Making an In-Person Public Comment at An Upcoming Council Meeting
Council welcomes public comments at each regularly scheduled Monday evening Council meeting.
If you are interested in speaking at a Cleveland City Council, please read the revised rules and procedures for public comments and fill out the online form below.
Submitting a Registration to Speak
Anyone who is interested in addressing Cleveland City Council at a public meeting must register with City Council prior to that meeting.
Registrations may be submitted:
- By using the online form below
- In person at Cleveland City Hall, Room 220, 601 Lakeside Avenue NE. Paper forms are available to register.
- By downloading this form, filling it out, and emailing it to publiccomment@clevelandcitycouncil.gov or dropping it off at Council offices.
Registration Periods
Registrations will ONLY be accepted between Noon on Wednesday and 2:00 pm on the same day as a regularly scheduled Monday evening Council Meeting.
Council allows no more than 10 people to comment at its regularly scheduled Monday night meetings. Registration will close as soon as the first 10 people sign up. Each registrant will be allotted 3 minutes to speak.
Registrations will only be accepted for making comments at the next regular meeting; registrations for any future meeting will not be accepted until the Wednesday before the meeting. Early, incomplete, or false registrations will be rejected.
Notice of Registration
If your registration is successful, you will be notified by email or phone.
Accommodations
If you need assistance due to a language barrier or disability, please let us know at least three (3) days in advance by going here to make a request.
Attending Council Meetings
Cleveland City Council meetings are held in the Council Chamber on the second floor of Cleveland City Hall, 601 Lakeside Avenue, East.
Visitors may park for free at the upper lot behind City Hall after 5:00 pm on days when Council is meeting.
Public Record
Please remember that all registration information and public comments are public records and can be subject to public record requests.
Decorum
Cleveland City Council must maintain orderly, efficient, and productive meetings to ensure the important business of city government is completed. Council has developed a set of rules and procedures that allow the public to be heard in a fair and orderly manner. These rules and procedures apply to all speakers, and Council does not discriminate based on the speaker's identity or viewpoint or the content of the speech. Please read Council's revised rules and procedures for public comments before you register and before you appear before City Council.
Please note: Anyone attending a Cleveland City Council meeting is prohibited from engaging in any action or behavior that substantially interrupts, delays, or disturbs the due conduct of the proceedings of the Council; such conduct includes but is not limited to: handclapping, stomping of feet, whistling, making other loud noises, yelling, or similar demonstrations. Any person who violates any of the above may be immediately removed from the Council Chamber.
Rules for Speakers
- Speakers may not yield their time to other speakers.
- Speakers shall only address the topic they registered to speak about.
- Speakers' comments shall not be frivolous or repetitive.
- Speakers shall not use language that is obscene or likely to produce imminent unlawful action.
- Speakers shall address all comments to the presiding officer.
Prohibited Items
- Signs, posters, banners, placards, or similar items
- Food and drink
Make a Comment In Person at a Council Meeting
To sign up to speak during the registration period (Noon Wednesday through 2:00 pm Monday before Council Meetings) click this button.
You will be notified by email or phone if you are one of the ten people who will speak.
Make a Comment Online
If you would rather submit your comments in writing, please fill out the form below.
Written public comments will be published on this page and delivered to all Councilmembers before the next full Council Meeting after they have been submitted.
Public Comments
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Housing Court & Selective Code Enforcement Harassment
Stop housing court and housing inspectors from attacking seniors, low and moderate working poor in our Clark Fulton neighborhood. The SIP Selective Intervention Program misleads homeowners when this is nothing more than a “probation” office not a “clinic” and Housing Specialists are nothing more than “probation officers” making defendants “criminals” there is abuse of authority under the color of the law for code enforcement which is compromising your Constitutional rights including your 14th, 4th amendment rights. There’s another to handle this problem rather than bankrupt citizens of Cleveland. We are not the ones you should be going after in court!
Eugene Pate
Amtrak in Cleveland
The state of the Amtrak station in Cleveland is pretty abysmal. The station is small and old, and parking is incredibly confusing and poorly marked. I was shocked at the state this city allowed such an important pathway in and out of Cleveland to be in.
Ko Sar
1020-2022: AN EMERGENCY RESOLUTION Supporting West Creek Conservancy’s Clean Ohio Fund Greenspace Conservation Program application for the Zaclon River Landing Project in the City of Cleveland.
I write in strong support for the Zaclon River Landing project on the Cuyahoga River.
As one of the project’s volunteers, I am excited to encourage City Council to support the application by West Creek Conservancy to the Clean Ohio Fund program by the Ohio Department of Public Works.
