by Nick Castele
Cuyahoga County’s plan to fund the demolition of vacant houses and buildings slowed down in county council Monday.
The county executive’s administration had scuttled plans to build a new emergency operations center, and hoped to use money from that project to pay for demolitions instead.
Council was asked to approve $11 million to take down decrepit structures. But Republican County Councilman Dave Greenspan, who chairs the finance committee, said he wants to make sure that money isn’t needed for public safety first.
“Once this money is gone, it’s gone, for public safety related purposes,” Greenspan said. “So I want to make sure before we appropriate it to another dedicated purpose, that the original intended purpose has been met.”
Rather than build a new emergency operations center, the county will spend a fraction of that money to upgrade public safety services in existing buildings.
Greenspan said he’d rather approve demolition money after cities have submitted applications for it. So far, the finance committee voted to send $2 million for demolitions in Cleveland for approval by the full council.
Cuyahoga County has already put $13 million toward demolitions, and has a goal of reaching $50 million.
