Media Contacts: Joseph Nanni (216) 698-2520 jnanni@cuyahogacounty.us

Council Members Look Forward to Robust Workload in 2014

Cleveland, OH - Cuyahoga County Council closes out 2013 following a year of working together on substantive issues including the successful passage of the Health and Human Services levy. During the past year council members have supported initiatives to improve our economy and fulfill our community’s promises to enhance families and social services.

High-quality early childhood education is a priority among council members and earlier this year an additional year of funding was authorized for more than 25 preschool providers across the Cuyahoga County. This reauthorization is one example of council’s support of the County Health and Human Services levy promises. Cuyahoga County’s support of pre-kindergarten programs ensures that all three, four, and five-year olds are enrolled in participating programs and receiving care and educational opportunities that support kindergarten preparedness.

Cuyahoga County Council President Ellen Connally congratulated members on a job well done. “We have all worked long hours to support the needs of our friends and neighbors and as a result we have achieved many great things this year. While we all look forward to the holiday season we must not forget that we have much work ahead of us in the New Year on behalf of the citizens of Cuyahoga County. “

Council members supported equal opportunities for women and minority business owners when awarding competitive county contracts and this year proved to be no exception. Council members worked with the County Executive to establish a study that will review current contracting practices to measure the level of participation in County contracts by women and minority owned businesses. The study will continue to support council’s efforts to ensure that our community is encouraging and supporting diverse participation and true competition in our economy.

“This has been a busy year for our community and we have been excited to see many members of the public participating in public meetings. We value informed citizen input and look forward to welcoming more county residents in person and we invite them to watch meetings live on the County Council website,” said council member David Greenspan.

Other achievements in 2013 include the passage of the Health and Human Services (HHS) Levy which allows Council to continue to support county residents without cutting important services to vulnerable populations. A few of these vital HHS programs are Meals on Wheels for seniors, protection for abused and neglected children, lifesaving flights to MetroHealth’s Trauma Center, shelters for the homeless, and critical support services for our community members suffering from mental illness and addictions.

In 2014 Council plans to continue its commitment to County residents by:

• Initiating a full review of the County’s Health and Human Services structure in an effort to streamline services for families and individuals.
• Review of the county disparity study assessment to determine if procurement policies need to be revised to make sure that county contracts are awarded in a fair and nondiscriminatory manner.
• Continue to invest in the education and healthy development of young children to so all of our children are ready for school and have the opportunity to become successful adults.