The funds being applied for will make an accessible, ADA compliant ramp system which will allow members of the community to access the Cuyahoga River. The group organizing the creation of this park are not seeking funds from the City of Cleveland, and have amassed funds to date from private donors and the Brownfields Fund to “green” the space. In addition to river access, the plans call for expanded greenspace, an historical information kiosk, and public restrooms for cyclists and runners.
This project has been highlighted enthusiastically by the Vision for the Valley, and has also obtained the support of Cuyahoga County (through the Brownfields Grant), Cuyahoga Soil and Water (through a recent ODNR application), Flats Forward, and several other waterway stakeholders. Additionally, there is a budding relationship with CWRU, as one of the University’s student organizations will maintain the site. This park is the lone project currently in development in Jefferson Link Zone of the Vision for the Valley plan.
The support of City Council will help transform this industrial area of the Cuyahoga River into a mixed-use area, so that human-powered watercraft can safely transit the Cuyahoga Water Trail. There are no “safe harbors” for recreational river users between the southern City Limits and the Flats entertainment area, and the Zaclon River Landing solves for that public safety concern. This concept has been applauded by industrial river stakeholders and shippers’ organizations as being a very positive thing. Additionally, any river infrastructure will be outside of the Federal Channel, and the project has been vetted in a preliminary way by the Army Corps of Engineers twice as being sheltered and unobtrusive to commercial traffic.
This project is the collaboration of several greenspace & river stakeholders, who have come together as a nonprofit collaborative to put this former industrial site to good use. City Council’s support in the Clean Ohio Fund application will significantly assist in making yet another part of Cleveland great.
As one of the project’s volunteers, I am excited to encourage City Council to support the application by West Creek Conservancy to the Clean Ohio Fund program by the Ohio Department of Public Works.
The funds being applied for will make an accessible, ADA compliant ramp system which will allow members of the community to access the Cuyahoga River. The group organizing the creation of this park are not seeking funds from the City of Cleveland, and have amassed funds to date from private donors and the Brownfields Fund to “green” the space. In addition to river access, the plans call for expanded greenspace, an historical information kiosk, and public restrooms for cyclists and runners.
This project has been highlighted enthusiastically by the Vision for the Valley, and has also obtained the support of Cuyahoga County (through the Brownfields Grant), Cuyahoga Soil and Water (through a recent ODNR application), Flats Forward, and several other waterway stakeholders. Additionally, there is a budding relationship with CWRU, as one of the University’s student organizations will maintain the site. This park is the lone project currently in development in Jefferson Link Zone of the Vision for the Valley plan.
The support of City Council will help transform this industrial area of the Cuyahoga River into a mixed-use area, so that human-powered watercraft can safely transit the Cuyahoga Water Trail. There are no “safe harbors” for recreational river users between the southern City Limits and the Flats entertainment area, and the Zaclon River Landing solves for that public safety concern. This concept has been applauded by industrial river stakeholders and shippers’ organizations as being a very positive thing. Additionally, any river infrastructure will be outside of the Federal Channel, and the project has been vetted in a preliminary way by the Army Corps of Engineers twice as being sheltered and unobtrusive to commercial traffic.
This project is the collaboration of several greenspace & river stakeholders, who have come together as a nonprofit collaborative to put this former industrial site to good use. City Council’s support in the Clean Ohio Fund application will significantly assist in making yet another part of Cleveland great.
Aaron Marcovy
City of Cleveland Ordinance No. 696-2022
OFFICIAL LGBT COMMUNITY CENTER OF GREATER CLEVELAND STATEMENT CITING SUPPORT OF UPCOMING CITY OF CLEVELAND ANTI-CONVERSION THERAPY ORIDINANCE
Since 1975, the mission of the LGBT Community Center of Greater Cleveland has been to provide the vital resource, care and support for members of Northeast Ohio’s LGBTQ+ community. Over the course of the organization’s history, we have proudly advocated and celebrated major steps forward in a long-standing movement that began with a brick at 53 Christopher Street, New York City in June 1969. In the last decade alone, we had realized some of the most progressive societal shifts towards the equitable treatment of LGBTQ+ individuals leading to the recognition of same-sex marriages in all corners of the United States.
But as any student of history may have been taught, the historical and political landscapes of this country have swung like a pendulum, back and forth between social progression and more conservative ideology. We have without question experienced a swing to the latter in recent years and it has shown through a national movement to censor literature and speech within our schools. It has shown through legislation prohibiting youth from enjoying the comfort of their own identity within the realms of sport as well as seeking gender affirming medical care. And with this swing has seen the resurgence of a harmful practice that today we proudly take a stance against.
