Cuyahoga County expected a budget deficit this year after council last fall approved spending more than officials expected to bring in. But sales tax revenues are falling short of expectations. In past years, the county had budgeted for a conservative 2% increase in sales tax collections, which make up over half of the general fund. But for 2024, the fiscal office projected a 4% increase. And this is the first time the county budget director has seen sales taxes decline. What happens now? The county may have to cut back on expenses and/or dip into cash reserves. There could be bigger problems on the horizon, though. The county relies on sales taxes to back several revenue bonds and pay debt service, including for projects like renovations to Progressive Field.
— Laura
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Overnight Scores and Weather |
Guardians at Cincinnati Reds: Guardians beat Reds, 5-3, as Steven Kwan strikes early and Josh Naylor strikes late Northeast Ohio weather forecast: More sunshine, warmer temperatures |
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Cuyahoga County might have to dip into its general fund’s cash reserves because of an expected budget deficit. |
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County budget: Cuyahoga County is bracing to end the year with a nearly $16 million deficit due to spending in the sheriff’s office and, for the first time ever, underperforming sales tax collections. But officials don’t yet have a plan for how to balance the budget, Kaitlin Durbin reports. Colorado pot sales: The cannabis market in Colorado, the first state to legalize recreational marijuana sales in the decades since the drug’s prohibition, is crashing, with dispensaries and cultivators shuttering, reports Laura Hancock. This comes just as Ohio’s adult-use market is ramping up. Today in Ohio: The Ohio Senate's plan to spend hundreds of millions of unexpected tax revenue includes funding to dozens of Northeast Ohio projects. On Today in Ohio, cleveland.com’s daily half-hour news podcast, we’re talking about millions in one-time funds to projects in Cuyahoga and five neighboring counties as part of this year’s state capital budget, despite less-than-expected income tax revenues. |
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'Conspiratorial speculation': The U.S. Department of Justice on Tuesday issued its rebuttal against what it described as the “conspiratorial speculation” from U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan over his claims that the department was involved in the New York district attorney’s prosecution of former President Donald Trump. Sabrina Eaton reports a letter to Jordan from Assistant U.S. Attorney General Carlos Felipe Uriarte said the Justice Department had conducted a comprehensive search of its email system that shows its leaders didn’t communicate with the New York district attorney’s office over its prosecution of Trump. Yost's take: Republican Attorney General Dave Yost is staking out the same legal argument as a prominent Columbus Democrat in a case before the Ohio Supreme Court that could have wide-ranging implications for how courts handle future challenges to new state laws, reports Andrew Tobias. Yost says a Republican Delaware County judge’s temporary order blocking a Columbus gun-control ordinance for more than a year is similar to how a Democratic judge in Cincinnati blocked the state’s six-week abortion ban from taking effect. Pipeline aid: Bipartisan members of an Ohio House committee voted Tuesday to advance legislation that would provide interest-free loans and tax cuts for natural gas pipelines in areas deemed to have insufficient gas infrastructure in place, reports Jake Zuckerman. Energy grants: Six energy-efficiency projects in five Ohio counties, including one in Cuyahoga County, landed a combined $5.4 million in state grants on Tuesday, Jeremy Pelzer reports. Each of the projects receiving the money through the Ohio Department of Development’s Advanced Energy Fund will use the funds to make buildings more energy efficient. Special election: Voters in the 6th Congressional District decided Tuesday who will represent them in Congress for the rest of the year, reports Andrew Tobias. The candidates running for the seat are state Sen. Michael Rulli, a Mahoning County Republican whose family owns a grocery business in the Youngstown area, and Michael Kripchak, an Air Force veteran and first-time Democratic candidate who most recently worked as a prep cook in a Youngstown restaurant. |
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Cyber attack: With City Hall shuttered for a second day amid what Mayor Justin Bibb called a cyber “threat,” Cleveland could be finding itself on a growing list of cities that have fallen victim to ransomware, which often grinds services to a halt and costs taxpayers millions. Courtney Astolfi reports that during the first eight months of last year alone, ransomware attacks on local and state governments in the U.S. grew by 51% over the same period in 2022. Library union: Negotiations between the Cuyahoga County Public Library and its union staff are at an impasse. And if an agreement on wages isn’t reached, the union representing the librarians and many other workers may take the rare move of going on strike, reports Sean McDonnell. Lauding Cleveland: Four out of five Clevelanders say they would recommend the city as a visitor destination, according to a recent survey. Destination Cleveland, the region’s tourism agency, wants to take residents up on that offer. Susan Glaser reports that David Gilbert, the president and CEO of Destination Cleveland, told 500 or so city boosters in attendance at the organization’s annual meeting to help the agency spread the word – about the city as not only a great place to visit, but a great place to work, to live and to go to school. K9 recruits: A new group of officers is fighting to keep drugs from getting inside the Cuyahoga County Jail. Their pay comes in the form of hugs and treats. This week, the sheriff’s department increased its K9 unit by eight dogs in an attempt to stem the flow of contraband into the facility, Molly Walsh reports. Summer help: Cuyahoga County officials on Tuesday highlighted many programs and resources