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Cleveland City Council suspends rules and approves multiple ordinances; votes recorded as 15 yeas on motions to advance
Summary
During the Feb. 3, 2025 meeting the council voted to suspend the rules and place several first- and second-reading ordinances on final passage, including the 2025 budget appropriations and multiple departmental contract authorizations. Roll calls on motions to suspend rules were recorded as 15 yeas.
Cleveland City Council on Feb. 3, 2025, voted to suspend the rules and place multiple ordinances on final passage, including the city's 2025 appropriations ordinance and several departmental contract and program authorizations. The clerk recorded votes of 15 yeas on motions to suspend the rules and place the listed legislation on final passage.
The council moved to dispense with reading of the minutes (motion by Council Member Harsh, seconded by Council Member Santana) and then advanced several ordinances from first reading to final passage. The first group included: Ordinance 156-2025 (annual appropriations for city operations for the fiscal year 01/01/2025 to 12/31/2025) and Ordinance 157-2025 (authorizing professional service contracts for three public-art installations at Clark Recreation Center, Sterling Recreation Center and Fire Station No. 26). A motion “that the rules be suspended and the legislation just read be placed on final passage” was offered by Council Member Harsh and seconded by Council Member Santana; the roll call recorded 15 yeas.
In a second set of measures the council likewise moved to suspend the rules and place a list of second-reading ordinances on final passage. Those listed in the transcript include: Ordinance 1141-2023 (amendments to the codified ordinances relating to sidewalks and right-of-way, as amended); Ordinance 1353-2024 (consent to state transportation action for stabilization of Tower B of the Detroit Superior Bridge/Veterans Memorial Bridge); Ordinance 1358-2024 (authorization for renewal of towing contracts); Ordinance 22-2025 (professional consultant services for property insurance for Huntington Bank Field); Ordinance 99-2025 (authorizing relocation of $3,096,008.79 previously allocated for West Side Market improvements); and Ordinance 126-2025 (amendment to contract terms with Digital Sea). The motion to suspend rules for this group was placed and the clerk recorded 15 yeas on the motion. On the subsequent roll calls on final passage the clerk recorded 15 yeas for most items and noted a single nay on an item identified in the transcript only as “on January” (the transcript did not specify which ordinance received the lone nay).
Other items read into the record included ordinances authorizing agreements using Ward-based casino revenue funds (Ordinance 158-2025) and job-creation tax-incentive agreements (Ordinances 160-2025 and 161-2025) among others; the transcript shows these were also moved under the suspension motions and placed on final passage with the same roll-call pattern.
Specific clarifying details in the record: - Ordinance 156-2025 covers appropriations and current expenses for all municipal departments for the fiscal year 01/01/2025–12/31/2025. - Ordinance 157-2025 authorizes agreements with Sfona Studio LLC, Lauren HB Studio, and Kistler Studio LLC to design and install three public artworks at specified city facilities. - Ordinance 158-2025 authorizes an agreement using Ward 4 casino revenue funds with Burton Bell Carr Development for a youth football and tutoring program. - Ordinance 159-2025 grants a permit for the CHN Believe in Home 5K on Aug. 9, 2025. - Ordinance 160-2025 authorizes a Job Creation Income Tax (JCIT) incentive agreement with Canon Healthcare or its designee. - Ordinance 161-2025 seeks to reinstate and amend an enterprise zone tax-abatement agreement for property at 10500 Cedar Avenue, extending the abatement term from 10 to 15 years. - Ordinance 99-2025 reassigns $3,096,008.79 previously allocated for West Side Market improvements to a revised West Side Market project contemplated under Ordinance 05/2023.
Why it matters: the appropriations ordinance sets the city's operating budget for 2025 and the contracts and incentives affect capital projects, public art, economic development incentives, and use of Ward casino revenue funds.
Votes at a glance: - Motion to suspend rules and place first-read ordinances (including Ord. 156-2025 and Ord. 157-2025) on final passage: mover Council Member Harsh; second Council Member Santana; roll call recorded 15 yeas. - Motion to suspend rules and place second-read ordinances (including Ord. 1141-2023, 1353-2024, 1358-2024, 22-2025, 99-2025, 126-2025) on final passage: mover Council Member Harsh; second Council Member Santana; roll call recorded 15 yeas. Clerk recorded 15 yeas on most final-passage votes and noted one recorded nay described only as “on January” (transcript did not specify which ordinance received the lone nay).
What council did not do at this meeting: the transcript does not record debate or amendments to the listed ordinances; most were advanced under suspension of rules and final passage motions.
Ending: The meeting adjourned to the next regular session on Feb. 10, 2025.
