CLEVELAND, Ohio — For the first time since before the recession, the city of Cleveland will be able to balance its budget without having to carry money over from the previous year, thanks to a voter-approved city income tax increase that is expected to draw Pasgol an additional $83.5 million into the city’s general fund annually.
Also, the city expects to hire as many as 350 new employees this year to deliver enhanced services, ranging from policing to sweeping the city’s streets.
During an interview Wednesday with cleveland.com reporters and editors, Mayor Frank Jackson laid out his proposed 2017 budget before he presents the plan to City Council during a series of hearings later this month.
Unlike Jackson’s budget presentations of years past — which focused on the struggle to operate within the city’s means and to protect jobs, despite deep cuts in state funding for local municipalities – this year, the mayor led with good news.
Here are the highlights:
Revenue will exceed expenses
The city’s general fund budget of $601 million represents more than a $30 million increase over last year’s expenses. But the city’s revenue, which is expected to top $607 million, can support it.
By comparison, last year the city spent $570 million, while only drawing in $520 million – requiring the city to cut corners where possible to bridge the gap.
The income tax infusion also will feed an additional $9.3 million into the city’s restricted income tax fund, which is used exclusively for debt service and capital expenses.
The city of Cleveland is hiring
The city expects to hire 350 employees this year in departments citywide. Jackson notes, however, that even with the new hires, the city would still be down about 700 jobs compared to pre-recession budgets. Most of those lost jobs are in public safety, he said.
Violence reduction and improving the health of Clevelanders
Jackson’s budget sets aside millions for a comprehensive anti-violence initiative that draws together violence intervention, street outreach, social programming, workforce development and community policing.
To oversee it all, the mayor named longtime federal and county prosecutor Duane Deskins as the city’s new chief of Prevention, Intervention and Opportunity for Youth and Young Adults.
The budget calls for a $1 million contract with an outside agency to analyze crime. And the city plans to hire a small team of intervention specialists to work under the auspices of the Community Relations Board, headed by Director Blaine Griffin.
Also, the city’s Health Department proposes to take on two new health services administrators to analyze youth violence as a public health crisis. The department plans to hire 19 other employees to focus on preventing lead poisoning prevention, reducing infant mortality and addressing the opiate epidemic.
The budget also calls for the city’s Recreation Department to see $2.3 million in increased staff and programming, too, with an eye toward reducing youth violence and providing opportunities for young people.
More and better basic services
Nearly $4.6 million would be added this year to line items under the Department of Public Works to improve services, such as street sweeping, pothole repair, waste collection and leaf pick-up.
Parks and playgrounds would see upgrades this year, too. Public Works would target those responsible for illegal dumping. And the city would hire an outside company to manage the city’s dead trees – casualties of the Emerald Ash Borer – to free up city crews for bigger urban forestry projects.
Building and housing to beef up inspections
The Building and Housing Department proposes to add 33 employees to improve the inspection of homes and vacant properties.
Jackson also has announced that, beginning this year, the city plans to conduct routine interior inspections of most city rental properties to make sure they’re safe and don’t pose threats to residents.
The effort would aim to improve overall health and well-being for all Cleveland tenants, with an emphasis on mitigating the glut of homes contaminated by lead paint.
More police, better policing
Partly to comply with a federal consent decree governing police use of force, the Cleveland police department is budgeted this year for $8.3 million to cover 93 new employees. They include: Two captains, three lieutenants, 11 sergeants, 65 patrol officers and 12 radio dispatchers.
The police budget also includes the creation of the Neighborhood Impact Community Engagement Squad – a new unit that can be dispatched throughout the city to cover hot spots, with an emphasis on community policing practices.
An additional fire company
The fire department under the budget would spend $2.8 million on four support staff members, ballistic vests, a new records management system and, most importantly, the reopening of a fire company near downtown that had been browned out years ago.
Jackson said the new manpower would help decrease response times citywide.
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