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CLEVELAND, OH · NORTHEAST OHIO EDITION · THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2026
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Cleveland OH Politics & Government

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Cuyahoga County sits inside one of the most layered governmental structures in the region. Residents answer to at least five levels of elected authority simultaneously: the federal government, statewide offices, Cuyahoga County Council, Cleveland City Council, and school district boards — each a separately elected body covering its own geographic slice of the county.

Cuyahoga County’s federal delegation includes US Rep. Virginia Foxx (NC District 5), US Rep. Addison McDowell (NC District 6), and US Rep. Richard Hudson (NC District 9) and Senators Ted Budd and Thom Tillis.

Cuyahoga County Council controls property tax millage, land-use zoning outside city limits, and fee-in-lieu-of-tax agreements. Downtown zoning decisions and the Cleveland Police Department budget run through Cleveland City Council. State funding for schools, roads, and Medicaid flows from the Ohio General Assembly. The Cuyahoga County Elections and Voter Registration Office administers local balloting under OH Election Commission oversight.

HERE Cleveland covers Cuyahoga County Council meetings, Cleveland City Council sessions, Ohio General Assembly session, federal delegation votes and town halls, school board meetings, and candidate filing windows. We also pull FOIA-sourced travel records and contracts at both the city and county level. If it shapes how Cuyahoga County is governed, it’s HERE.

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Politics of Data

Data Center Cleveland

DATA CENTER: NEWS, INFORMATION & RESOURCE CENTER FOR CLEVELAND

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Northeast Ohio's Nov. 3 data-center measures all went against new development, from a first-of-its-kind financial-guarantee rule in Lake County to outright bans in Trumbull and Ashtabula counties.

A data center in or near Cleveland would first need local land-use approval through City of Cleveland, and Cuyahoga County weighs in on land outside city limits and on tax incentives. The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) is the state utility regulator; it reviews rates and large-customer power contracts for the utilities it oversees. Air and water permits come from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency.

National context: Federal energy researchers estimate data centers used about 4.4% of all U.S. electricity in 2023 and could use 6.7% to 12% by 2028, which is why utility commissions, local boards, and voters are now central to where these campuses land. U.S. Department of Energy report

What’s on file near Cleveland

  • Perry (village), Lake CountyVoters approved Issue 16, which requires hyperscale data-center developers seeking tax incentives to post financial guarantees, 946 to 140 (about 87%). The Village Council had rejected a tax abatement in July and adopted a one-year moratorium in October.
  • Hubbard, Trumbull CountyVoters approved a citizen-initiated total ban on data centers with about 76% of the vote, after the City Council adopted a one-year moratorium in June.
  • Conneaut, Ashtabula CountyVoters approved Issue 10, a charter amendment banning data centers larger than 25 megawatts, about 65% to 35%.
  • Monroeville (village), Huron CountyVoters rejected an advisory question that would have favored allowing data centers, about 88% no.
  • Oregon, Lucas CountyVoters approved Issue 25, banning data centers larger than 25 megawatts, about 61% to 39%.
  • Utility rulesFirstEnergy has proposed a data-center tariff for its Ohio utilities, including Cleveland Electric Illuminating, in PUCO Case 26-0697-EL-ATA, which is pending before the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio.
  • Ohio on Nov. 3On Nov. 3, 2026, Ohio voters decided 21 local data-center measures in 18 municipalities, and every result went against new data-center development, from outright bans to voter-approval and financial-guarantee rules. Results are unofficial until county certification.

Who decides: zoning, councils, utility regulators & permits

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Updated weekly. Last updated Nov 6, 2026. Election results cited are unofficial until certified.

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