[{"_1":2,"_111":-5,"_112":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6316690,"mediaKeyId","2376000-d5a52e8b939c7d8e6ef8262638afc3a3","parentId",2376000,"title","Department of Public Utilities budget hearing highlights radio upgrade, Channel 20 investments and billing changes","audioSeconds",3628,"startMs",8750000,"endMs",12378000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2376000-d5a52e8b939c7d8e6ef8262638afc3a3&start=8750&end=12378","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2376000-d5a52e8b939c7d8e6ef8262638afc3a3/thumbnail_8750000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6316690/Cleveland/Cuyahoga-County/Ohio/Department-of-Public-Utilities-budget-hearing-highlights-radio-upgrade-Channel-20-investments-and-billing-changes","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6316690-43318a09f6f40340fcad6e1161ccb699/orig.mp4?Expires=1775239153&Signature=VQeD8rxdW~DJHtlSBt~vt3QbFPXEKLDPf~l2ADA7Ej7bd1pHYjfFlJbRoY8O6Dpo30idTRkVGtNrynxvCiabxHBKAyCpLtflJXXwlzVKQ4VCmhMjO1ewZSofl5pw2YzmePxuPCWg7P~bPoZ75WQPAZUVJQOelZ1Wu3WZEyjAhuxMFVPjDbP3CRYaX6upVQfSjLFFDgg19ukAKP7HUXL5Meg1QqR2N6vb-WymDfJP-UNwmikV6bhFmRtXVM4RWGcdjt-HVQZ~RIXMA4c7xLhAWPN9VBAgIJ~3JqLUHpuaFGT7XCcL5YEdpkmd4o~G3DOgaJN6I9gne6qTrRCg1x0okw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City Council of Cleveland OH","date","2025-02-20T22:32:00Z","article","Cleveland — The Department of Public Utilities (DPU) presented its general administration, fiscal-control and radio-communications budgets to the council finance committee, with focus on a citywide radio-modernization program, Channel 20 equipment and planned technology investments.

Director Martin J. Kane and Chief Financial Officer Catherine M. Troy said DPU administration supports multiple internal services — public affairs, Channel 20, call-center operations, translation services and scanning efforts — and that some line items in the 2025 budget reflect corrected position titles and head count changes. Kane noted green-sheet staffing clarifications were circulated to the committee.

Troy and department staff described three notable items:

- Radio/800 MHz upgrade: The city is implementing Motorola system upgrades and new consoles, mobile-unit replacements and site improvements for the 800 MHz public-safety radio network. DPU’s Office of Radio Communications will manage installation, and the up-front capital and equipment costs will be charged back to user divisions (public safety, airport, public works and others). The budget shows large increases in contractual and capital line items tied to that work; staff said miscellaneous revenue will reflect chargebacks from the user divisions once projects are invoiced.

- Channel 20 and cable-franchise revenue: The budget reflects continued funding for Channel 20 capital needs and equipment. Staff said the city’s general fund received roughly $2.3 million in cable franchise fees in 2024, and that Channel 20 equipment purchases (including a new outside-broadcast truck budgeted earlier) are reimbursed via franchise fees in the enterprise accounting shown in DPU’s book. Channel 20 leaders told council the truck has been ordered and the department expects delivery and final outfitting in the second quarter of 2025.

- Administrative services and client-facing programs: DPU administration budgeted for scanning of records (a state-term contract), translation services for customer-facing materials and training for risk-management software. These lines reflect a department-wide effort to modernize records, improve language access and centralize certain administrative functions.

CFO Troy explained that interest and investment income lines can shift based on where cash is held across operating divisions (DPU aims to keep funds working in user divisions rather than sitting in administrative accounts). Council members asked for more detail on telephone-exchange chargebacks and internal service allocations; finance staff and the DPU team said telecommunications and telecom-exchange chargeback amounts would be explained when IT and Finance present their budgets.

The Office of Radio Communications (Administrative Manager Brad Hanke) detailed equipment and material increases tied to the Motorola program and said the work includes console replacements and mobile installations and that the office will rely on a mix of in-house staff and contracted inspection and installation services to complete the upgrade.