Conversion therapy is an aggressive tactic to suppress an individual’s own naturally occurring instincts and has time and again proven to lead to more serious long-term damage to the mental health of LGBTQIA+ individuals, especially youth. This practice has widely been condemned as having no scientific basis and often incorporates verbal, physical and even sexual abuse [1]. Numerous studies have shown that this practice, which often aims to coerce an individual to alter their sexual preference or gender identity through the aforementioned abusive behavior, is generally unsuccessful and has widely been discredited by health professionals and even past practitioners [2].
The LGBT Community Center of Greater Cleveland firmly supports any action that helps improve the quality of life and promotes equality for every individual here in Cleveland, Ohio. For too long this practice has damaged LGBTQ+ youth’s mental well-being and has hindered an individual’s ability to accept one’s identity without guilt or shame. With this ordinance, we call for support from City of Cleveland leadership, who have the ability to take a step in swinging the pendulum away from this destructive practice and back towards one of unity, acceptance and love.
We thank our leaders in council for hearing this ordinance and hope for a resolution that promotes the respect and dignity each individual within our Cleveland community so justly deserves.
[1]Collins, Donald. “The Damaging Mental Health Effects of LGBTQ+ Conversion Therapy.” Psych Central, 25 June 2021,
psychcentral.com/news/conversion-therapy-for-lgbt-kids-linked-to-higher-risks-of-depression-suicide.
[2]Cheers, Hannah. Proposal of Alternative Solutions to Address Children’s Rights Violation: Conversion Therapy | Social Work and Policy
Studies: Social Justice, Practice and Theory. 2019, openjournals.library.sydney.edu.au/index.php/SWPS/article/view/14075.
Since 1975, the mission of the LGBT Community Center of Greater Cleveland has been to provide the vital resource, care and support for members of Northeast Ohio’s LGBTQ+ community. Over the course of the organization’s history, we have proudly advocated and celebrated major steps forward in a long-standing movement that began with a brick at 53 Christopher Street, New York City in June 1969. In the last decade alone, we had realized some of the most progressive societal shifts towards the equitable treatment of LGBTQ+ individuals leading to the recognition of same-sex marriages in all corners of the United States.
But as any student of history may have been taught, the historical and political landscapes of this country have swung like a pendulum, back and forth between social progression and more conservative ideology. We have without question experienced a swing to the latter in recent years and it has shown through a national movement to censor literature and speech within our schools. It has shown through legislation prohibiting youth from enjoying the comfort of their own identity within the realms of sport as well as seeking gender affirming medical care. And with this swing has seen the resurgence of a harmful practice that today we proudly take a stance against.
Conversion therapy is an aggressive tactic to suppress an individual’s own naturally occurring instincts and has time and again proven to lead to more serious long-term damage to the mental health of LGBTQIA+ individuals, especially youth. This practice has widely been condemned as having no scientific basis and often incorporates verbal, physical and even sexual abuse [1]. Numerous studies have shown that this practice, which often aims to coerce an individual to alter their sexual preference or gender identity through the aforementioned abusive behavior, is generally unsuccessful and has widely been discredited by health professionals and even past practitioners [2].
The LGBT Community Center of Greater Cleveland firmly supports any action that helps improve the quality of life and promotes equality for every individual here in Cleveland, Ohio. For too long this practice has damaged LGBTQ+ youth’s mental well-being and has hindered an individual’s ability to accept one’s identity without guilt or shame. With this ordinance, we call for support from City of Cleveland leadership, who have the ability to take a step in swinging the pendulum away from this destructive practice and back towards one of unity, acceptance and love.
We thank our leaders in council for hearing this ordinance and hope for a resolution that promotes the respect and dignity each individual within our Cleveland community so justly deserves.
[1]Collins, Donald. “The Damaging Mental Health Effects of LGBTQ+ Conversion Therapy.” Psych Central, 25 June 2021,
psychcentral.com/news/conversion-therapy-for-lgbt-kids-linked-to-higher-risks-of-depression-suicide.
[2]Cheers, Hannah. Proposal of Alternative Solutions to Address Children’s Rights Violation: Conversion Therapy | Social Work and Policy
Studies: Social Justice, Practice and Theory. 2019, openjournals.library.sydney.edu.au/index.php/SWPS/article/view/14075.
