And so going forward, there would be funds in the capital plan to implement uh Cleveland Moves, which is to increase the uh accessibility of our roadways for all users, whether you're driving, whether you're on a bike, or whether you're um pushing a stroller.

So the specific expenditures relate to um what's called quick build projects, which are uh to um maybe I'll defer to Rickline a little bit more description on quick build, and then I'm gonna look for that email that I have here too.

To the chair, the uh Cleveland Moves has been planned through our planning uh department.

What it does is the director says they're quick builds, they're not really permanent capital projects that you see ENC does not replacing roadways.

They'll put in delineators, they'll put in quick curbs, they'll put down paint.

It'll help move uh provide for more bicycle movement on many roads that they're looking at.

They have a whole list of those.

Uh hopefully director has those names to escape me right now, but they're called quick builds and it's basically paint, delineators, quick curves, and things of that nature that they put in.

So that does that include uh speed tables and um roundabouts.

Does that include those?

Ms.

Mr.

Chairman, it does.

And um the specific data that I have, thank you, Rick, is that um a million dollars would be of that million and a half would be for the design of of quick build projects, design and implementation.

So the cost of design of quick build is roughly 100,000 per mile.

So this million dollars would cover about 10 miles of projects funded for quick build construction through grants.

Um and then the additional 500,000 would be used for um equipment, which includes flex posts, plastic delineators uh to separate existing uh wide bike lanes, harden, daylighting, and other safety interventions, uh signbacks, posts, and uh to install neighborhood greenways and other traffic calming projects, and also traffic signal loop detection um work.

Okay, so the memorial bridge loop trail, um that's the ODOT project.

How explain explain the the mix of that?

Uh excuse me, explain the project.

Yes, and and then you say it's ODOT project, is that so are we putting in is this our match 469,000?

Um, Mr.

Chairman, that's correct.

So um this is a project that will be under construction soon, and it is run by ODOT because we're um you know, ODOT runs our projects that have federal money in it.

And um, and so this is the match to go along with the federal money and other funding that we have through NOAACA for the project.

Okay.

All right.

Um I think that's all the questions I have.

Um I'm gonna go open it up to the committee.

Councilwoman Hudson.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

I I just uh want to clarify something really quickly.

Um through the chair, um to the director, under the brick streets, um the streets that are listed.

I I don't see the street that we talked about on Friday, which was Halley Avenue.

Um where does that appear?

Uh through the chairman and the councilwoman.

So that is under an ARPA funded project that was passed by council probably back in 2023, and it was called Back to Basics.

And so um there were three brick streets funded through that project that in order to get better pricing, we included in this brick streets bid.

Um so it's not listed here, but it's funded separately.

Okay, thank you very much.

That's all.

All right, I'm gonna go to um Councilman Polinsic and then I'm gonna come back to Casey.

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

Um Director, you mentioned something about what was not clear, something about St.

Clair was bumped and then NEF was included.

It's not what I see on here.

Uh through the chairman, the councilman, are you looking at uh the B uh legislation?

I'm looking at the um the summary.

That's why I don't understand what Mr.

Chairman, the councilman, there was an amendment uh to this legislation that should have been loaded on your tablet.

Okay, so what do you what do you Mr.

Chairman to the director?

What are you deleting and what are you adding?

So, Mr.

Chairman, uh Councilman Bishop and I had several conversations last week about the size of this capital plan.

And he asked me to go through and scrub each and every project to make sure that we could enter into that expenditure this year to start the project this year.

Yes.

We all understand that some projects take more than a calendar year to finish, but that everything needs to start this year to be on this year's capital plan.

And um we did have a line item on here, just under a million dollars for St.

Clair.

That affects three wards.

Yes, sir.

And that project will be run next summer.

Um and Odot hasn't it has agreed to include that resurfacing in the project.

We still have to pay for it, but we don't have to pay for it until next summer.

Okay.

When we put this plan together, we thought that we were gonna have to do that resurfacing this year as a separate project in advance of next year's safety project.