Council members asked DPU for a breakdown of franchise-fee accounting and for a technology/telecom strategic plan; DPU staff agreed to provide the requested detail.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Finance, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee - Budget Hearings, Feb. 21, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Director Martin J. Kane and CFO Catherine M. Troy presented the DPU operating budgets. The department plans investments in telecom and radio infrastructure (Motorola/800 MHz upgrades), expects larger chargebacks to user divisions, and described Channel 20 equipment and truck purchases funded by cable franchise fees.","taxTitle","Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Ohio","taxId",2662,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6316695,"Office of Capital Projects requests staff increases, outlines $8 million tree-damaged sidewalk recovery plan",5718,5143000,10861000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2376000-d5a52e8b939c7d8e6ef8262638afc3a3&start=5143&end=10861","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2376000-d5a52e8b939c7d8e6ef8262638afc3a3/thumbnail_5143000.jpg","/articles/6316695/Cleveland/Cuyahoga-County/Ohio/Office-of-Capital-Projects-requests-staff-increases-outlines-8-million-tree-damaged-sidewalk-recovery-plan","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6316695-c8a5cb748b699a44297537336fc8f7be/orig.mp4?Expires=1775239153&Signature=R7SpzbshLgmovwQasVQdhSb1-E3RuJQKBHDQuBQHzIsqkz~KHnHzODxNlx4RNqPBrEHlgzDzp2aGBpxVorpsfNAxvU-SqyFgqfYj9FgVJZjX30Ij6nzwua9hjjakNkVE0UGRpihV9cpeFHtYhPrJId08trfmEpeRtgNV7~y-~6zFwZADr4n79A5RDeVTs1YXS8HeVMxq2ZTY7m~4ioAk2VwDgXASUIA4QDaaOKXkOPHm6AtpDuqc4a0JEOx2gvhWr6uq9Rgg9FQdepPrda73wjIH68uz5OCQiNB~8T9u92UZbkmXhbGJJijcpxLTbXyuNUmUtyHyHxAq8KQguyKWxw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Cleveland — James DeRosa, director of the Office of Capital Projects (MOCAP), told the council committee the department seeks to restore staffing lost in prior cutbacks and to increase project-management capacity as the city ramps up capital work this year.

DeRosa said MOCAP’s 2025 budget reflects a planned head count increase from an unaudited 61 employees at the end of 2024 to a budgeted 71 in 2025. The requested additions include three new budgeted positions to replace roles lost in earlier years and several project coordinators to manage a growing slate of projects. Reimbursements for bond-funded work are expected to rise in 2025 as billing catches up to prior years.

On sidewalks and neighborhood infrastructure, DeRosa outlined a multi-part approach: (1) the city restructured the sidewalk program and added a construction project manager dedicated to sidewalks; (2) the department moved certain sidewalk work into construction to improve delivery; and (3) MOCAP issued a procurement to address a backlog of tree-damaged sidewalks. DeRosa told the committee the department bid a program he described as an approximately $8,000,000 TDS recovery project to clear longstanding locations, and that the work should be under contract and begin as spring weather permits with the aim to complete the work during 2025.

DeRosa said MOCAP is also increasing training and travel funds to raise project-management skills across staff and anticipates using a mix of in-house and contracted inspectors to handle specialized or surge needs. He told council members the department had engaged consultants for on-call inspection support in 2024 to supplement staff during spike in demand and large projects such as Bedrock-related infrastructure work.

Council members pressed for clarity about where third-party inspection payments and developer-funded inspection accounts appear in the city’s accounts; DeRosa said those funds flow through separate capital accounts rather than the MOCAP operating budget and promised to provide more detailed accounting on request. He also said the department would deliver an annual report and a public-facing project-status dataset that will list capital project activity and status.

