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Mayor outlines 2025 budget data, projects robust reserves and $13.6 million capital program
Summary
Mayor presented the proposed 2025 appropriations and detailed budget web page, describing projected general fund and all-funds ending balances, capital spending of $13.6 million and large reserves; council members asked for clarifications and follow-up on uncompleted 2024 capital projects and vacancy savings.
Cleveland Heights Mayor presented detailed 2025 budget materials and told council the administration expects strong reserves and $13.6 million in capital spending for 2025.
The mayor said the general fund beginning balance is $27,301,059.01 and that the 2025 budgeted revenue and expenses lead to a projected general fund ending balance of $28,454,750.01, which he described as roughly a 48–49% reserve compared with GFOA guidelines of roughly 16%. The mayor also said total capital requested for 2025 was $13,600,000, comprising $4.4 million originally budgeted plus $9.2 million in additional capital amended into the appropriations ordinance.
Council members pressed for additional detail about (1) the rough amount of savings from unfilled positions in 2024 and (2) a clear list of 2024 capital items that were not completed and whether those items are again requested in 2025. The mayor said staff have provided personnel budgeted-versus-actual numbers and encouraged council to use those figures to approximate vacancy savings; he said producing exact, position-by-position vacancy savings would be “extremely labor intensive.”
On capital, the mayor said the additional $9.2 million of capital does not come from the general fund and that the fund summaries on the budget web page reflect the changes. A council member said some materials remain fragmented and requested fuller documentation; the mayor reiterated that the updated fund summary on the website shows the transfers and balances. The mayor also noted that ARPA funding is not budgeted for 2025 and therefore is excluded from the fund summary.
Council scheduled further budget discussion in upcoming finance committee meetings, including a March 11 finance committee meeting to follow up on public works questions.
