Finance, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee: General Fund Budget Hearing, Day 1, Afternoon Session

Cleveland City Hall, 601 Lakeside Ave E, Mercedes Cotner Room 217 (or watch on YouTube), Cleveland, OH 44114 (Directions)

Remote Event Link

It is budget season in Cleveland! We’re going to document it!

We do not expect you to be a budget expert. Honestly, we don’t know many people who are. We want you to lead with your curiosity. Document the process as you see it. Ask questions about what you don’t understand. And of course, follow the money.

NOTE: This assignment is for the afternoon session of day 1 of General Fund Budget hearings. This assignment is scheduled from council’s return to session after lunch until approximately 5 p.m. Lunch break is expected at noon, but it may come earlier or later. The Cleveland Documenters team will be monitoring the hearing, and will let you know when the lunch break is expected to end. However, you may still need to monitor the YouTube feed (if watching remotely) at least 15 minutes before the afternoon session is scheduled to begin.

Also, be sure to let us know what’s the best way to reach you while on assignment: phone call, text, or email?

Pay: For budget assignments, we treat each session (AM or PM) as a four-hour meeting, even if it runs shorter.

• Minimum pay if watching remotely: $108
• Minimum pay if watching in-person: $144

More pay is added for sessions that run longer than 4 hrs & 15 min.

Documenters covering this should be prepared for the session to last up to four hours. If the session lasts longer than four hours and you cannot continue, let the Documenters team know and note where you leave off in your meetings notes.

We know officials cover a lot in these sessions. You’ll have 48 hours to submit budget notes rather than the typical 24 (note: You’ll still receive an automated email to submit assignments within 24 hours).

On the agenda for this meeting: During these hearings, City Council will ask questions of every city department, division, and office regarding their proposed 2026 budgets. When we know which sections could come up in your session, we’ll update this spot and also send you the information, including relevant page numbers in the Mayor’s Estimate.

Advice for documenting the budget We know notes may be a little longer than usual, but still aim for the 2-6 page guideline. Focus on the budget and staffing numbers for each city entity that comes up in your session. Remember, you don’t need to capture every question or exchange with every council member. Focus on the broader themes that come up and resonate with you, and recap the exchanges you think best illustrate themes.

2026 budget hearing resources:

• The 2026 Mayor’s Estimate.
• Video: 5 quick tips for navigating the Mayor’s Estimate document (Note: I made this in 2024; you can ignore tip #1, but the rest of the principles still apply):
• Cleveland’s budget process: How does it work? (Guide)
• An overview of the proposed budget from Signal Cleveland’s Government Reporter Nick Castele
• Review past Documenters’ budget hearing coverage.

Watching remotely?

Find live streams of this meeting: On YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ClevelandCityCouncil/streams On TV20: https://www.clevelandohio.gov/city-hall/office-mayor/tv20

Attending in person? Be sure to bring a photo ID. There is paid parking connected to City Hall at the Willard Parking Garage, located at 601 Lakeside Ave. There is also hourly parking across from City Hall on E. 6th Street.

Finance Committee members:

• Blaine Griffin, chair (Ward 6)
• Jasmin Santana (Ward 14)
• Kevin Bishop (Ward 2)
• Kevin Conwell (Ward 9)
• Kris Harsh (Ward 4)
• Brian Kazy (Ward 13)
• Michael Polensek (Ward 10)
• Richard Starr (Ward 5)
• Charles Slife (Ward 15)

Other council members:

• Joe Jones (Ward 1)
• Deborah Gray (Ward 3)
• Austin Davis (Ward 7)
• Stephanie Howse-Jones (Ward 8)
• Nikki Hudson (Ward 11)
• Tanmay Shah (Ward 12)

Note: The relevant page numbers in the Mayor’s Estimate will have the names of some administration officials.

For more information go to Cleveland City Council’s website: https://www.clevelandcitycouncil.org.

Check the source website for additional information