DeRosa said the staffing and reimbursement changes are intended to restore MOCAP to capacity and avoid previous backlogs that delayed neighborhood-level capital work.","Director James DeRosa said the Office of Capital Projects (MOCAP) is budgeting to restore staffing levels cut in earlier years, plans three new positions, and is moving to clear an estimated backlog of tree-damaged sidewalk (TDS) work with an $8 million contract and expanded project management capacity.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6316700,"Clerk of Court highlights expungement outreach, warns House Bill 29 could reduce collections tools",1689,2260000,3949000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2376000-d5a52e8b939c7d8e6ef8262638afc3a3&start=2260&end=3949","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2376000-d5a52e8b939c7d8e6ef8262638afc3a3/thumbnail_2260000.jpg","/articles/6316700/Cleveland/Cuyahoga-County/Ohio/Clerk-of-Court-highlights-expungement-outreach-warns-House-Bill-29-could-reduce-collections-tools","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6316700-f49ae6b165ef4d5d55e82967893c277e/orig.mp4?Expires=1775239153&Signature=jrBP0nf2Iyyk7hA~ItEoxFj8i06M8xgcP7sNgkkm15JXhvIxagNrRD0li6iTPnFqF8stml3zGQyA~WvXeup2aFZ6omlezDbuSq0pN6LOhZcLJz92hPv1Qj-JH-mWWzYtCiYv~LUaDXDGPQp8FCSKEbVIzVvkgkv0G8VF0v~yCWe2EqnJQCouBGyS2~DGlo3vzsR7NrW44yJ6yJn4AID3bXRzwIenbbpcJ12YmqzMxgN0Jynbm2KXNOSJuJ608TlRzCDj5zcHS0bKkBQEaowmSZwky7ZQDTd3fdfyZhBh81Yc63z~YVExwWl16iZ6-N4qyz~tVvb9aIwtD929~l9USQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Cleveland — Earl B. Turner, Clerk of the Cleveland Municipal Court, told the council’s finance committee the Clerk’s Office stepped up neighborhood outreach and expungement clinics in 2024 while warning that state House Bill 29 could reduce an important collections tool.

Turner said the Clerk’s Office partnered on “in the neighborhood” events (eight in 2024) and numerous expungement clinics with nonprofit LegalWorks and suburban partners, and that 2024 saw substantial activity resolving past-due parking and traffic tickets and assisting people to avoid tow actions. “When people come to our in the neighborhood events, they often tell us they appreciate new ways of notifying them about outstanding fines,” Turner said.

The Clerk’s Office reported that expungements and sealing increased: the court and clerk staff assisted many people through local events and the clerk’s outreach; the clerk’s office also cited the rise in electronic filing and the expansion of mediation (245 mediated small-claims resolutions in 2024, compared with 59 in 2023).

Kim Bates, the Clerk’s chief of staff, explained a specific operational concern for collections: House Bill 29, which changes driver-license suspension rules, also removed (in its present drafting and implementation) the clerk’s ability to place vehicle registration holds on people with unpaid parking tickets or fines — a step that had been described by clerk staff as a primary lever to motivate payments. “House Bill 29 took that away from us, meaning we could no longer put vehicle registration holds on defendants who had not paid,” Bates said, adding that vehicle-registration holds were historically used to prompt people to resolve outstanding fines at court.

Parking-ticket revenue and collection data were discussed: the Clerk’s Office reported parking ticket collections fell from about $3.3 million to $2.8 million in 2024; staff attributed part of the decline to changes in attorney-general collection arrangements and a 10% downturn in ticket issuance tied to a new city parking meter rollout that initially generated disputes. John Galick, director of parking violations, said a large increase in disputes (about 4,000 challenges after new meter zones were installed) depressed collections in 2024.

The clerk’s staff also noted workforce changes and succession planning: the office reported 133 full-time employees as of early 2025 and described retirement risk and stepped-up training efforts. Mariceli Rivera, the Clerk’s HR director, described hiring and retention efforts and the office’s use of student seasonal hires to build a recruiting pipeline.