Okay.

So you're telling us the three of us, wards eight, nine, and ten, that that project will go next year.

Will will happen next year.

Through the chairman of the councilman, absolutely happening next year.

It's scheduled by ODOT, and this is uh you know the safety grant that we received.

Okay.

So you what you'll see is you'll see a match next year for that grant as well as that resurfacing almost a million dollars for St.

Clair.

And then uh and then I had asked you, Mr.

Chairman, um, for the additional cost from 156 to London Road.

Um, and I'd like to know what that cost would be.

Through the chairman of the councilman, we remember your request.

Yes.

Um we are unable to add it to Odot's project because the limits of their project need to end where it we cannot extend the limits of their project to London.

So it's gonna have to be a city project, and we can get you that cost.

So they would not consider going those three extra blocks.

We we asked them to do so and they would not consider that, no.

Okay.

Well, I'm gonna ask them.

Um then I but I'd still like to know what it would cost from a standpoint of city if we're to include that because the the stop at where it makes where they're stopping, it makes no sense at all.

And it's just gonna cause great grief for the for myself and Councilman Conwell.

Um and then where is you indicated in that road?

Where is that then in here?

Because I don't see that as well.

Uh so Mr.

Chairman, it is um in the amendment that should be on folks' tablet, but I don't I don't know how to navigate your tablets.

I got the tablet, but I don't see it in there.

I'll I'll tell you where it's it's um it's not an alphabetical order because we put it in the line where St.

Clair was.

So it's under South Waterloo and above State Road.

Okay.

And then uh let me and Mr.

Chairman, that's to the councilman that's from Bella Drive to the railroad tracks.

Yes.

And that does include the um the work under the tracks where the abutment and the sidewalks and the railing are so bad that we've been discussing for for some time, it's been included in that project at a city cost.

Thank you.

And then um so then uh going back to the Thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

Okay, thank you.

I'll bring this back to you.

Then uh just touching on the red brick program again again.

This is where you will go out, you're gonna go out on uh for an outside bid for those streets for inwards two, six, seven, and eight.

Um Mr.

Chairman, that's correct.

And I'll I'll have Rick give an update on um where we're at with that project, but we did already go out to bid.

We solicited folks remember we solicited counsel for a list of streets that they wanted us to include in that bridge and so um we do have very good pricing.

Um and just a reminder to council if you'd like to use residential resurfacing money for a brick street, you know, you you're welcome to do that as long as it is residential on that street.

It's just something that MoCap would do as opposed to a division of streets doing it themselves.

But Mr.

Chairman, to the director, you know, and I'm not gonna belabor the point, you know what my historical perspective has been when where utility cuts have failed, those were done by either water or WPC for the most part.

And that should not be the responsibility of the general fund to make those repairs.

That should be uh of those two divisions.

And I've I've taken some pictures.

I'm gonna show Councilman Casey and I'm gonna take the director out there where you can obviously see um exactly what has transpired here, and that should not fall upon a general fund at a city of Cleveland.

That should be the response we have those two enterprise accounts, the divisions, uh departments, excuse me.

So uh again, I'll I'll won't belabor that.

I'll discuss that out of further here.

I just want to touch on the sidewalk 50-50 program.

Now, Mr.

Chairman, uh my honorable colleagues, you know we've had some problems here with the 5050 program.

Um what assurances that are you gonna give us this year that we're gonna get the work done that is is proper and adequate, and that people who are on the list are gonna get service once they send their checks in.

What what do you what's gonna happen differently?

Um Mr.

Chairman, so this is the first year going into the construction season that we've had uh a team already in place.

At the very beginning of last year, we uh hired new staff, Ralph McElhaney, who's fantastic, managing that program, and and then later on in the year we moved John Petcack over from permits over to the sidewalk program.

Okay.

Um we also had contracts last year, the second round of contracts with small contractors, um, which um did better work than the year before, but not perfect, and it takes a lot of hand holding to grow these businesses from small businesses to bigger ones.

