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Council committee OKs competitive bid to continue cremation services for indigent residents
Summary
The Health and the Arts Committee approved legislation authorizing a two-year, competitively bid contract (not to exceed $250,000) for cremation services for indigent or unclaimed decedents, adopting technical amendments and a new reporting requirement for cooperative purchases.
The Cleveland City Council Health and the Arts Committee on March 24 approved legislation authorizing a two-year contract, with two one-year renewal options, to provide cremation services for indigent or unclaimed residents and authorized the department to solicit bids for the next contract term.
Andrea Cassanari, director of vital statistics, told the committee the program provides free cremation services for qualifying families and unclaimed remains and that the city has had a contract with the same provider for about 12 years. "For the last few years we've been just around $200,000," Cassanari said, and the legislation sets a not-to-exceed cap of $250,000.
The committee adopted three amendments: correcting a typographical error replacing the word "indignant" with "indigent," specifying the appropriation account 01-001-5005-6381 and inserting a requirement that the director of public health provide written notice to the clerk of council when purchases are made through cooperative purchasing processes, including details of such purchases. After the amendments were read and seconded, the chair called a voice vote and announced the legislation passed as amended.
Committee members also pressed staff on operational details. Cassanari said the office processes about 400 applications annually and estimates roughly 300 cremations per year under the indigent program; she gave the per-cremation rate as approximately $895–$900 and said the infant rate is about $125. The office’s application asks next of kin to call and staff runs checks for assets including prepaid funerals, veteran benefits and online fundraising campaigns; a family with qualifying claims may elect to receive ashes and the contractor holds ashes for about a year before interring them at Highland Park Cemetery’s Potter's Field.
The legislation was sponsored by Councilmember Kevin Conwell and Councilmember Griffin and cleared Finance and the Director of Law before committee consideration. The committee’s passage authorizes the department to go to bid and to execute a contract within the $250,000 cap; the ordinance also adds the new cooperative-purchase notice requirement for transparency. The committee did not record roll-call vote tallies in the transcript; the chair announced the item passed.