Council members asked for follow-up detail and asked the Clerk’s Office to provide pay-band charts and additional documentation about collections and the likely fiscal impact of the state driver-license changes. The Clerk’s Office said it would provide that information to the committee.","Clerk Earl B. Turner told the Finance Committee the Clerk’s Office expanded expungement clinics and neighborhood outreach in 2024 but warned recent state legislation (House Bill 29) may remove vehicle registration holds that are central to the court’s collections strategy.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6316705,"Cleveland Municipal Court outlines budget, points to pretrial services and rising caseloads",642,740000,1382000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2376000-d5a52e8b939c7d8e6ef8262638afc3a3&start=740&end=1382","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2376000-d5a52e8b939c7d8e6ef8262638afc3a3/thumbnail_740000.jpg","/articles/6316705/Cleveland/Cuyahoga-County/Ohio/Cleveland-Municipal-Court-outlines-budget-points-to-pretrial-services-and-rising-caseloads","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6316705-16c73035cd3ed8fcc485c0993ba89e2e/orig.mp4?Expires=1775239153&Signature=AUcC9Ri8BCsydZD5d~S~i9TlSMnPSEcT3TWIv0oS0QbdYIPd5CD1MRiylYKGoq4qHfuCkoJ1R1szohcW8moerFHbJi6oo~PyebtqdtZqWWe1lxjrxlBJZz6KXaRuZT7qqPSaDv2r8KsH7v2swU4ZE8~4onvXzqIrLN031N34ivC3HZE3sL6B9o7GYqjZr-1cyMFEbdPX4XzaLfSTnXWOkJJaYWPzgAHwBsg53aZZ2dN9CgdGvnyikwjL7wm9Vj0NaDVblpx~b3EyO1QeU64s0PW644kIzHp3e~IpGHBOVmgKFPKFjse-WQ3wVzYP8zyJx7fFoPAdFI0QGtA3SCowiQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Cleveland — Administrative and Presiding Judge Michelle Early told the City Council Committee on Finance that the Cleveland Municipal Court remained within the budget provided by the city while expanding pretrial services and specialized dockets, as overall case filings rose in 2024.

The court presented budget figures and operational highlights, and requested council members consider continued support for programs that the judge said reduce unnecessary jail stays and increase access to services. Early said the court conducted more public safety assessments and expanded monitoring through partnerships that include the Orianna House.

Early said the court conducted 5,433 public safety assessments in 2024 for violent misdemeanors and felonies coming through Courtroom 3D, producing pretrial service assignments for 1,633 people, up from 1,543 in 2023. She reported that 95 percent of people monitored by pretrial services had no new criminal activity while their cases were pending and that 95 percent had no court-supervised release violations during that time. “We pride ourselves on our innovation and being a problem solving court,” Early said.

The judge also detailed caseload changes: total new criminal and civil filings were roughly 338,776 in 2024 versus 36,178 in 2023 (as presented to the committee), with increases in felonies (3,796 in 2024, up from 3,353), misdemeanors, DUI and other traffic-related filings. Early said the court processed more civil filings, small claims and a substantial number of expungements and sealing actions — 2,795 cases in 2024, of which 2,007 were marijuana-related.

Early described community-facing programs the court runs or supports, including expanded mediation (245 mediated small-claims resolutions in 2024 versus 59 in 2023), specialty dockets (drug court, mental health, veterans treatment, human trafficking), language access (1,911 requests, including 1,343 Spanish-language requests), and “Valentine’s Day” wedding ceremonies at City Hall. She said the court will produce a driver’s license information sheet and hold clinics after House Bill 29 takes effect in April, because the statute changes how licenses are suspended and will require community outreach.

Council members thanked Early and court staff for the work on specialty courts and pretrial services. Finance-related figures were presented in the court’s packet: for example, the court listed salaries and wages and total expenditures in the budget worksheets provided to council (copies were offered to council members during the hearing).

Looking ahead, Early offered to provide periodic updates to council on curfew and related enforcement matters and encouraged greater coordination on community outreach and informational clinics tied to the new state driver’s license rules.

The presentation included requests that council consider continuing support for pretrial and specialized-court programs; the committee did not take formal votes during the hearing.","Administrative and Presiding Judge Michelle Early told the City Council committee the court ran within its budget while expanding pretrial services and specialized dockets as filings increased in 2024; she highlighted statistics on pretrial monitoring, expungements and an outreach plan tied to House Bill 29 changes.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Department of Public Utilities budget hearing highlights radio upgrade, Channel 20 investments and billing changes

Office of Capital Projects requests staff increases, outlines $8 million tree-damaged sidewalk recovery plan

Clerk of Court highlights expungement outreach, warns House Bill 29 could reduce collections tools

Cleveland Municipal Court outlines budget, points to pretrial services and rising caseloads