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

 

To sign up to comment in person or online, please scroll down.

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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CWRU/ UCI Police Jurisdiction Expansion
As a current student at Case Western Reserve University, I am writing to speak out against Items 210/211 in relation to the expansion of CWRU and UCI Police into Little Italy and Ashbury. Just a few months ago, Issue 24, a ballot initiative, was passed in order to allow for effective community oversight over the Cleveland Police Department. The reason this was needed in the first place was due to an extensive history of police misconduct in the city. Issue 24 was voted on by the majority of Cleveland voters, showing clear concern and a need for this oversight and accountability. CWRU students were not told at all about this measure and have not been included in the conversation. Since this directly impacts us and the communities surrounding us, I strongly believe that this expansion should not happen without more dialogue with the community as well as consideration of the implications it has coming so soon after the passing of Issue 24.
Julia Kocherzat
Expanded Jurisdiction of University Circle and CWRU Police in Little Italy
As a long-term resident of Little Italy, the proposed expansion of CWRU and UCI police patrol in our neighborhood will undoubtedly bring peace of mind to all our residents— especially since countless students and employees of Case Western and University Circle live in our cherished neighborhood. After the recent string of targeted violent attacks against Little Italy residents this past winter, this proposed police patrol expansion will be welcomed with open arms by our community. I would like to personally thank Council President Griffin for his pivotal role in leveraging the resources of neighboring institutions to bridge the gap in Little Italy.
Christopher Giancola
Expansion of police jurisdiction
There is no lack of research or public sentiment that proves the expansion and presence of police into minority neighborhoods is damaging. For an area already facing over-policing, displacement by University Circle, prejudice, etc., this action will only serve to further divide communities that need unity.
Grace Harrison
City Council Emergency Ordinance File #210-2022
I’m no longer seeing this item on the agenda. I hope it got pulled so CWRU can go back to this part of the Glenville community like they said they would at a community meeting on January 19th, 2021, and allow residents to decide how the MOU and legislation should be written. Leaving residents out of decisions like this is not democratic. Allowing institutions like UCI and CWRU to operate with unchecked power in ways that destroy surrounding communities has got to end.
Laura Cyrocki
Building of the county jail.
I am strongly opposed to building the new County Jail in Ward 12 on the edge of Ward 5. This is being built in a neighborhood with homes and several schools.
Kimberly Stitt
Expansion of CWRU Police to Little Italy and Glenville
I am a current student at Case Western Reserve University and a resident of Little Italy. This proposed expansion is beyond egregious and symptomatic of the racist policies that the University has implemented for years. Case Western Reserve has purposefully engineered a food desert around its campus which makes it almost impossible for East Cleveland residents and CWRU students to access groceries or AFFORDABLE food without owning a car. Similarly, Case police have shown an abject disregard for the people they are supposed to protect. They refuse to take any sort of claims of sexual violence or violence in general seriously (this is the reason why CWRU is currently under investigation by the FBI) but will pursue charges if they even suspect that a student could possess marijuana. If any member of a minority group walks around on the campus, they are consistently subject to interrogation and insistence that they leave. It is not uncommon to hear CWRU police say racial slurs on duty or openly follow someone for the simple crime of "being black." There is absolutely no reason for community members in the neighborhoods surrounding CWRU to trust the private police departments which now want to claim jurisdiction over their neighborhoods; they have demonstrably proved this over and over. All such an expansion would do is allow for Case Western Reserve to further alienate and oppress those who live around it. If the university were truly interested in protecting the safety of its students, it would actually allow them to shape such policies. As of today, Case Western Reserve University has not alerted students to the plans for this proposed expansion in any way, even though students oftentimes receive dozens of emails regarding changes in university policies. This is likely because they are aware of how vehemently students would oppose such a policy. Time and again, CWRU goes against the wishes of its students by kicking students out of their promised housing, increasing the cost of tuition significantly during a pandemic, and subjecting them to racist and dehumanizing treatment. All that they care about is making a profit and improving their reputation, regardless of how it affects students or community members. The proposed expansion of CWRU police jurisdiction is just another chapter in the university's long history of absurd corruption and policy-implemented racism and oppression. Case Western Reserve University should have its power in the community SEVERELY decreased after all of its recent actions to harm Cleveland residents, not increased for no justifiable reason. Please reject this proposed expansion. It is the only way to keep Cleveland safe.
Jose Koluder-Ramirez
Ordinance No 210
Hi,

My name is Lucas Popp, and I am a recent graduate of Case Western Reserve University. I'm writing to express my concern regarding Ordinance No 210, which aims to expand the jurisdiction of the university's private police department into the Glenville and Little Italy neighborhoods.

My understanding is that the area surrounding the CWRU campus falls under the jurisdiction of several police departments already. I believe the ordinance indicates a negative step for the relationship between CWRU and the surrounding community, and has the potential for negative impacts on the surrounding community due to increased police presence.

Whatever motivations the university has for expanding their police jurisdiction, I feel that they should address those issues in more constructive ways.

Sincerely,
Lucas Popp
Lucas Popp
Items 210 and 211 related to expansion of CWRU and UCI Police Jurisdiction
I am a student at Case Western Reserve University and a resident of, and voter in, Ward 6. I'm concerned about the expansion of the police jurisdiction of CWRU and University Circle Incorporated further into Little Italy and Glenville. The most glaring concern is that the Cleveland City police department will now be under appropriate accountability mechanisms through the passing of Issue 24 in November by an overwhelming majority of voters. Cleveland police activity and misconduct is now reviewed and investigated by a community oversight committee that has power to make changes pending the results of the investigation. This type of community accountability is critical for all sectors, especially policing given the impact of it in our lives and the potential for violence. Cleveland was placed under a consent decree because of a federal investigation into our policing which found there was severe misconduct and abuse that disproportionately affects communities of color. The Department of Justice found that Cleveland Police Department has used excessive, unconstitutional force and there is a lack of officer training and accountability, and community engagement, among other concerns. Private police departments/public safety departments, including CWRU and UCI police, are not subject to the same types of community oversight. We should be very worried about the expansion of these jurisdictions without a commitment to the same community oversight mechanisms of Cleveland city police. Thank you for your time.
Jordan Reif
Police expansion
With the presence of University Circle PD, Case PD, Cleveland PD, and East Cleveland PD currently patrolling this area, expansion of Case PD to these areas is a gross overreach and will only infringe upon these communities. If Case is going to expand their policing to Ashbury/Little Italy, they should also put their resources and time into developing community resources in these neighborhoods and improving accessibility (salting and plowing roads and sidewalks) during the winter months.
Caitlin Feely
Decriminalization Of Fare Evasion
Currently, boarding public transit without paying fare can result in fines up to $250 and up to 30 days in jail. I request City Council to think deeply about what purpose this response to fare evasion is serving.

A person who cannot afford $2.50 for fare will likely be unable to pay a fine ten times as much, and a jail sentence of any length does not match up with such a minor infraction. Leaving fare evasion as a criminal offense ultimately does nothing but further burden the impacted individuals, who are overwhelmingly poor and/or people of color, with the legal and social stigma of a criminal record, which will follow them for years to come, if not the rest of their lives.

Is it fair and just for someone to be potentially shut out of housing, educational, and employment opportunities just because they could not afford to pay $2.50? A person in that situation needs help rather than punishment. It's time for Cleveland to reassert itself as a great city and move towards decriminalizing fare evasion.
Michael Harney