CLEVELAND — Cleveland City Council met for one of its two summer meetings on Wednesday evening and passed several pieces of legislation.
Most notably, council approved the ordinance that will provide city of Cleveland employees with paid parental leave. The new legislation will pay up to 500 hours leave (up to 12 weeks) at 100% to eligible city employees “who experience a new child life event," including the birth of an employee’s son or daughter or the placement of a son or daughter with an employee for adoption or foster care.
In addition, parents will be entitled to up to 20 hours of paid leave for prenatal car appointments or pre-adoption appointments, and leave can be accessed by employees who experience pregnancy loss.
"This isn't that expensive," said Ward 17 Councilman Charles Slife when he introduced the ordinance in May. "We're estimating that it's a $1.2 million impact on a $1.6 billion budget, and that's not even accounting for the cost-savings down the road of retaining workers."
Here are some of the other key pieces of legislation that were approved on Wednesday:
Housing for homeless veterans: Council approved a plan to provide a $750,000 grant to the Union Miles Development Corporation to establish 11 housing units for the Walter Collins Veteran Housing & Service Facility on Harvard Avenue near East 93rd Street. The facility will provide affordable housing options for male and female veterans.
Karamu House Theatre renovations: Council authorized $500,000 to help finance the completion of renovations of the Karamu Theatre, adding that the money will help "open the door" for Karamu to receive philanthropic donations for the renovation.
Bone Thugs-N-Harmony Way: In recognition of the Cleveland-based hip-hop group's 30-year musical career, council approved a measure designating East 99th Street Avenue from St. Clair Avenue to Colonial Avenue with the honorary designation of “Bone Thugs-N-Harmony Way.”
Outdoor patios: Council extended pandemic-era rules to allow restaurant and bar owners to expand seating into parking areas, streets and other public spaces. The program allows restaurants to apply for permits enabling them to expand their seating into outdoor public areas or private parking lots, including streets and on-street parking spaces. A separate, pre-pandemic city program has long allowed restaurants to expand café-style seating to public sidewalks.
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