Akron Council's Weekly Legislative Spotlight! 2023 Issue #29

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Akron City Council

Weekly Legislative Spotlight

From the Desk of the Council President

Hello Joan,

Welcome our new subscribers. We are so excited that you have decided to join us! To our regular subscribers, thank you for continuing to read Council's Legislative Spotlight. We hope that you are enjoying the wealth of information beinh sdhared wsuth you each week.

We share highlights from Council's legislative agenda from the previous Monday's Committee and Council meetings. Definitions and information about commonly used terms and council-related facts are also featured.

Please stay connected and abreast of the legislative agenda of Akron City Council.

The information shared in each week's Legislative Spotlight will continue to educate, empower and liberate you to become increasingly engaged with your City Council in making Akron a better place for all its residents.

Sincerely,

Margo Sommerville

Council President

Ward 3 Council Member

Legislative Highlights From Monday, September 25, 2023

ORDINANCE NO. 265-2023 authorizing the Mayor or his designee to apply for and, if awarded, accept and expend grant funding from the Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing Transportation (SMART) grant with the U.S. Department of Transportation; and to enter into a contract or contracts and/or purchase agreements or purchase orders pursuant to fulfill the grant obligations and goals by publicly advertising for bids, receiving quotes/proposals, self-performing work and the direct purchase without advertising for bids for specific equipment and services; and declaring an emergency. Vote: Ayes: 13, Nays: 0. The focus of this grant application would be intelligent, Sensor-based Infrastructure Deployment and use of a collective intelligent infrastructure that allows sensors to collect and report real-time data to inform everyday transportation-related operations and performance.

ORDINANCE NO. 266-2023 authorizing the Mayor or his designee to apply for and, if awarded, accept and expend grant funding from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Land and Water Conservation Fund grant; and declaring an emergency. Vote: Ayes: 13, Nays: 0. The Water Bureau is proposing the creation of a greenspace on a 20-acre wooded lot directly to the south of the Tallmadge Lowboy water reservoirs. The proposed greenspace would have a parking area and two loop trails, including a fully paved ADA-accessible figure-eight loop with benches and a lower trail of crushed limestone, with stairs connecting the trails.

The Public Safety Committee received an update on EMS operations. You can view that meeting here.

Remember...

You can see all the legislation discussed during the meeting at: https://onlinedocs.akronohio.gov/OnBaseAgendaOnline/

City of Akron Drop Off Glass Recycling

Turn your discarded glass jars and bottles into new ones with Akron's Glass Recycling Drop Off Pilot Program. Find out where and how to drop your recyclable glass items!

Check out the calendar on

Council's website for

upcoming Ward Meetings!

The Akron Marathon is Saturday, September 30th!

View road closures here.

Visit akronmarathon.org for more information!

Speed Tables are scheduled to be removed in the first half of October.

Please participate in this traffic calming survey!

If you have a specific city issue that you'd like to see resolved (a pothole, water leak, tree down, missed trash collection, etc.), you can enter it in the online system or call 311.

Upcoming Open Comment Public Hearings

Up for Public Hearing October 2, 2023:

Ordinance authorizing a Conditional Use to establish an auto repair business at 1152 Grant Street; and declaring an emergency.

Ordinance authorizing a Conditional Use to construct an oversized garage at 677 Cuyahoga Street; and declaring an emergency.

Ordinance authorizing a Conditional Use to place an oversized pole sign at 725 S. Canton Road; and declaring an emergency.

Up for Public Hearing October 16, 2023:

Ordinance authorizing a Conditional Use to construct an oversized garage at 1203 Sawyer Avenue; and declaring an emergency.

Ordinance authorizing a Conditional Use to retain a two-family dwelling at 2447 Newton Street; and declaring an emergency.

Ordinance authorizing a Conditional Use to construct a solid fence beyond the building line at 1558 Hampton Road; and declaring an emergency.

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Notices are posted on our website at least 15 days prior to the meeting date.

If the Ordinance is a Conditional Use (Zoning measure), a notice is also mailed to the owners and residents of property within, contiguous to, and directly across the street from the property involved in the Ordinance (per Charter Section 34). Notices are also published in the Akron Beacon Journal.

You do not need to fill out any forms to participate. You may attend in person in Council Chambers or remotely via videoconference.

Those wishing to attend remotely need to notify the Clerk of Council as outlined in the meeting notice in order to receive the information to join remotely.

Public Comment Period

Those that wish to participate in the public comment period of a regular Council meeting need to submit a public comment form.

The sign-up form is available here.

For those that do not have a mobile device/computer to utilize, or need additional assistance, Council staff will be available in person before the meeting.

Signing up is a requirement of Council Rules, similar to other bodies. The only change from our previous sign-up procedure is that we made the process digital!

Robert's Rules of Order:

A manual on parliamentary procedure. In the absence of any provision governing matters of business in either the Rules of Procedure of Council, the laws of the State of Ohio, or the City Charter, Robert's Rules of Order, Newly Revised shall be the standard of parliamentary procedure for Council.

You can view the Rules of Procedure for Akron City Council here.