Lead Paint Testimony And LED Lights In Cleveland City Council

Cleveland City Councilman Blaine Griffin plans to introduce a series of bills by the end of the year to address the city’s lead paint problem.

As chair of council’s Health and Human Services Committee, Griffin outlined his plan to find solutions to lead paint in homes. The committee has already heard from the city’s health department, and today they heard from activist groups.

One group advocated for a task force to gather community input on lead issues. Another wants to revive a proposal that would shift the burden of lead testing from the city to landlords.

Last year, Cleveland Lead Safe Network (CLSN) worked with former councilman Jeff Johnson to introduce an ordinance that requires landlords to do lead testing in homes built before 1978. At the time, the legislation didn’t go anywhere.

Today, CLSN’s Spencer Wells urged council to reconsider the proposal which would set a deadline for landlords to complete lead testing and impose daily fines for non-compliance.

He said at council today the current system is ineffective.

“So now, voluntary compliance is, ‘I’ll do it if you catch me’,” said Wells. “Under our ordinance, it would be ‘You got this responsibility, you don’t turn the paperwork in, we caught you.’”

Griffin said he would look into the ordinance. Councilman Tony Brancatelli said there are similar laws already in place and suggested more emphasis on tenants’ rights. He says enforcement is the issue.

Next, philanthropy groups will speak to council on the lead issue.

Griffin also said he, along with Councilman Tony Brancatelli and Council President Kevin Kelley will work with HUD officials next month to explore best practices other cities have employed.

“This committee is going to have a comprehensive group of legislation we’re going to promote for the city of Cleveland based on input from all of these different groups,” said Griffin.

LED light replacement passes finance committee

Legislation to replace Cleveland’s streetlights with 61,000 LED lights passed council’s finance committee this afternoon. It heads to a full vote tonight.

The project will cost an estimated $25.2 million.

According to the Cleveland director of public utilities, the LED fixture cost is $12.3 million, adaptive controls and backhauls cost approximately $4.3 million, and installation is $7.6 million.  There is a built-in contingency of about $1 million.

Cleveland Public Power says adaptive control would provide an opportunity to dim the streetlights and monitor energy consumption.

The committee also approved an ordinance that would allow an undetermined number of police cameras on Cleveland streets for an estimated cost of $400,000.