County voters approved Issue 11 last week, adding an estimated more than $110 million each year to Cuyahoga County’s budget for child services, senior aid, homeless assistance and other social programs, according to Signal Cleveland. The measure passed with support from about 60% of voters and will raise property taxes by $87.50 per $100,000 of assessed value.
County Council President Dale Miller told reporters Tuesday that the new revenue will stave off “practically all” of the $16 million in service cuts the county had proposed for the upcoming fiscal year. Miller emphasized a “conservative approach” to spending the levy, noting that the council intends to build reserves over the ten‑year life of the tax and will present a long‑term spending plan during next year’s budget process for 2028 and 2029.
Vice President Yvonne Conwell echoed the cautionary tone at a panel discussion hosted by Lutheran Metropolitan Ministry on Monday, saying, “I’m not saying that we’re going to say ‘no’ to everything, but we’re going to be very careful in how we look at this budget.”
County Executive Chris Ronayne released a 2027 budget update that does not yet incorporate the new levy, but it does outline additional spending for health and human services. The budget proposes $3.9 million more for seniors, $9.8 million more for children in county custody, $9.1 million more for food assistance to offset a federal reimbursement cut, and a $1 million increase for emergency homeless shelter funding.
Prior to the election, a county fact sheet projected the levy would fund $25 million more for children’s services, $6 million more for seniors, $10 million for food assistance, $5 million for juvenile probation, and $28 million for health‑and‑human‑services staff. It also promised to restore $4 million that had been cut from the Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services Board.
While the levy brings “relief” after recent cuts, Ronayne told Signal Cleveland, “We did not want to endure those cuts again, and we were down to the bone… at least we’ve seen some relief, and we’re grateful.” He said the administration will work with council and service providers on an “action plan that sustains services.”
Both Miller and Ronayne stressed that the county does not intend to spend the new money rapidly. Miller warned, “We don’t want to say, ‘We’ve got all this money, and we’re just going to go out and spend it,’ and then inflation will hit us, and we’ll run out of money long before the 10 years is up.”
What’s next: The council plans to develop a detailed, ten‑year spending framework by the 2028‑2029 budget cycle, and will hold public hearings on how the levy dollars will be allocated. Residents can expect further updates as the county finalizes its long‑term plan.
Sources: signalcleveland.org
