Overview:
Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne’s 2025 State of the County speech celebrated higher wages, new housing, and community investments—offering reasons for hope amid challenges.
The impact of the federal government’s shutdown is heavy on many minds, but the annual State of the County address provided reasons to hope in the ongoing progress of meeting the needs of residents and businesses, and goals to advance Cuyahoga County’s vision for innovation, equity and opportunity.
During his third address on Thursday before a sold out City Club Forum at the Huntington Convention Center of Cleveland, County Executive Chris Ronayne reflected on those goals made at the start of his term and praised the results of more efficient business services, better support for families and workforce investment.
“We increased our wage floor to over $20 an hour to meet that goal and in January 2026, all of our more than 4,500 employees will be above the $20 an hour floor,” said Ronayane about employees less likely to rely on public assistance.
Ronayne acknowledged his staff’s management of Cuyahoga County’s nearly $2 billion budget, and the work of County Council passing policies like CROWN Act protecting natural hairstyles from discrimination and banning conversion therapy targeting LGBTQ youth, to the achievements by the medical examiner, children and family services and mental health departments.
Watch the full speech- State of the County
In case you missed it, among major highlights celebrated in the address are:
- Cuyahoga Hunger Response Network: Launching soon to address cuts to SNAP benefits enacted by the federal government, the team will fight against increased hunger by coordinating efforts to educate the community about changes to benefits.
- Real Estate Assement Funds: New technology and modernized Fiscal Office Systems enabled the county’s returning $35 million in excess Real Estate Assessment funds to cities, schools and other taxing authorities, the largest amount ever returned in Cuyahoga County.
- Child Wellness Campus: Construction is underway on the facility dedicated to the health, safety and healing of children and teens. Moving vulnerable youth from sleeping in county offices will place them in a safer environment for comprehensive and compassionate care.
- Department of Housing and Community Development: Established to fill gaps in the housing ecosystem, the department distributed $5.5 million in federal HOME grant dollars to assist in the creation of 445 affordable housing units. The county opened the Margaret Wagner Apartments, in partnership with Benjamin Rose and CHN Housing Partners, to create homes for 80 seniors in Cleveland Heights. Also, the opening of 53 homes at the Hitchcock Center for Women, allows moms to live with their children while undergoing addiction treatments – a first for the region, Ronayne said.
- Central Services Campus: Cuyahoga County expects to break ground on a more humane jail facility in 2026, that aims to provide state-of-the-art medical facilities, on-site behavioral health care and more natural light and fresh air for occupants.
- Building Services: Plans are underway for supporting communities with more streamlined inspections and permits processes that will speed up development.
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“Our municipal utility, Cuyahoga Green Energy, the first county-owned utility formed in decades, is something I wanted to do and we have done it,” Ronayne said about environmental protection projects. “We’re building a renewable energy microgrid in Euclid and running residential and commercial solar cooperatives that have created 9,400 megawatt hours of new solar energy. Just this last week, we approved three schools with the Solar for Schools project – we are moving on alternative energies in our portfolio.”
Ronayne’s address did not mention the impending Cleveland Browns move to Brookpark or the compromise reached by Mayor Justin M. Bibb and owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam committing $100 million for stadium demolition and lakefront development. Cleveland Leadership Center President Becky Rupert McMahon asked Ronayne how he will work with regional leaders to heal the rift and move towards collaboration.
“I’m committed to that (while) I may not agree with how the decision was made for the migration of the team,” he said, adding the county’s job isn’t done. “I have not thought that we need to invest our bonding capacity into the project; it was a small win for us recently when we heard from the leadership group that they have the monies to do this without the public treasury.”
In conclusion, Ronayne gifted local philanthropist Albert Radner with a key to the county for decades of impact on community development. Giving thanks, Radner implored audience members to examine themselves for solutions to society’s problems. “The cause of the problem is ourselves; we are not healthy,” he said. “We have to do two things: stop blaming people and you can’t decide what happens to you. My prayer is that we meet again next year at this time, we understand the power is through the people and the people we elect represent us.”
