Cleveland City Council spent December 4 wrapping up its business for 2023, and Documenters kept tabs on the nearly 10-hour day. Documenters discovered Council members’ concerns that a job creation program could undermine living wages, and the maximum age for Cleveland Police trainees raised to 54 years old.

Get the details in this week’s episode of the Public Meetings Report. 📻👇🏿

Listen to this week’s Public Meetings Report here:

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The Documenters whose work contributed to this episode are:

  • Barbara Phipps
  • Dorothy Ajamu
  • Marvetta Rutherford
  • Karima McCree-Wilson
  • Timothy Zelina
  • Anna Truax
  • Pearl Chen
  • Chanel Wiley

Their work has been compiled this week by Anastazia Vanisko and Dakotah Kennedy.

The Public Meetings Report is produced by Gennifer Harding-Gosnell. 

The Public Meetings Report is produced by Signal Cleveland and Cleveland Documenters, in partnership with WOVU 95.9FM “Our Voices United,” a Burten, Bell, Carr community radio station.

Show Notes:

Signal Cleveland meeting briefs:

Documenters coverage: 

Signal Cleveland reporting: 

Legislation:

  • Legislation to change the city’s job creation incentive program
  • Legislation to raise the maximum age for new Cleveland police recruits to 54 from 39 years old
  • Legislation to approve $4.5 million in funding for social workers for the Department of Public Safety’s co-response program

Recordings: 

Other resources: 

The Public Meetings Report is a weekly audio rundown of what happened in local government meetings here in Greater Cleveland – in five minutes or less! The show is based on the work of Cleveland Documenters – residents like you who are trained and paid to document these meetings for the public. Produced by Signal Cleveland and Cleveland Documenters, in partnership with WOVU 95.9FM “Our Voices United,” a Burten, Bell, Carr community radio station.

Audio Producer (she/her)
I create audio stories meant to engage and inform people in a way that pushes beyond media stereotypes. I aim to build trust between local media and the community, striving to teach people “how” to think about life in Cleveland, not “what” to think.

Documenters Program Director (he/they)
I steward the Documenters community. That includes holding and maintaining space to raise up Documenters work and questions. It also includes creating easy on-ramps to civic life and deeper civic participation via the exchange of civic information, knowledge and skills.

Cleveland Documenters pays and trains people to cover public meetings where government officials discuss important issues and decide how to spend taxpayer money.