Speaking from the newly renovated Atrium Ballroom at the Huntington Convention Center in Downtown Cleveland, County Executive Chris Ronayne’s second State of the County address spanned various development projects, environmental initiatives and community efforts made in the past year. The City Club hosted the event on Thursday, Sept. 5.
“The reality is our entire county team works for you,” Ronayne shared in front of a crowd of attendees. “Protecting our children; investing in housing; keeping our roads and bridges safe; supporting our small businesses; improving our government services; transforming our social safety net; innovating and sustainability; and leveraging our assets for growth. It’s an honor and privilege to do so with you.”
Here are a few topics that were covered during the speech and audience Q&A.
Browns Stadium Location
Ronayne has made his stance clear on whether the Browns Stadium should stay in Downtown Cleveland or move to Brook Park — and that stance was implied at the event. He noted the stadium’s newly announced name, the Huntington Bank Field, and then connected that to the event's setting at Huntington Convention Center. “I do like the connection to this convention center with the same name. Moreover, I like the walking distance between, if you know what I mean,” he said. (Prior to the event, Ronayne suggested that the Burke Lakefront Airport site in Downtown Cleveland could be a suitable location for a new stadium.)
Property Taxes
A county-wide reappraisal this year saw a 32% average hike in property values — and concerns from many homeowners nervous about tax increases. In an audience Q&A after Ronayne’s State of the County address, Parma City councilwoman Monica Wilson asked how she should address the issue with residents who have questions or frustrations. Ronayne directed residents to use the county website’s property tax calculator for more details on their homes. “Our appraisal values were brought up to around 32%, which is on par with the state. Nobody likes to hear that, except keeping value is important. The thing I want to let you and all your neighbors know is that the valuation is not necessarily reflective of the actual tax,” Ronayne said. He also noted efforts to give relief to some property owners through a potential Property Tax Circuit Breaker bill.
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Environment and Water
Ronayne highlighted his team’s work in supporting green energy and pollution reduction in Northeast Ohio — highlighting, in particular, the Cuyahoga Green Energy utility program, and his work to secure a $130 million climate pollution reduction grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. “Cuyahoga County is on the map as a climate leader in Ohio and the Great Lakes Basin,” Ronayne said. Coupled with his environmental topics were comments around the waterfront: namely, future work to create a trail between East 9th and East 55th streets, and also waterfront development in suburbs like Bay Village, Lakewood and Euclid.
Local Music Scene
Ronayne shared developments resulting from data in the Greater Cleveland Music Census, which shared its results in late August. With thousands of jobs tied to music in Cleveland, Ronayne highlighted the importance of supporting the industry — and stated that he has committed to launching a task force to analyze the creation of a music commission in Cleveland. “Just like the Greater Cleveland Film Commission did for our film industry — and remember back to Superman summer — a music commission can help us double down on music and entertainment as an economic driver,” Ronayne said.
Veterans Memorial Bridge
One of Ronayne’s larger development projects is an idea to transform the lower level of the Veterans Memorial Bridge into a park. The former streetcar line has opened to the public each summer for tours, and this year welcomed a large crowd, along with renewed hope for the lofty park dreams, with a $7 million U.S. Department of Transportation grant awarded to the project this spring. “On the 55th anniversary of the last river fire, Cuyahoga County convened over 9,000 residents over the Cuyahoga River to take in the views and to celebrate our signature bridge with artist Chuck Karnak,” Ronayne said.
Israel Investment
Pro-Palestine activists repeatedly interrupted Ronayne’s address, protesting the county’s ongoing investment in Israel during the Israel-Hamas war. Cuyahoga County holds a $16 million in Israel bonds and reinvested this spring. Ronayne acknowledged the protestors, stating, “Your voices matter to me.” During the audience Q&A, a Cleveland Heights resident asked Ronayne why the county continues to make this investment. “I'm just gonna say this: We are not moving away from Israel bonds,” Ronayne said, “and to the ‘why,’ we can continue to talk, but the answer is we’re not moving, and nor is any other municipality or state in the nation that we found.”
Watch the full address here:
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