Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson answered city council members' questions about his 2016 budget proposal.
Mayor Jackson defended his position to increase the income tax from 2 percent to 2.5 percent. He says the city has lost money from the state and property tax revenues in the last few years. And he says there's nowhere else to support the city's $567 million operating budget.
Mayor Jackson says if the increase doesn't go through, he might have to cut jobs and services.
"Our bottom line is service," he said. "If we cut personnel below a certain level, you either reduce that service to become a token or eliminate it completely. If we are unable to deliver services then we have failed to meet our bottom line."
Mayor Jackson estimates that increasing the income tax for people who live and work in Cleveland will generate an extra $83 million a year. Any tax increase would need approval from voters, which could happen as early as November.