But this year, um, we're gonna have uh this team in place and they're doing great work.

Two, um they're already starting the work this year.

Um, last I checked, they had uh given out estimates to everyone who had uh all but maybe a few that had requested them so that we can roll into work quicker this year.

Okay.

Um and then um three, we're also putting out new contracts um for uh for the sidewalk program that could include some larger contracts but also some smaller ones to give folks a pathway from a small contract to hiring staff buying equipment and moving into a larger contract.

So then, Mr.

Chairman, just finally to the director.

Um we know when we resurface streets, you're gonna come in and address dangerous sidewalks, correct?

On those streets.

Uh through the chairman.

So the following year we do the tree damage sidewalk program.

Right.

Yes.

So for residential resurfacing.

So are you making sure this is what I want to so making sure that on the streets that are being resurfaced, that no resident is going to be paying 50-50 sidewalk and then find out later that those sidewalks were going to be replaced by the city.

Because then I don't have to tell you the grief that the council members are going to take at that point.

Through the chairman absolutely, if you know, council selects their streets each year.

Right.

So if that roadway is selected in say 2026, and the work for 2025 hadn't been done yet, because we do it the year in arrears.

Yes, then we would contact those property owners and say, hey, the councilperson selected this street, we're gonna cover these repairs.

You no longer have to do them through the 50-50 program.

Now there are times that say, let's say 2024, somebody did the 50-50 program, you selected in 2026.

Yes.

The work is already done.

We don't go back and we don't have the ability to do reimbursements.

I understand.

But we do catch new streets that are identified by the councilperson.

And again, I just want to make sure there's coordination here because we know how difficult it is and how costly all this stuff is to get done.

And I'm just trying to always protect the um my colleagues uh from taking unnecessary abuse that they don't have to take.

Uh we're trying to all do the right thing here and address dangerous sidewalks in the city, and I just want to make sure that none of our residents are put into an a situation where they're paying for something, and then um they find out after the fact that um other residents uh are getting it for free.

That's not the way to do business.

So thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

All right, thank you, Councilman Blinse.

Uh next I'm gonna go to Councilwoman Gray.

Thank you.

Uh some of the um questions have been addressed by my colleagues, but I just want to just clarify, Chair to the director, one more time about the brick streets.

Here it shows uh you have two six, seven, eight.

However, my colleague um councilwoman Hudson uh asked about her particular street, and you said it was allocated, some of the streets were allocated through the opera funding.

Now going back to the question with um Rick, my favorite person, not other than you in the engineering department.

I sit with constantly.

Now explain to me again, uh Chair to the team about the brick streets and how we were asked a year ago to submit at least two of them so you can get them to the table, and then after those was proved, then how we were able to get the other ones uh done after the ordinance was passed.

To the chair to the councilwoman, uh when we sent the letters out last year, we gave a list of the brick streets and awards that were candidates for selection by the councilperson.

What we also noted in those letters were that those streets would then be repaired utilizing councilmatic funds or other funds available to the councilperson.

You'll get a letter this week relisting those uh streets with the new prices for your consideration if we want to finance those or just let them pass.

Uh if there are streets other than the ones that we gave you last year that you want to do, we still have our requirements contract, it will be a little bit more expensive, but it's still usable on streets that weren't included.

So as the chair to the director, you just spoke that we can use our um resurfacing funding, which I don't think I would do that because we have so many bad streets, you know, to resurface.

So saying again, if we decide to add more of the brick streets, like per se, I'll give you an example.

Prior to me coming in prior to redistricting, there was quite a few brick streets in ward five that was asked for me to look at once I came into council of taking the redistricting area ward five.

Um I can't say what Councilman Starr put on his list, but I know there are quite a few that um maybe one or two in uh the highest area that need resurfacing, not saying that he put it on his list, but by me coming in having that area now, those streets came to my attention.

So how would I how would I get those streets allocated, not through my resurfacing funding, but through the funding that you possibly will have or not?

If I asked that question correctly, um through the chairman of the councilwoman.

