Councilors press Building & Housing on $400,000 revenue drop, Erieview rent and staffing in director’s office budget

Councilman Plensick and other members of the Finance Committee pressed the city’s Building & Housing department on a projected roughly $400,000 drop in charges-for-service revenue and on budgeted increases to office space and staffing.

Why it matters: the department moved a recurring rental expense into the property‑rental line and reclassified a prior professional‑services entry, producing a large, visible change in the revenue line. Council members said they want more detail before the council completes its final budget vote.

At the hearing, McCoy Pizzuti, fiscal manager for the Building & Housing Department, told the committee that the change in the charges‑for‑service line reflects a reclassification of a lease for space at Erieview Plaza and different categorization of transaction fees. “Under contractual services for professional services for 2024, we had $990,834. This year, $671,715,” Pizzuti said, describing the recategorization from professional services to property rental.

Director Sally Martin O’Toole and council members also discussed a $150,000 capital outlay shown in the director’s office budget. O’Toole said the funds are planned for interior renovations to Rooms 510 and 511 to accommodate additional staff and expanded code‑enforcement work.

Council members asked for follow‑up detail on utilities and full rent billing for Erieview Plaza after finance staff noted that some charges (utilities, processing fees) are bundled with the rental bill and may not be broken out on the department ledger. Councilman Brian Casey requested a breakout of the city’s rent and utility costs for Erieview; finance staff agreed to provide it.

The committee and staff also discussed vacancies and headcount in the director’s office, with the budget showing a move from 29 filled to a 31‑position authorization (31 budgeted positions, 29 filled in December 2024). O’Toole said two positions were vacant and that those vacancies and another impending legal‑secretary departure were posted for hiring. She told the council: “We’ll deep dive on that.”

What the council directed and what staff said they would provide: - Staff agreed to provide a detailed explanation showing how the roughly $400,000 difference in charges‑for‑service/revenue arose and a complete breakout of Erieview Plaza rent and associated utilities and fees. - Finance and Building & Housing staff agreed to clarify where housing‑court attorney costs appear in the budget (the law department) and to supply documentation on property rental contracts.

Background and context: council members said high rental costs across multiple city departments have been a recurring question and requested an inventory of city leases and an assessment of negotiation opportunities. Councilwoman Jenny Spencer asked that a report be prepared on city‑paid rents across departments and whether properties could be renegotiated or bought instead of leased.

Ending: Building & Housing staff committed to the requested follow‑up items and to providing the committee with a deeper explanation of the revenue recategorization, utilities breakout, and the timeline for filling the department vacancies. The council moved the hearing on to the Division of Code Enforcement after those commitments.