The state commission overseeing East Cleveland’s finances tried to light a fire beneath city leaders last week to lay aside their battles and deliver a financial recovery plan.
The suburb has been in a state of fiscal emergency for almost 12 years straight, and it spent 17 years in fiscal emergency before that. East Cleveland is months behind in reconciling its books, and its general fund is effectively $1.4 million in the red, according to the commission.
What’s more, Mayor Brandon King and City Council members have been feuding for years. The hostilities have led to recall elections and legal fights in multiple courts.
Barbara Mattei-Smith, who chairs the commission, questioned whether East Cleveland had the money for a major purchase on the city’s wish list: a new pumper truck for the fire department. She urged King and council to get a recovery plan together.
“The mayor needs – I will be honest – needs to be more inclusive of council to try to get the plan done so that decisions can be made,” she said. “And [it] just needs to happen as quickly as possible.”
Spending restrictions for East Cleveland
The commission already restricts how much money the city can spend each month. It previously granted an exception for health and safety expenses. No longer. At its meeting Tuesday, the board closed that loophole. The spending limits will lift once East Cleveland produces a recovery plan.
Commission member and East Cleveland resident Sandra Morgan said the city had become a “laughing stock” and that the mayor and council needed to find common ground.
“This is a situation that has run amok,” she said. “This is absolutely ridiculous on so many levels and fronts, and it’s exhausting for everyone.”
Morgan continued: “The pressure is on and everybody should be feeling it.” People in the small audience at the East Cleveland Public Library applauded.
For help drawing up the plan, King has hired the consulting firm Preveer, which is led by former Cuyahoga County Fiscal Officer Mark Parks. A draft seen by Signal Cleveland includes such items as increasing garbage pickup fees, enforcing rental registration fees and building hundreds of new homes.