So changing the awards last year kind of you know through a monkey wrench into this whole thing.

And the fact that our bids came in too late in the year, because if you recall, council president gave council members a request to have your capital money allocated by a certain date, and our our brick street bids came in after that date.

So as a result, we um really put a hold on offering the brick streets to council members to see if they wanted to fund it because A, you were out of money, and B wards were changing.

So what Rick is gonna send to you is a list of streets that are in your current ward.

Um but in this, you know, we don't know what's gonna happen.

You may choose not to fund any of your streets, and you may choose to fund in your current ward, but you may choose to fund one that's in somebody else's ward just because you'd made promises to residents.

We we don't know how it's gonna shake out, or it might be that um you know nobody takes advantage of the great big prices we have just because it's it's wonky because of the change of the wards.

But we're um giving everybody the opportunity if you wanted to spend enough funds, if you wanted to spend your capital dollars on this, or you can spend them on you know other important things in your ward.

It's just an opportunity to do repair some brick streets that council members had identified last year as priority brick streets.

Okay, yeah, and the the street that Councilman Hudson spoke of, so there were three brick streets in the ARPA back to basics um program that were funded but not built, and that was Halley, where the Halle Elementary School is, um Train Court, which is behind Clark um Clark Rec Center, and what was 22nd?

Oh West 26nd.

West 22nd that leads up to which park?

Uh it it leads up to one of the parks that we had just renovated.

Um so those were three that were in back to basics that for sure will be done under this brick contract.

We put it in there, we'll move forward and spend those those dollars on those streets.

Yeah.

Okay, thank you, Chair.

All right, all right, thank you, Councilwoman McGrain.

I'm gonna go to Councilman uh Brian Casey.

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman, Mr.

Chairman to the director, just staying on the red brick streets and the conversation that we had a couple of weeks ago.

Um those four wards were any council medicals allocated for these four wards for these streets.

Uh excuse me, for which streets for Whitman, Murray Hill, Simpson for an AwosoMatic dollars put into this, or is this all out of capital funds?

Through the chairman of the councilman, these are all out of capital funds, yes, sir.

So, Mr.

Chairman, to to the to the director, I submitted two streets to get redone.

Why weren't those selected then when with what we're doing in Capitol, no additional councilmatic dollars were allocated.

Why did you just select these streets to be done without the councilman?

The council people having to put additional dollars into it.

Uh through the chairman of the councilman.

So each of them have a particular reason.

Uh Whitman Court um and I should say that um Whitman Court is is uh a problematic brick street that we've been searching for a solution for for quite some time.

Um Rick can speak to that in a little bit more detail.

I I can't remember the issues with Whitman off the top of my head.

Murray Hill, because it's the primary and premier brick street that we have in the city.

Simpson Court is uh is a is an alley where someone removed the brick um in front of uh residences, we assume to build a patio at their house.

Um and so it's a little bit of a different situation.

Smart fur for Avenue was selected because um it because of the magnitude of the utility cuts on this small brick street that were replaced by concrete.

Um and it's really been um bastardized by the public utility cuts and then Osawa because it leads up to a park improvement project that's on our list this year, which is at Warsaw Park.

All right, Mr.

Chairman's the director, all good reasons, thank you very much.

Can you provide this council with the reason for for not selecting the streets that council members selected or submitted to you guys uh when you asked for the request?

Uh through the chairman, the councilman, yes.

So the request very specifically said that if a council member wishes to fund them that they could be funded.

I understand that, but Mr.

Chairman to the director, these streets here are not being funded by council medicals.

Your department is chosen to take a million dollars and do this red brick streets, even though every council member or at least the majority of us probably gave you streets to do, right?

But now you've put a million dollars of our capital money into the streets, but now you're asking other council if you want your red brick streets done, you've got to put you've got to put money in.

Do you see you see where where I'm going with that?

Uh I do, sir.

Yes.

Okay.

So if you could provide the council with the reasons for not selecting the streets that were also submitted, um, we'd appreciate that.

