City finance director Ahmed Abonamah presented City Council with a proposed budget of more than $14 million for the Cleveland Department of Public Health, an increase of $3.6 million from 2023, reflecting plans to keep increasing the department’s staff and boosting their pay.
Abonamah has been handling budget presentations on behalf of most departments in Mayor Justin Bibb’s administration.
The staff has expanded more than 30% in the last year, Dr. Dave Margolius, the city’s public health director, told Signal Cleveland. The new hires were across all divisions within the health department and some of the positions are funded by grants. The proposed increase in city funding would allow the department to raise salaries and benefits to promote retention, Margolius said.
In 2023, The health department’s Division of Air Quality, which enforces local air pollution regulations and investigates resident’s complaints, budgeted for a total of eight positions. The division has filled seven positions, according to the 2024 Mayor’s Estimate book.
The division of Health, Equity Social Justice (HESJ) which administers city public health programs such as MomsFirst, Office of Mental Health and Addiction Recovery (OMHAR) and HIV/STI services, increased their department staff by nine employees by the end of 2023, Abonamah said during the hearing.
The division also examines health issues affected by structural racism. In 2020, the City of Cleveland passed a resolution declaring racism as a public health crisis and established a community advisory group that will inform city officials on how to address racial disparities in health, education, housing and other areas.
City Council members did not express any concerns about Abonamah’s presentation.
Between 2021 to 2023, proposed budgets for the department remained consistent at nearly $10 million. Even with the proposed increase to $14 million, the Department of Public Health will still make up a small share, roughly 1.8%, of the city’s total General Fund budget. The department also benefits from grants from a variety of sources, including the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Ohio Department of Health.