Cleveland Seeks Federal Grant to Support BioWatch Air Monitoring

The Cleveland Department of Public Health is moving to secure federal funding to maintain specialized air monitoring capabilities within the city and Cuyahoga County. Under the emergency ordinance 746-2026, the Director of Public Health is authorized to apply for and accept a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to fund the BioWatch program. This program, managed by the Division of Air Quality, involves the use of fifteen sampling sites across Cuyahoga and Lake counties that utilize Portable Sampling Units to monitor the air.

According to the 746-2026-Legislative Summary-BioWatch FFY26-27 Ordinance No (3), the grant would not exceed $466,300.00 for a term running from August 1, 2026, through July 31, 2027. The funds are designated to support various operational needs, including personnel costs for 12 employees—such as a Program Manager, Field Manager, and Environmental Monitoring Specialists—as well as specialized equipment and services. Specifically, the budget allocates $65,000.00 for courier services to transport exposed filters from the sampling sites to the Ohio Department of Health in Columbus for testing. Other planned expenditures include $45,000.00 for a vehicle purchase and $7,000.00 for vehicle parking. This local public health agency Cleveland Department of Public Health oversees these critical environmental monitoring activities.

The ordinance is currently undergoing administrative review by the City Council. Residents can monitor the progress of this legislation through the city's official legislative records to see when it moves toward final approval or implementation.

Source record

File
746-2026
Type
Emergency Ordinance
Status
Passed
Committee
City Council
Introduced
July 8, 2026

View on Cleveland Legistar

Official documents

Sources