OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Cleveland City Council Health, Human Services, and Arts Committee Meeting - April 27, 2026

City Council Meetings — Monday, April 27, 2026
BodyCleveland, Ohio
SessionCity Council Meetings
DateMonday, April 27, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 2:18:40

Transcript — Verbatim
0:00

Stephanie, excuse me, um our Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones, George Vondovich.

0:06

I could go on the list, who graduated from that auditorium.

0:12

Kids have got to go someplace else now.

0:14

They want to kill the name Collinwood High School.

0:17

They want to just extinguish it.

0:22

Hundred years old, largest high school in the city of Cleveland, 300,000 square feet.

0:28

We're gonna kill it.

0:36

Gave their lives in the second world war.

0:39

No hundred and eighty-five, including one female.

0:45

Largest loss of life of any school in the second world war in the city of Cleveland.

0:50

Over two thousand served to protect our freedom.

0:58

Euclid Park.

1:01

If this goes through, there'll be no heist, there'll be no elementary schools for the first time in a hundred years in St.

1:06

Clair and on Euclid Avenue.

1:10

First time in a hundred years.

1:11

No elementary schools.

1:13

And yet the population is there.

1:20

I mean just look at this.

1:23

And I've said here and I'm gonna say again to the mayor.

1:27

Mayor, they have misled you.

1:31

Dr.

1:31

Morgan has misled you.

1:34

We're gonna lose the after school program at Collinwood.

1:37

Where is it going?

1:39

No one's telling us where it's gonna go.

1:41

There's no program, and my colleague knows it, because we both inherited a new area.

1:49

There's no program after school in the Collinwood Nottingham village area, which also takes in Euclid Park.

1:58

But what I don't think they didn't tell you as well is that there's six voting precincts gonna disappear.

2:06

Four at Euclid Park, toward Hanny Gibbons.

2:10

So not only do we have to contend with voter suppression coming out of Washington and Columbus.

2:19

Now we see voter suppression coming out of CMSD.

2:24

And I've been sitting here looking at all their stuff that they've put out.

2:29

Nice glossy stuff, building brighter futures.

2:32

So what in essence it tells us on the Northeast side, you're gonna build brighter futures for the charter schools and the surrounding suburbs, because that's where our kids are going based on their own numbers now.

2:45

And yet their own documents, I'm I'm presenting their own documents, only 30 stuff.

4:22

We're having tech issues.

5:13

Yes.

5:14

Hi, for joining us.

5:16

Thank you.

5:17

Thank you for having us.

5:18

We are very proud to present an update today on our work to stand up in tobacco retail licensing system.

5:29

As well as uh some of our results for our smoking system association efforts across our community.

5:35

Uh with me to my left is Patrice Miners, the director of our community health commissioners that we've been scratching on this work, and directly to her left is Mr.

5:44

Barbara Peterson, who is the head of local health remote enforcement and uh enforcement for tobacco retail lessons.

5:51

So really proud of uh the work we have a good year.

5:54

We're gonna keep it to 57 minutes, no more.

5:58

57, and with that, I'm trying to go over it to use finally for remote.

6:03

I don't care how finding the remote.

6:05

Can you also be my name seriously?

6:11

Uh so good morning everyone, and thank you for the opportunity to be here today.

6:17

Uh last year we took an important step to protect residents across Cleveland by passing comprehensive tobacco retail laws.

6:26

Center to that effort was the creation of citywide tobacco retail licensing system, requiring every retailer to obtain a tobacco license for every location.

6:38

Um, with tools such as licensing, compliance checks, donate restrictions, and clear enforcement mechanisms.

6:46

The city now has a stronger, more accountable framework, one that reduces easy access to tobacco, particularly for youth, and in neighborhoods that have been disproportionately targeted.

6:59

Today we can provide a comprehensive update of the implementation of that tobacco retail licensing program or CLE TRL, as I like to call it.

7:10

This initiative is a key component of the city's water tobacco prevention and control efforts, and by aligning this program with those efforts, we are building a more coordinated and effective approach to reducing tobacco related harms across our community.

7:29

So that's what you can say.

7:31

So next slide.

7:44

So before we talk about the implementation of the tobacco retail licensing program, I just want to make sure that we're all rounded in why we're doing this and why it matters for Cleveland.

7:54

So first, um tobacco remains the lean cause of preventable disease, disability, and death in the United States.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Arts And Culture███████████████████████████████████████39%
Cannabis Regulation██████████████████18%
Public Health Awareness██████████████14%
Public Safety██████████10%
Public Engagement████4%
Community Engagement████4%
Economic Development████4%
Affordable Housing███3%
Historic Preservation██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Cleveland City Council Health, Human Services, and Arts Committee Meeting - April 27, 2026

The Cleveland City Council Health, Human Services, and Arts Committee met on April 27, 2026, to hear public comments on the proposed closure of Collinwood High School and receive updates on the city's tobacco retail licensing program and the Transformative Arts Fund. The meeting featured presentations from health department officials and arts administrators, followed by questions and discussion from council members.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • A community member spoke against the proposed closure of Collinwood High School and the elimination of elementary schools in the Euclid Park and St. Clair areas. The speaker argued that the Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD) has misled the mayor and that the closures would result in the loss of after-school programs and voter suppression through the elimination of six voting precincts. The speaker urged the council to reject the plan.

