State of the County Address

By Press release submission

Dec 18, 2022

Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish released his seventh and final State of the County address on Friday, December 9.

In his address, Executive Budish provided the community with a review of his eight years in office, accomplishments, challenges, and how he worked to lay the foundation for an even more exciting future in northeast Ohio.

Below are some highlights from Executive Budish’s speech:

Getting us safely and successfully through the pandemic
- The County immediately stood up its Emergency Operations Center, which coordinated the collection and distribution of nearly 27 million items of PPE for nurses, first responders, jail officers, teachers, hospitals, and more.
- The County worked with the judges, prosecutors, the Sheriff, and County staff to cut the jail population in half toward the beginning of COVID. Just 1 inmate in the County Jail died of COVID, much less than in other jails and prisons.
- The COVID crisis highlighted the critical importance of connectivity to the internet. The County partnered with Governor DeWine and the State of Ohio to make affordable high-speed internet available to the least connected areas in Cuyahoga County.
Giving our kids a great start in life
- At the start of his tenure, Executive Budish strove to double the number of kids in the County’s pre-k program. Working with then-President of PNC Bank Paul Clark to raise money from private and philanthropic sources, the County more than doubled the capacity of the program, raised the number of families getting a scholarship, and made the program sustainable.
- In 2015, the infant mortality rate was 10.4 per 1,000 live births, the second worst of all counties in Ohio. The County partnered with the City of Cleveland and then-City Council President Kevin Kelley, the hospitals, nonprofits, foundations, faith leaders, and community-based healthcare providers to create and fund First Year Cleveland. By December 2020, the infant mortality rate dropped by almost 30%, to 7.4, the lowest annual rate in County history.
Creating a retaining thousands of jobs
- At the start of his tenure, Executive Budish set out to add or retain 10,000 jobs. The County invested nearly $5.5 million in over 650 small businesses, the majority of which being owned by minorities and/or females. The County retained and added 20,000 jobs, more than double the goal.
- Residents’ household income increased by more than 14 percent from 2015 to 2020. The County’s GDP ranks 31st among 3,108 counties nationally, and is larger than the GDP of 13 states. Property values have increased by more than $7 billion, or 34%, from 2016 to 2021.
Creating a more equitable justice system
- Cuyahoga County created the first-of-its-kind Diversion Center in Ohio. Police are being trained to identify non-violent offenders suffering from mental health and substance misuse and to bring them to the Diversion Center, where they are stabilized, treated, and then moved into longer term community treatment.
- The County is working with judges, prosecutors, pre-trial services, defense counsel and others to create a central book program. Judges and attorneys will quickly see a person who has been charged, within a day rather than several days or a week. If appropriate, a person may be released promptly to the Diversion Center or other community treatment services.
Ensuring we’ll have basketball and baseball to entertain us for many years to come
- The Cavs and Guardians’ leases came due during Executive Budish’s tenure, and both teams wanted significant upgrades to Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse and Progressive Field. The County led the way, with the City of Cleveland, to provide the resources needed to make the requested improvements. This meant the County was able to lock in leases for the Cavs and Guardians for 15 years, without breaking the bank.
Putting county government in the best financial position it’s ever been in
- Through careful management and budgeting, and with help from the federal and state government, Executive Budish will leave reserve funds of more than $200 million—more than ever, almost twice the mandated reserve. The County is in the best financial position it’s ever been in.