Akron Council's Weekly Legislative Spotlight! 2023 Issue #30

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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 the Council's Legislative Spotlight.

We hope that you are enjoying the wealth of information being shared with you each week.

We share highlights from the 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, October 2, 2023

Ordinance No. 270-2023 authorizing the Mayor or his designee to enter into a grant agreement or agreements with the University of Akron to assist with the rehabilitation and transformation of the Polsky Building, located at 225 S. Main St., Akron, Ohio; and declaring an emergency. Vote: Ayes: 13, Nays: 0.

Ordinance No. 271-2023 authorizing the Mayor or his designee to enter into a contract or contracts with the Greater Akron Chamber of Commerce to provide economic and neighborhood development, marketing and promotional services for the purposes of job creation, investment, retention and expansion of existing companies in the City of Akron; and declaring an emergency. Vote: Ayes: 13, Nays: 0.

Resolution No. 275-2023 congratulating City Planner Dylan Garritano on winning the 2023 First Energy Marathon and sweeping all three events of the 2023 Akron Marathon Race Series; and declaring an emergency. Vote: Ayes: 13, Nays: 0. Dylan started with the City of Akron on May 15, 2017 as a City Planner in the Department of Planning and Urban Development. He has been an avid runner since high school at St. Vincent-St. Mary. After a previous third-place finish and three previous second-place finishes in the FirstEnergy Akron Marathon, Dylan swept the entire 2023 Akron Marathon Race Series to become the Akron Marathon Race Series Three-Peat Champion. View the excitement here!

Resolution No. 285-2023 declaring the month of October 2023 as Safe Sleep and SIDS Awareness Month, highlighting the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) among infants, the importance of safe sleep practices in reducing SIDS, and uplifting families with newborns, and declaring an emergency. Vote: Ayes: 13, Nays: 0. Visit Summit County Public Health for more information and see the flyer below for an invitation to Wave of Light in honor of Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Week.

The following Ordinance was read in and referred to the Planning & Economic Development Committee. The Committee requested Time:

ORDINANCE enacting Title 15 “Land Usage,” to enact Chapter 155 “Riparian Setbacks” in the Code of Ordinances of the City of Akron to protect the benefits of riparian areas by providing reasonable controls governing structures and uses in riparian setbacks; and declaring an emergency. The City issued a draft of the ordinance for public feedback on August 3, 2023. The comment period closed on September 8, 2023. You can view the pending legislation and responses to public comments here.

Remember...

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

No Council Meeting on Monday, October 9th

in observance of

Italian-American Heritage and Culture Day

Akron City Council passed Resolution No. 184-2020 recognizing and declaring the second Monday in October as Italian-American Heritage and Culture Day to honor the history, culture, and contributions of the Italian-American Community to Akron and Summit County. All municipal offices will be closed.

Trash/recycle collections will continue as usual. To get reminders and alerts about your household's curb service schedule, please download the Akron Recycles app free on Android or Apple devices.

Akron City Council passed Ordinance No. 419-2008 declaring the

last Saturday in October from 5:00 to 7:00 PM as Trick or Treat night.

Establishing a uniform date and time for trick or treating in the City eliminates confusion and allows for greater security and a safer environment for participants. Citizens who wish to participate may indicate this to the neighborhood by turning on their porch lights between the hours to 5:00 to 7:00 PM.

Check out the calendar on

Council's website for

upcoming Ward Meetings!

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 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.

Up for Public Hearing October 23, 2023:

Establishment of the City of Akron Form-Based Zoning Code and Rezoning the Merriman Valley.

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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!