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Councilors propose composting pilot, internship and road-resurfacing increases; finance committee debates process for amendments
Summary
Council members presented proposed additions to the 2025 budget — including a $38,160 composting pilot, a $10,000 council internship line and competing proposals to increase resurfacing funding — and debated the process for administrative certification and legislative drafting.
Council members brought multiple proposed amendments to the Cleveland Heights 2025 budget during the Finance Committee’s April 2 meeting, and the committee spent substantial time clarifying procedure for introducing and certifying such changes.
Requests presented or summarized to the committee included: a $38,160 request for a citywide composting pilot; a $10,000 line for a council internship program; a $2,500 contribution to a community 5K event; and competing measures to increase the annual street/resurfacing allocation (one request to add $2,000,000 to the street fund and another proposal that would raise the total road-resurfacing budget to $6,000,000). Committee members and staff discussed how to move those requests into formal legislation and what administrative sign-offs are required.
Director Hairston explained that the finance director must certify that funds are available before amendments to the budget are enacted and that such certification is an internal control expectation. Committee members and the law department discussed the timing and legal form of any finance certification: the law director said financial sign-off typically accompanies the legislative process rather than preceding introduction, and the administration asked for a short internal review before a public pronouncement to avoid creating the impression of a final commitment prior to council action.
For small, precedent-backed grants (the music/hub event and PTA 5K were cited), several committee members said the funds appear to be available and urged that these modest items be advanced in a single, omnibus amendment to streamline processing. For the larger resurfacing proposals, staff and council members agreed additional stakeholders should attend a dedicated follow-up meeting — public works, the mayor and finance — to discuss project capacity and timing before any large appropriation is advanced.
Committee outcomes and next steps recorded in the meeting included: several modest requests (the composting pilot, the internship line, and small community grants) were flagged to be moved to the law department for drafting as budget amendments; the larger resurfacing proposals were to be the subject of a separate meeting with public works and the mayor to examine capacity and timing; and the finance committee set a calendar expectation to discuss monthly financial statements at its next meeting and to revisit budget amendment procedures.
Ending: Committee members agreed to bring draft legislation for the smaller, low-dollar items to council after law completes form language and to schedule a staff-led capacity briefing for resurfacing proposals before any large appropriation is introduced.
