February is a busy time. From Black History Month and Presidents’ Day to Groundhog Day, Valentine’s Day, and the Super Bowl, a lot happens this time of year. And in Cleveland, February also brings the closest thing the city experiences to the Big Game: Cleveland budget hearings.

Yes, Cleveland budget hearings begin today at Cleveland City Council. The city’s legislative body and administration officials are scheduled to spend the next week or so discussing Mayor Justin Bibb’s $2.1 billion 2025 Cleveland budget proposal, also known as the Mayor’s Estimate. 

In preparation for this year’s budget hearings, City Council took a page from last year’s budget playbook. Council again held a series of “operational reviews.” Beginning in October, legislators heard from the leaders of dozens of city departments, divisions and offices. They learned about each entity’s 2024 accomplishments and challenges and turned an eye toward 2025 staffing levels and budget needs.

Cleveland Documenters, residents trained and paid to document local government meetings, followed the action.

With insights from Documenters’ coverage and the Mayor’s Estimate, Signal Cleveland put together a snapshot guide to most of the Cleveland entities set to hit the council stage in the next week.

Cleveland budget beginner? Start here.

Scroll down for all the Cleveland budget numbers and “year in review” facts you could dream of. The scheduled budget hearing date for each entity is also included. You can also click the links below to jump to the specific spots that interest you rather than scrolling.

General Fund

Much of council’s focus in the Cleveland budget hearings will be on the city entities fueled by the General Fund. The fund, which gets 63% of its money from Cleveland’s income tax revenue, is the financial driver of most city services.

Cleveland estimates there is roughly $805.7 million in General Fund money to spend in 2025. Other funds — like the airport and Public Utilities enterprise funds — round out the full $2.1 billion spending budget.

Here’s an at-a-glance breakdown of how Bibb has proposed spreading General Fund money across city operations.

Pro tip: For more nitty-gritty budget details, check out the Table of Contents page in the Mayor’s Estimate. You can click any line item on that page to jump directly to that section in the 400-plus page document. Watch all the budget hearings on City Council’s YouTube channel.

Department of Aging

The proposed 2025 Cleveland budget would cover 21 positions. The department’s budget hearing is scheduled for today, Feb. 18. Its operational review happened on Nov. 25, 2024.

Department of Building and Housing

This department includes the director’s office and divisions focused on code enforcement and construction permits. The proposed 2025 budget would cover 171 positions. Its budget hearing is scheduled for Feb. 25. The operational review happened on Nov. 19, 2024.

Civil Service Commission

The proposed 2025 budget would cover 12 positions. There are also five commission members. The commission’s budget hearing is scheduled for Feb. 24. Its operational review happened on Dec. 3, 2024.

Cleveland City Council and Clerk of Council

The proposed 2025 budget would cover 73 positions. City Council is scheduled to review its own budget today, at the Feb. 18 hearing.

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Department of Community Development

This department also receives tens of millions in grants each year from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Historically, the money goes toward housing projects, storefront renovations, and other public service programs. City Council typically discusses the money in a separate set of hearings following the review of the city’s budget.

The proposed 2025 budget would cover six positions. There are also five members who serve on the Fair Housing Board. The department’s General Fund hearing is scheduled for Feb. 20.

Community Police Commission

The proposed 2025 budget would cover eight positions. There are also 13 seats on the commission. Its budget hearing is set for Feb. 19. The operational review happened on Oct. 30.

Community Relations Board

The proposed 2025 Cleveland budget would cover 23 positions. There are also 12 seats on a board. Its budget hearing is set for Feb. 24. The operational review happened on Oct. 30.

Department of Economic Development

The proposed 2025 budget would cover 29 positions. The department’s budget hearing is set for Feb. 20.

Office of Equal Opportunity

The proposed 2025 Cleveland budget would cover 12 positions. The budget hearing is set for Feb. 20. Its operational review happened on Jan. 14.

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Department of Finance

The proposed 2025 budget would cover 120 positions across 12 divisions. The department’s budget hearing is set for Feb. 25. The operational review happened on Feb. 3.

