Trutko for Cuyahoga Council
Government Performance, Safety & the Local Economy
Analyzing Government Cost & Performance
The major responsibility of county and local governments to create a climate for its residents to grow, prosper and live a good life. Key metrics for evaluating county and local governments include:
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Creating Economic Opportunity & Jobs for All Sectors of the Community
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Developing a Well-Skilled Workforce
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Ensuring Safety & Justice
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Providing & Maintaining a High-Quality Infrastructure
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Delivering Good, Cost-Effective Services
To assess how well Cuyahoga County governments are fulfilling their responsibilities and to understand what changes are needed, it's important to use data to develop an informed perspective.
Reviewing Cuyahoga County Revenue and Spending
Priority 1: Stop the Excessive Spending. Restore Fiscal Responsibility
Cuyahoga County Total 2024 Expenditures Were $3,500 Per Household.
Spending Cuts & Debt Analysis Are Needed to Maintain Services, Improve Efficiency & Reduce Fraud
Total Revenues were about $1.7 Billion, nearly $1,400 per capita and $3,000 per houshold.
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Intergovernmental revenue was $481 million, about $400 per capita and $868 per household.
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Property taxes were $410 million, about $333 per capita and $740 per household.
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Sales taxes were $332 million, about $269 per capita and $568 per household.
Total Expenditures were $1.9 Billion, over $1,900 per capita and $3,500 per houshold.
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Expenditures exceeded revenues, $184 per capita and $408 per household.
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Human Services spending was $544.3 million, about 28% of total expenditures. Per capita Human Services spending was $441and nearly $1,000 per household, 6th highest among Ohio counties.
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Total Human Services spending in Cuyahoga County ranked #1 among Ohio counties.
For more information, read the PDF.
Restoring Fiscal Discipline Will Mean Re-assessing Departmental Manspower Needs
Cuyahoga County Government Employed 7,000 to 7,200 from 2020 to 2025
County government employment reflects key role in handling public safety.and delivering human services.Any effort to control spending must deal overall performance, complex manpower needs and contracts in many departments.
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Public safety, including the sheriff, the courts and the law department, totals 3,450 FTE's.
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Human services employment is 2,374 FTE's.
For more information, read the PDF.
Cuyahoga County Government Facilities Should Be Trimmed
Cuyahoga County Government Facilities - 5.8 Million Square Feet & $1.1 Billion
Justice & Public Safety in Cuyahoga County Is Key Public Priority
Maintaining public safety is a fundamental responsibility of local government. All justice & public safety activities represented about 57% of all public administration employment & 64% of wages. Police represented about 46% of justice and safety employment and wages.
County Government Expenditures on Security
The Cuyahoga County government spends at least $419 million (30%) of its $1.4 billion budget annually on safety-related programs. Most people are aware of the county sheriff and prosecutor, the county courts and jail, but the county also has crime-related spending for human & health service. About 3,400 (47%) of the county's 7,200 full-time employees are tied to safety-related activities.
Is Cleveland a well-run city?
Delivering Good, Cost-Effective Services:
In 2025, WalletHub evaluated the quality of governance in US cities based on seven standard criteria. Cleveland ranked 133rd overall, ranking 118th in budget per capita and 132nd in the qualtiy of city services.
Cleveland ranked last among the six Ohio cities in the research, and ranked 14th of 18 Midwestern cities in the ranking.
For more information, read the PDF.
Providing High-Quality Infrastructure:
What is the condition of Metro Cleveland's roadways?
Almost half of the highways in Metro Cleveland (Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain and Medina counties) were ranked as poor by a national highway research group, TRIP. The area was ranked 48th out of 70 metro areas.
Part of the problem is that different levels of government- local, county, state and federal- are responsible for maintenance and repair. It's often difficult to determine which government is responsible for the roadway's condition.