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

All right, thank you, Councilman Casey.

All right, is there any other questions on or uh councilman?

Yes, thank you.

I notice here, just have a question on here.

Um you have Shaker Boulevard, State Route 87, Buckeye Avenue to East Court Line, ODA, what three and six.

Where is that particular area that connects with three and six on uh Buckeye Avenue on State Route 87?

Where's that to the chair to the councilman?

It it's Shaker Boulevard.

The limits of the project are from Buckeye Avenue all the way up to the East Corp line.

So it that's that's that's the length of the judge Shaker.

I know what Shaker Boulevard, but I'm not quite to Shaker.

To Shaker uh is that one that I know you're doing the Van Aken project.

That's Shaker Boulevard to the Van Aiken.

To the chair to the council member Van Aiken will be sold and start construction in July.

July, yes.

But I this one will come next year, it's currently under design.

This next year Shaker, yes.

Construction will start next year.

This is design money.

This is who design.

Yeah, the project has federal funds in it, so that's why it says O dot let.

Yes.

Whenever we have one penny of federal money, the construction administration of the project has to be done by ODOT, and the term that they use is O dot let.

It would have been the city, it would be local let.

Okay.

So that's what the O dot let means.

It's just construction administration by ODOT.

All right.

Okay, thank you.

All right, thank you, Councilwoman McGray.

Uh Councilman Starr.

Yes, regarding orders number 236-2026.

Have a few amendments to be able to align with this ordinance in section one at the ordinance insert the estimated sum of 52 million six hundred and zero six hundred and one thousand two hundred and twenty-four.

Um in section nine at the restricted income tax in both places, insert fund numbers 20-568, 20-574, 20-579, 20-586, 20-592, 20-597, 20-702, 20-712, 20-718, 20-72, and 20-729, and after unspent insert road and bridges, and section nine, line three and eleven, strike future include bonds and replace with 2026 debt in section nine, strike and shall strike and section nine strike and shall be charged against the proper appropriation account at the end of the section nine, insert for any debt insurance that is not general obligation bonds.

Insert for any debt insurance that is not general obligation bonds.

The director of finance should notify the clerk of council of the type of debt issue and its terms.

All right, thank you, Councilman Starr.

Councilman Starr has an amendment on the table.

Is there a second?

Councilman Shaw seconds it.

Okay.

Is there any discussion?

All right.

No discussion.

All right.

Those in favor of the amendment say aye.

Aye.

Those opposed?

The ayes have it.

All right.

Ordinance number 236 2026 as amended stands approved.

Please sign it.

Um first let me let me go back.

Madam Clerk, can you call a roll on orders number 236 2026 as amended?

Yes.

Yes.

All right, thank you.

226.

Uh ordinance number 236 2026 as amended is approved.

Please sign it.

All right.

And last but not least, ordinance number.

I don't know what happened.

Yeah.

309.

Yes, ordinance number 309, 2026 by Councilmembers Bishop Santana and Griffin.

This is a departmental request.

An emergency ordinance.

Determining the method of making the public improvement of repairing, constructing, or installing roadways and bridge improvements, including but not limited to asphalt resurfacing, concrete repairs, bus pads, pads, sidewalks, driveways, aprons, curbs, brick streets, ADA complaining, curved ramps, minor bridge repairs and opportunities, crack ceiling, authorizing the director of capital projects to enter into one or more public improvement.

Requirement contracts for the making of the improvement, and authorizing the director to apply for and accept any gifts or grants for a period not to exceed two years.

Okay, director.

Mr.

Chairman, so I'll have um Rick speak to this about the details of this program.

But essentially we go out to bid every two years, and then uh for a requirements contract to do all the roadway work that we might need throughout the city, and then we fund that contract each year through the capital plan.

Um so um this is uh our current requirements contract will expire in the fall, and so we need to start now to go out to bid and have a new contractor in place before the current contract expires.

Um, and it would again be for a two-year period.

