Since Ohio voters legalized casino gambling more than a decade ago, Cleveland City Council has received more than $17 million in casino taxes to spend on ward projects.
Although the dollar amount is small compared to the city’s annual operating budget, council members say the money is crucial. They say it gives them flexibility to meet neighborhood needs that City Hall would otherwise ignore.
But little attention has been paid to how exactly that money is spent. Members typically approve their colleagues’ projects with little public discussion.
A Signal Cleveland analysis of casino legislation and spending records shows that City Council has used the windfall to fund its own system of direct neighborhood service that includes food aid, lawn care, economic development and infrastructure upgrades.