Department of Human Resources

The proposed 2025 budget would cover 32 positions. The budget hearing is set for Feb. 24. The operational review happened on Dec. 3.

Department of Innovation and Technology

The proposed 2025 budget would cover 97 positions. The budget hearing is set for Feb. 24. The operational review happened on Feb. 3.

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Department of Law

The proposed 2025 budget would cover 98 positions. That includes the city’s Police Accountability Team, according to Tyler Sinclair, a communications representative with Bibb’s administration. The five-person team is focused on implementing the terms of the consent decree, an agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice requiring police reform.

The department’s budget hearing is set for today, Feb. 18. The operational review happened on Feb. 3.

Mayor’s Office

The proposed 2025 budget would cover 27 positions. The office’s budget hearing is set for today, Feb. 18. The operational review happened on Feb. 3.

Mayor’s Office of Capital Projects

The proposed 2025 budget would cover 71 positions. The department’s budget hearing is scheduled for Feb. 21.

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Office of Professional Standards

The proposed 2025 budget would cover 19 positions. The office’s budget hearing is set for Feb. 19. The operational review happened on Oct. 30.

Department of Parks and Recreation

The proposed 2025 budget would cover 734 workers. About 290 would do seasonal work. The department’s budget hearing is set for Feb. 24. The operational review happened on Oct. 18, 2024.

Department of Port Control

This department is a major enterprise fund. Rather than getting a piece of the General Fund pie, Port Control operates with revenue from the city’s airports. The proposed 2025 budget would cover 503 workers, including 25 seasonal jobs.

City Council is set to review Port Control’s budget on Feb. 20. The operational review happened on Nov. 20, 2024.

Office of Prevention, Intervention & Opportunity for Youth and Youth Adults

The proposed 2025 budget would cover 22 positions. There are also 15 spots on the Commission on Black Women and Girls. The budget hearing is set for Feb. 24. The operational review happened on Oct. 30, 2024.

Department of Public Health

This department includes divisions focused on health, environment, air quality, and the intersection of health, equity, and social justice. The proposed 2025 budget would cover 92 positions. The budget hearing is set for Feb. 21. The operational review happened on Oct. 28, 2024.

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Department of Public Safety

This department, which receives the lion’s share of the General Fund, includes five divisions: Animal Care, Corrections, EMS, Fire and Police. Their specific budgets and “years in review” are shown further below. Overall, the 2025 Public Safety budget would cover more than 2,700 workers.

Specifically, Bibb’s proposed budget would cover 1,350 police officers. Cleveland started 2025 with 1,137 officers.

The department’s budget hearing is set for Feb. 19. The operational review happened on Oct. 23, 2024.

Division of Animal Care

Division of Corrections

Division of Emergency Medical Service

Division of Fire

Division of Police

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Department of Public Utilities

This department is a major enterprise fund. Rather than getting a piece of the General Fund pie, Public Utilities operates with revenue from city-owned utility companies. Those include the Cleveland Division of Water (CDW) and Cleveland Public Power (CPP).

CDW’s projected 2025 spending budget is about $392.4 million. CPP’s projected 2025 spending budget is about $229.5 million.

The roughly $9.8 million budget shown on the card for Public Utilities is for the utilities general administration budget. It provides administrative control and supervision over the Division of Utilities Fiscal Control, CDW, Water Pollution Control, CPP, the Office of Radio Communication, TV20 and the Photography Lab.

The Public Utilities general administrative budget covers 99 positions. In total, more than 1,800 positions are covered across the department’s operations.

The budget hearing is set for Feb. 21. The operational review happened on Nov. 21, 2024.

Department of Public Works

The proposed 2025 budget would cover 459 positions, including 70 seasonal roles. The budget hearing is set for Feb. 20. The operational review happened on Oct. 18, 2024.

Office of Sustainability

The proposed 2025 budget would cover 11 positions. The budget hearing is set for Feb. 24. The operational review happened on Dec. 5, 2024.

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