Um so with that, Rick, maybe you could do a little bit on the details.

To the chairs and the council members, uh, these are our requirements contracts that we always seem to talk to you all about.

Uh the requirements contracts, there's several parts to it.

We have one that does our um asphalt and concrete work.

We have one that does our uh tree damage sidewalk work, we have one that does 50-50 work, and another one to do bridge work.

So those are the different type of requirements contracts we have.

The reason we call them uh requirements is that we don't specify where the work's going to be done or the quantities that are going to be used.

So it's really called a public improvement contract by requirements, hence that's what the requirements name came from, as opposed to public improvement project, which would be Carnegie, Shaker, Van Aiken, where we name the project and name the limits and what the work is going to be done, have a set of plans.

These don't have any plans at all.

We're basically going out and doing the work uh out in the field without them, unless that they're one of the little more larger type projects that we call uh street repair ones, like a little larger street than residential that needs a little bit of work in terms of design.

So basically it's a toolbox worth of with items with some quantities put in so we can get some type of bid going.

Uh uh the concrete and asphalt one typically comes in about 20 million dollars.

The uh bridge one about seven million, and the TDS one comes in about uh two and a half million dollars.

So those are the numbers that we have for estimates, and about that's about what we spend on them on a yearly basis.

Maybe not so much on the concrete asphalt, probably more in the twelve million dollar range, but the others that's about what we spend on those particular contracts.

We also use these contracts when there's a council request to do some additional work that the council has funds to pay for.

So it's been that has done real well for us.

comes in about uh two and a half million dollars so those are the numbers that we have for estimates and about that's about what we spend on them on a yearly basis maybe not so much on the concrete asphalt probably more in the 12 million dollar range but the others that's about what we spend on those particular contracts we also use these contracts when there's a council request to do some additional work that the council has funds to pay for councilman grave used the contract quite a bit so it's been that has done real well for us um councilman uh bishop would do the war two safety project with the requirements contract so it has a lot of usefulness the only real drawback of the prices sometimes are a little high because the where you're going to do the work and how much of it you are gonna do it is unknown so that brings it up a little bit but the good part about it once we can go to work right away within probably two weeks of getting a task that we just jump on this contract after covering funds and move forward as opposed to bidding something and waiting three or four months to get a contract down the street okay thank you for that explanation so uh uh basically we don't have um uh uh uh a good way of determining how much this contract this this piece of legislation is worth so we kind of just give an estimate of the past years how much we use in those requirements contracts that is correct we certify this contract for one dollar okay all right uh I'm gonna open up for questions there any questions on this uh ordinance 309 2026 no questions all right seeing no questions on ordinance number 2020 309 2026 309 2026 it stands approved please sign it all right uh is there any miscellaneous before we adjourn uh I I do want to take a moment to uh oh go ahead councilman shawl thank you uh chair and this is actually not related to any of the legislation we have before but just wanted to bring it to the attention of the committee um earlier today we got word that IC is going to be deploying to airports across the country and so far they've chosen 13 airports and Hopkins Cleveland's airport is one of those and I believe as a municipal property it would be within our rights to um put requirements and conditions on ICE deploying on our properties and you know as we know ICE is you know an intimidation tool that the administration is using and um I I plan on bringing legislation through the committee perhaps or one of the other committees um that would require ICE to come to council and ask us for permission at the bare minimum before deploying to any of our properties or using any city properties um and I believe it's you know a fundamental protection that we we have our citizens deserve and we we have questions before they can do this so um just wanted to bring that to the attention of the chair and to the rest of my committee members all right thank you councilmach it is concerning about the environment of our political environment it um but I do want to say that the airport is um as far as under the transportation committee um but I but yeah we all are concerned about that any other questions all right I do want to take uh on behalf of the municipal services committee I want to thank uh uh outstanding public servant miss brooksaban for all her work on the CIP plan uh she's worked countless hours trying to put this together for us thank you very much any other questions all right seeing no further questions I hereby adjourn the call the the uh MSP committee to the next call of the chair