Cleveland City Council and mayor differ on neighborhood spending in budget talks | Reporters Roundtable

Cleveland City Council and Mayor Justin Bibb are tussling over the city budget, specifically over how much money is earmarked for neighborhoods. Council members wanted an allocation so they can control how $600,000 can be spent in each of their wards. In Akron, the budget season is marked by belt tightening. The $798 million budget proposed by Mayor Shammas Malik represents a two percent decrease over the last budget due to concerns of uncertainty around federal funding the expiration of federal COVID-related funding. Visits to food banks in Ohio are up 10% in each of the last three years, which is why anti-hunger advocates are concerned about a possible cut in state funding. Governor Mike DeWine's budget proposes a $15 million cut because money in the last budget was considered one-time funding. DeWine also wants some Medicaid recipients to get a job. He submitted his proposal to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Medicaid covers about 3 million people in Ohio. Two Republican lawmakers want Ohio's school kids to spend more time in the classroom, proposing a bill that would add 53 hours of instructional time to the school year. We will discuss these stories and more on the "Sound of Ideas Reporters Roundtable."