Matthew Graves
ShotSpotter - for Public Safety Committee
Holy wow, I just learned about what ShotSpotter is. This is chilling. Please, we do NOT need more surveillance in our communities. In addition, ShotSpotter is NOT shown to actually reduce crime. Furthermore, ShotSpotter has led to false convictions. It is shown to cause drain on police resources. ShotSpotter also erodes trust in a community and enhances the horrifying effects of racist policing. This will not only be harmful to our communities, but it will be a waste of money and result in more lawsuits for misconduct. We say NO to ShotSpotter, and YES to investments in programming and the environment that enrich and support our community and our neighbors.
Shannon Copfer Brace
Transformative Public Arts Project Fund
Dear Cleveland City Council,
I’m writing with regards to Ordinance 895-2022 Transformative Public Art Projects Fund Program, on the agenda for the City Council meeting on Oct. 3rd.
The amended Ordinance reads: “That the Director of City Planning is authorized to create and administer the “Transformative Public Art Projects Fund Program” to provide financial assistance to provide grants to Community Development Corporations and other public and private entities for publicly accessible art programs in the estimated amount of $3,000,000. Artist participation in the projects funded by this program shall include 50% local artist participation.”
I would like to ask that you please do not vote in favor of this Ordinance until it reads “Artist participation in the projects funded by this program shall include 100% Cleveland artist participation.”
Please support Cleveland artists.
Thank you,
Laura Cyrocki
11303 Hessler Road, Ward 6
216-288-9587
I’m writing with regards to Ordinance 895-2022 Transformative Public Art Projects Fund Program, on the agenda for the City Council meeting on Oct. 3rd.
The amended Ordinance reads: “That the Director of City Planning is authorized to create and administer the “Transformative Public Art Projects Fund Program” to provide financial assistance to provide grants to Community Development Corporations and other public and private entities for publicly accessible art programs in the estimated amount of $3,000,000. Artist participation in the projects funded by this program shall include 50% local artist participation.”
I would like to ask that you please do not vote in favor of this Ordinance until it reads “Artist participation in the projects funded by this program shall include 100% Cleveland artist participation.”
Please support Cleveland artists.
Thank you,
Laura Cyrocki
11303 Hessler Road, Ward 6
216-288-9587
Laura Cyrocki
Ordinance 909-2022
I would like to ask that this Ordinance regarding partnership with ShotSpotter is NOT passed.
The technology does not work (watch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vL6qkaYpekI if you have not) and the placement of the detectors promotes discriminatory policing.
Thank you,
Deborah Kohn
44120
The technology does not work (watch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vL6qkaYpekI if you have not) and the placement of the detectors promotes discriminatory policing.
Thank you,
Deborah Kohn
44120
Deborah Kohn
High rent everywhere 'why ' I need help elderly
The greed of people who own homes for rent . How are people going to be able to afford to rent a decent place to live when every landlord wants so much money. We are being made to move by a new owner and we have been looking for a month a half. There is nothing out there below 900 to1500 dollars. Social security only goes so far. This unacceptable and unexcusable . Something must be done now . NOW! So as council members of the city of Cleveland if you people can't do nothing to make this right or remedy this then you need to be fired and get out of office right now so somebody else that can take care of it this this is ridiculous
David
Shot spotter + new jail
These two projects are a colossal waste of public money and I could not be more unsupportive of either of them. Use our taxes to fight poverty not arrest and jail the impoverished
John-Paul Richard
Glenville Neighborhood
My name is Kimberly Carter my concerns is the construction that’s going on on Eva 105th St., I’m a business owner and this project has put a damper on my business we’re losing business no one have been out there to work on the streets for over a year , I have called City Hall on several occasions with no return phone calls I have call channel 19 news to come out which they have done a story on the street project no one has returned their phone calls I came down to City Hall law office and picked up a copy of the contract of the company perks that is doing history repairs not only the street repairs look at E. 105th St. between superior and St. Clair it looks like a war zone there’s no city plowing grass and open feels we have builders that fallen and collapsing this neighborhood has been ignored ,Jeff Johnson was a council person he never done anything Kevin Conwell took over our ward it was a lot that he had to take on we need help over here we need to be treated as such as you treat Tremont was 125 The West side is getting a complete upgrade we never got anything I’ve been in Glenville area all my life I’m 56 years old I’ve never seen no type of construction know anything going on in that area and 56 years of my living in the Glenville area so I will be calling the news channel every time I get I’m going to Continue to speak about the treatment this neighborhood is getting every chance I get until the city gets it that we need help over here I also try to get garbage cans put on E. 105th St. we have no trash cans none .It’s terrible it’s a war zone
Kimberly Carter
Submissions are accepted up to 5 hours before a hearing if time slots are available