Cuyahoga County Issue 73 — City of Olmsted Falls: Proposed Charter Amendment

Ballot measure · November 3, 2026 · Olmsted Falls voters

What it does
Shall Article V, Section 5.03(c) of the Charter of the City of Olmsted Falls be amended to provide that monetary contracts involving amounts less than the dollar limit set for department heads in the purchasing approval section of the city’s codified ordinances must be reviewed and approved by the law department prior to their execution and shall be entered into and enforced by the Mayor; and that all other contracts require the authority of council for their execution and shall be entered into and enforced by the Mayor?
A YES vote means
Olmsted Falls contracts below the department-head purchasing limit would need Law Department review and approval before signing, all other contracts would need Council authority, and the Mayor would enter into and enforce all contracts.
A NO vote means
The charter's contract approval rules would not change.
Needed to pass
A simple majority: more than half of the YES and NO votes on this measure must be YES. Leaving it blank doesn't count either way.
Left–right lean
Not a left–right issue: a procedural or local question that liberals and conservatives don't typically split on (AI read of the official ballot summary).

The YES and NO lines are SpectrumVote's plain-language reading of the official text above; the official text is what you vote on.

Official text: source

Explained

Today

  • Section 5.03(c) of the Olmsted Falls Charter says all contracts require City Council's authority before they are signed, and are entered into and enforced by the Mayor.
  • That means even small contracts, such as a band for a parks event or a $700 legal settlement, go to Council for approval, as Charter Review Commission members and the Law Director described at the June 23, 2026 Council meeting.

If it passes

  • Contracts for amounts below the dollar limit set for department heads in the purchasing section of the City's codified ordinances would no longer need Council approval. They would have to be reviewed and approved by the Law Department before signing and would be entered into and enforced by the Mayor.
  • All other contracts would still require Council's authority.
  • Council President Garry Thompson stated at the June 23 meeting that the current department-head threshold is $10,000. Because the amendment points to the ordinance instead of naming a figure, the threshold would follow any future change Council makes to that ordinance.

Who would notice

Olmsted Falls City Council, the Mayor, the Law Department, and City boards that hire vendors or performers. It has no tax effect.

How it got here

Proposed by the City's Charter Review Commission, which reviews the Charter every eight years. Council adopted Ordinance 40-2026 placing it on the ballot on June 23, 2026, by a 6-0 vote. A Commission member said it chose to reference the purchasing ordinance rather than a fixed dollar amount so the Charter would not need amending for inflation.

Written by SpectrumVote from 2 linked sources (1, 2). Arguments are each side's own, not ours; the official text is what you vote on.

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Quick answers

What does a YES vote on Cuyahoga County Issue 73 mean?
Olmsted Falls contracts below the department-head purchasing limit would need Law Department review and approval before signing, all other contracts would need Council authority, and the Mayor would enter into and enforce all contracts.
What does a NO vote on Cuyahoga County Issue 73 mean?
The charter's contract approval rules would not change.
Could a City board sign a small contract on its own?
No. A Charter Review Commission member said contracts would still go through the Law Department and be executed by the Mayor, and boards would still follow their own procedures; it does not give, for example, the Parks Board unilateral authority.
What is the dollar limit?
The limit set for department heads in the purchasing approval section of the codified ordinances; the Council President said at the June 23, 2026 meeting that it is currently $10,000.
How many votes does Cuyahoga County Issue 73 need to pass?
A simple majority: more than half of the YES and NO votes on this measure must be YES. Leaving it blank doesn't count either way.
Should I vote yes or no on Cuyahoga County Issue 73?
SpectrumVote doesn't endorse anyone or tell you how to vote. Read what a YES and a NO vote each do, and the official text, then decide based on what you want to happen.
When is the vote?
The general election is Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Early voting and mail-ballot deadlines vary by state; check your state or county election office.

Not sure how to decide? Read our nonpartisan guide to the Cuyahoga County ballot.

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