to keep youth and their families engaged over the summer, reports Kaitlin Durbin. Toxic emissions: In 2022, 47 toxic release facilities were tracked in Lorain County by the EPA, reports Zachary Smith. These facilities released 908,364 pounds of 49 separate toxic chemicals into the environment. Youth sports: Youth sports provide all sorts of benefits, but they can also create a huge burden on families and, in extreme cases, hurt kids’ physical and emotional health. We want to tell sports stories – and get expert advice to help readers decide what’s right for their families. Stockyards blaze: Firefighters battled a blaze early Tuesday morning in the city’s Stockyards neighborhood, reports Olivia Mitchell. Firefighters responded at 3 a.m. to reports that a vacant house was on fire in the 3100 block of West 48th Street. Fire officials have not determined what caused the fire. Foundation shrubs: Traditional foundation plantings were designed to hide the ugly interface between the basement or foundation and the rest of the house, and elements like vents and utility boxes. What should you plant that will look great for decades? Susan Brownstein has the experts’ picks for native shrubs. |
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MediCLE: A cancer treatment that is giving patients with lupus, a disease generally thought to be incurable, hope for a cure; some sour news about a popular low-calorie sweetener; and Ohio State creates a free database for Alzheimer’s research. Plus a man-made mini-brain? Gretchen Cuda Kroen and Julie Washington recap the medical research of the week. Clinic computers: A problem affecting the Cleveland Clinic computer systems limited access to some computerized patient records for two hours on Friday, Julie Washington reports. The problem affected the entire Clinic health system, locally and around the world, the Clinic said Tuesday. Rent costs: Realtor.com released data showing the median May rent price in the Cleveland-Elyria area was $1,224, which is a 2.7% year-over-year increase. Cleveland is lower than the national median rent price for May, which was found to be $1,732, a $508 difference, Megan Sims reports. |
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Kosar lawsuit: Former Browns star quarterback Bernie Kosar has sued the owner of a digital media company, accusing him of wrongfully firing him and forcing him to place the bet that ultimately cost Kosar his radio job with the Browns last year. Cory Shaffer reports the lawsuit accuses BIGPLAY Media CEO Kendall Myles of violating terms of Kosar’s contract that required him to host a monthly podcast and of verbally threatening him during a recording session at Burke Lakefront Airport in September. Vintage cards: Two men who prosecutors say were caught stealing more than $2 million worth of vintage baseball cards from a Strongsville hotel have been indicted. But two cards worth a combined $82,000 -- including a card from Ted Williams’ record 1941 season -- remain missing, reports Cory Shaffer. Mail theft: A former U.S. Postal Service mail sorter was sentenced Tuesday for stealing $14,500 from the mail while he worked in the Cleveland mail distribution center. D’Vaun Price opened 1,600 pieces of mail over a two-week span in 2023 while he was awaiting sentencing for an aggravated robbery conviction, Adam Ferrise reports. |
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Ask Yadi: What do you do when a friend offers you a sip of their fancy craft cocktail and you really want to try it? Yadi Rodriguez writes it all comes down to how close a friend they are and if you trust them enough to share from the same glass Mojo Nixon: The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame will celebrate rock and roll rebel Mojo Nixon today with the opening of a new exhibit, one day after the Ohio House of Representatives declared June 11 “Mojo Nixon Day,” reports Malcolm X Abram. City Stages: City Stages -- Cleveland Museum of Art’s free outdoor summer concert series – is returning to Cleveland’s Hingetown neighborhood for three Wednesdays in July. Paris Wolfe reports the global-themed performances take place in front of the Transformer Station at 7:30 p.m. on July 10, 17 and 31. Hot dog carts: Hot dog carts have been mainstays on the corners of downtown Cleveland for as long as many of us can remember. Alex Darus reports Glizzys, a colorful hot dog cart in a parking lot on West 130th Street, has transformed what Greater Clevelanders think of as an on-the-go hot dog. Jim Donovan: Jim Donovan is officially retired from television news, reports Joey Morona. The longtime news and sports anchor at WKYC Channel 3 signed off Monday for the final time during an hour-long retrospective of his career. Stones concerts: The Rolling Stones are back on the road, hitting the stadiums of America behind their new studio album, “Hackney Diamonds.” In honor of the Stones' long history in Cleveland, Malcolm X Abram dug into The Plain Dealer archives and put together a look at the 10 previous times the band performed in Cleveland. LGBTQ+ countries: Jamaica received an F on the most recent LGBTQ+ Safety Index, an annual compilation of destinations in the world that are the most dangerous for non-straight travelers. Susan Glaser asks whether we should apply progressive Western ideology and ethics to international travel. Should we only visit places with laws and values similar to our own? |
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Authorities release ID of 20-year-old shooting victim Read more Drunken driver crashes into back of NE Ohio deputy’s patrol car Read more TSA found two guns on passengers at Cleveland Hopkins this weekend; police seized weapons Read more Medina council prepares to place EMS renewal levy on November ballot Read more Medina looks forward to busy season of building construction Read more Mayfield Triangle: Cleveland Heights mayor takes complex case to national development conference Read more Strongsville to take new approach in construction of fifth fire station on Ohio 82 Read more Avon to put rezoning question to electorate in November Read more Shaker signs off on extended lease, renovations for Early Childhood Enrichment Center Read more |
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