After a clash between Cleveland City Council and Mayor Justin Bibb, council members voted Tuesday to pass the city's $800 million, 2025 general fund budget.
Once Mayor Justin Bibb signs off, it's final.
But with a clash over additional funding to city neighborhoods between council members and the mayor, that could take weeks.
Bibb has 10 days after the legislation's passage to either sign off, send the appropriations ordinance back to Council unsigned (in which case it goes into effect without his signature) or veto the ordinance, citing his objections to Council. That's according to the city's charter.
If he vetoes the measure, the charter requires Council wait at least a week after the veto to reconsider and possibly override that veto.
The city charter requires the city pass its budget by April 1.
That means if the mayor does not sign or veto before March 24, City Council would be unable to override the veto ahead of that deadline.
A Council spokesperson said that effectively means the city would be without a budget to pay bills.
The uncertainty comes after a recent budget battle between Bibb and members of City Council, who earlier this month passed an amendment adding an additional $4.6 million toward the "Neighborhood Investment Fund," which gives each city ward money toward improvement projects like parks and benches.
Some council members say that addition is a drop in the bucket of the city's $800 million dollar budget, in which spending was up more than $26 million over last year, largely thanks to a roughly 3% increase in income tax collections and a bump in property taxes.
But even with more than $61 million in carryover from last year, Mayor Justin Bibb urged Council to operate with caution and maintain the "status quo" when he presented his budget proposal last month. Citing uncertainty over federal funding under President Donald Trump and ongoing contract negotiations with various unions, Bibb urged Council not to touch those carryover funds.
Largely, Bibb and Council were able to strike agreements during budget negotiations. Cleveland City Council’s changes paved the way for more safety and services, such as an additional $8 million to resurface and care for roads.
New positions are funded as well: the budget includes money for 11 additional full-time EMS positions, as well as an LGBTQ+ liaison, Spanish language translator and small business support employee at City Hall.
Council and the mayor could not strike a deal, however, on those additional neighborhood improvement dollars. Council ultimately pushed through an additional $4.6 million to Bibb's $5.6 million proposal to fund the Neighborhood Investment Fund, which will give each of Cleveland's 17 wards $600,000 in project funds. That's the same amount as last year.
Bibb disavowed the decision, calling it "dangerous and irresponsible." Those accusations caused tension among some council members, who insisted taxpayer dollars go back into neighborhoods.
Bibb said $6.4 million of unspent money from the Neighborhood Investment Fund has sat "idle for two years" because of Council, but a Council spokesperson pointed a finger back at the administration.
"There are countless projects and hundreds of thousands — if not millions — of dollars that Council has already approved that we're waiting to get out the door because the administration is not doing their due diligence," the spokesperson said earlier this month.
Records provided by Cleveland City Council show that of Council projects approved between May 1, 2024 and January 31 this year, only $506,317 of the more than $4.1 million budget have made it out the door. An additional half million dollars are encumbered, meaning the money is reserved, but the remaining $2.9 million remains in limbo. A Council spokesperson attributes that failure to the administration because it is responsible for administering the spending Council approves.
