Council Meeting Highlights

Mar 30, 2026

City Council met in person this evening in Council Chambers, and the meeting was also live-streamed. A quick reminder that the Council website and email addresses now end in .gov, so please update your contacts. The next Council meeting will be on April 6th. Here are a few highlights from today’s meeting:

North Coast Yard Returning:  Council authorized the Director of Port Control to enter into a license agreement granting the North Coast Waterfront Development Corporation the right to use and occupy City-owned property located on Dock 32 at 101 Erieside Avenue to continue the operation of the North Coast Yard for a period of one year, with one year option to renew. North Coast Yard is a pop-up lakefront public space located on the city-owned parking lot next to the Steamship Mather, north of Browns Stadium. Cleveland’s North Coast Waterfront Development Corporation (NCWDC) launched this as a pilot project as a key step in creating a vibrant, equitable waterfront that connects people with nature and the city, building on the community vision established in the North Coast Master Plan. Ord. No. 404-2026

Tree Trimming and Brush Clearing for CPP Lines: Council authorized the Division of Cleveland Public Power, Department of Public Utilities, to be able to contract labor, materials and equipment necessary to perform various tree trimming services for a period up to two years.

Cleveland Public Power is responsible for trimming or clearing of trees, brush, saplings and other vegetation in close proximity to energized distribution power lines located on public and/or private rights-of-way, along with initial clearing of vegetation as needed for extension of electric service.

The estimated budget for two years is $1 million. The scope of work includes, but is not limited to trimming, re-clearing trees, brush, saplings, around energized distribution lines located in public and private rights of way. Generally, such work includes:

• Cutting back tree branches and foliage from electrical lines
• Maintaining clear rights-of-way on public and private properties
• Removal of brushes, trees, saplings and other vegetation in close proximity to energized distribution lines
• Removal of shrubs and trees.

Tree trimming is essential to providing reliable electric service to Cleveland Public Power customers. Without timely trimming of trees, branches and limbs grow into or fall down on energized electric lines and cause outages for CPP customers. Without clearance of tree limbs, every time there is a storm or there are high winds, tree limbs above electric wires are subject to coming in contact with overhead electric al lines causing system outages or worse yet tree limbs falling, knocking energized lines to the ground and creating a safety hazard to CPP customers as well as to the citizens of Cleveland. Ord. No. 184-2026

Promoting Civility: Council members supported a resolution, sponsored by all Council members, urging civility in local government and supporting calls for local governments to promote dignity, respect and constructive dialogue in public meetings and community engagement.

The resolution reads in part: "In an era marked by polarization and rising tensions, the call for civility is more urgent than ever. According to the Institute for Civility, civility is about claiming and caring for one’s identity, needs, and beliefs without degrading someone else in the process; it is an intentional decision about how we represent ourselves and our communities in the public square.

"Civility is respect for somebody’s dignity, even when one disagrees with a person; attacks on motives and character are the exact opposite of civility. Local leaders must address rising tensions in civic spaces with empathy and encourage constructive community engagement and respect for others, even those with opposing views." Res. No. 372-2026