CLEVELAND, Ohio –
But it doesn’t give vendors the green light to start selling beer or other alcoholic beverages “anytime soon,” according to Trivisonno. Options employed at other markets – and ones that may be considered by Cleveland – include allowing a few bars to operate within the market or allowing alcohol sales during special events.Currently, city regulations only allow for one-year leases.
The current rules essentially require all vendors to collectively foot the bill for the market’s total operating costs. That’s problematic with increasing vacancy rates, as it would mean each vendor’s share of the pie would have to grow to compensate for empty stalls. Because rents have failed to cover the full cost of operating the market in recent years, the city’s general fund has had to chip in to cover costs. Last year, that subsidy was about $422,000, Trivisonno said. She noted that the city anticipates this year’s subsidy to be about $870,000. Per Trivisonno’s estimates, the reforms approved on Monday would, at maximum, increase that subsidy by about $76,000 in 2022.
Council changed this legislation, and the piece it approved Monday, to require city administrators to periodically report to council members with progress on market improvements.The changes approved Monday do not fulfill Bibb’s desire to find an outside entity to manage the market on the city’s behalf, which he supported during the mayoral campaign.