Discussion Items

  • Tobacco Retail Licensing Program Update: The Cleveland Department of Public Health presented an update on the implementation of the tobacco retail licensing (TRL) system. Key points:

    • Smoking rates in Cleveland declined from 35% in 2015 to 25% in 2025, but disparities remain.
    • The TRL program requires all tobacco retailers to obtain a license. As of April 24, 2026, 236 licenses had been issued, with 26 pending. 273 citations were issued to unlicensed retailers during a recent enforcement wave.
    • The program includes a phased enforcement approach: education and outreach, warning and grace period, and active enforcement. Compliance checks found that over half of 100 retailers sold tobacco to minors in a baseline study.
    • Council members discussed penalties for violations, including fines up to $500 per violation and potential license revocation for repeated offenses or sale of marijuana. The health department clarified that the local law provides stronger enforcement mechanisms than state law.
    • The department plans to provide regular data updates to council and consider a progressive fee structure.

  • Transformative Arts Fund Final Impact Report: Senior Advisor for Arts and Culture Ronda Brown, along with partners from Assembly for the Arts, the Transformative Arts Fund committee, and institutional partners, presented the final report on the $3 million pilot program funded by the city.

    • The fund awarded $2.86 million to seven projects, with 93% of funds going directly to project work. 103 applications were received.
    • Projects included murals, immersive theater, public park designs, and remediation of a lead-contaminated house. Six of seven projects were completed on the east side of Cleveland.
    • The fund leveraged additional public and private investments, including the creation of pocket parks, a permanent park in Asia Town, and neighborhood greening initiatives.
    • The program also prompted a review of the city's public art ordinances, with five work streams underway to update policies by the end of 2026.
    • Council members expressed strong support for continued arts funding, noting the economic and community benefits. Councilman Conwell and others emphasized the importance of arts for youth development and neighborhood revitalization.

Key Outcomes

  • The committee received the tobacco retail licensing update and the Transformative Arts Fund report without formal votes.
  • Council members directed the health department to provide a list of licensed tobacco retailers and to continue enforcement efforts.
  • The health department agreed to provide regular data updates on the TRL program.
  • No formal action was taken on the Collinwood High School closure issue, as it was a public comment item.
  • Council members expressed interest in future funding for the arts and in visiting the completed art projects.

Meeting Transcript

Stephanie, excuse me, um our Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones, George Vondovich. I could go on the list, who graduated from that auditorium. Kids have got to go someplace else now. They want to kill the name Collinwood High School. They want to just extinguish it. Hundred years old, largest high school in the city of Cleveland, 300,000 square feet. We're gonna kill it. Gave their lives in the second world war. No hundred and eighty-five, including one female. Largest loss of life of any school in the second world war in the city of Cleveland. Over two thousand served to protect our freedom. Euclid Park. If this goes through, there'll be no heist, there'll be no elementary schools for the first time in a hundred years in St. Clair and on Euclid Avenue. First time in a hundred years. No elementary schools. And yet the population is there. I mean just look at this. And I've said here and I'm gonna say again to the mayor. Mayor, they have misled you. Dr. Morgan has misled you. We're gonna lose the after school program at Collinwood. Where is it going? No one's telling us where it's gonna go. There's no program, and my colleague knows it, because we both inherited a new area. There's no program after school in the Collinwood Nottingham village area, which also takes in Euclid Park. But what I don't think they didn't tell you as well is that there's six voting precincts gonna disappear. Four at Euclid Park, toward Hanny Gibbons. So not only do we have to contend with voter suppression coming out of Washington and Columbus. Now we see voter suppression coming out of CMSD. And I've been sitting here looking at all their stuff that they've put out. Nice glossy stuff, building brighter futures. So what in essence it tells us on the Northeast side, you're gonna build brighter futures for the charter schools and the surrounding suburbs, because that's where our kids are going based on their own numbers now. And yet their own documents, I'm I'm presenting their own documents, only 30 stuff. We're having tech issues. Yes. Hi, for joining us. Thank you. Thank you for having us. We are very proud to present an update today on our work to stand up in tobacco retail licensing system. As well as uh some of our results for our smoking system association efforts across our community. Uh with me to my left is Patrice Miners, the director of our community health commissioners that we've been scratching on this work, and directly to her left is Mr. Barbara Peterson, who is the head of local health remote enforcement and uh enforcement for tobacco retail lessons. So really proud of uh the work we have a good year. We're gonna keep it to 57 minutes, no more. 57, and with that, I'm trying to go over it to use finally for remote. I don't care how finding the remote. Can you also be my name seriously? Uh so good morning everyone, and thank you for the opportunity to be here today.

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