Akron Council's Weekly Legislative Spotlight! 2023 Issue #36

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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, November 20, 2023

Ordinance No. 350-2023 authorizing the Mayor, or his designee, to enter into a contract or contracts with the Board of Education of the Akron Public School District for the Community Learning Centers’ Akron After School Program in order to provide learning enrichment activities; and declaring an emergency. Vote: Ayes: 11, Nays: 0 (Baylor & Holland absent)

Ordinance No. 351-2023 authorizing the Director of the Department of Planning and Urban Development to enter into a contract or contracts for transportation planning services in order to carry out the intent and purpose of programs under the Federal Consolidated Planning Grant for the calendar year ending December 31, 2024, and in order to further the Akron Metropolitan Area Transportation Study’s (“AMATS”) goals and objectives of maintaining a cooperative, continuous, and comprehensive framework for making transportation investment decisions in the Akron metropolitan area; and declaring an emergency. Vote: Ayes: 11, Nays: 0 (Baylor & Holland absent)

Resolution No. 357-2023 expressing sympathy for the innocent civilians victimized by the war in Israel and Palestine; condemning violence of any kind; affirming Akron’s status as a welcoming community for those of the Jewish and Islamic religions and any other religion; encouraging residents to offer support and sincere condolences to members of the Jewish and Palestinian communities of Akron and all over the world; and declaring an emergency. Vote: Ayes: 11, Nays: 0 (Baylor & Holland absent)

Resolution amending Resolution No. 2-2021, to amend and/or supplement the “Rules of Procedure for the Akron City Council;” and declaring an emergency. This legislation was introduced to the Rules Committee. The Committee requested Time.

Remember...

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

Check out the calendar on

Council's website for

upcoming Ward Meetings!

Municipal Offices will be closed on Thursday, November 23rd, and Friday, November 24th.

There will be no curb service on Thursday, November 23rd. There will be a one-day delay in trash/recycle collections for the rest of the week.

To get reminders and alerts about your household's curb service schedule, please download the Akron Recycles app free on Android or Apple devices.

Opening Celebration Of Winterblast

Friday, November 24th

Festivities begin at 6:00 p.m.

The Welcome Santa Parade will start the festivities off with lighted floats, marching bands and of course SANTA! At the conclusion of the parade Santa will light the City of Akron’s official tree and finish with fireworks thanks to Downtown Akron Partnership. Concessions will be available.

Read more about the Winterblast season events here.

December 11th, 2023 is

the last regular Council

meeting of the year.

Resolution No. 359-2023 was passed to allow Council to conduct its regular meeting at 5:00 p.m. on Monday, December 11th, 2023. The new Council will be sworn in at 7:00 p.m.

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

***

Notices are posted on our website at least 15 days before the meeting.

Suppose the Ordinance is a Conditional Use (Zoning measure). In that case, 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're able to 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!

Minutes:

The official record of a meeting of Council or a committee of Council.

According to Ohio Sunshine Laws, a public body must keep minutes of its meetings. Those minutes are not required to be verbatim. Watch more from the Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost here .

You can view the Rules of Procedure for

Akron City Council here.