The Cuyahoga County Board of Developmental Disabilities is asking voters to raise property taxes for the first time since 2005. The proposed levy would bring in an additional $94.5 million to serve the board’s 15,000 clients with developmental disabilities.
CEO Pay Raise Debate
In January, Superintendent and CEO Amber Gibbs proposed a policy allowing her to receive the same pay raise she gives to employees. Two board members, Cynthia Schulz and Mozelle Jackson, objected to the measure, arguing that the board should decide on any CEO pay raise.
The board ultimately approved the policy manual with the caveat that the CEO would receive the cost-of-living increase unless otherwise determined by the board. In April, the board unanimously renewed Gibbs’ contract through the end of 2030 at a salary of $201,571.
The agency’s communications director, Elizabeth Day, stated that the CEO receiving the same cost-of-living increase as the rest of the staff is a common practice among county boards of developmental disabilities in Ohio.
With voters’ daily expenses rising, the agency faces a challenge in passing the levy. The agency’s current financial needs are driven by rising costs and not wasteful spending, according to Schulz.
Original reporting: Signal Cleveland — read the source article.
