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 your commitment to staying informed and engaged through your continued subscribership to Akron City 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.

We encourage you to stay connected and abreast of the issue before 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 27, 2023

Ordinance No. 363-2023 authorizing the Director of Public Service or his designee to apply for and, if awarded, to accept and expend the Ohio’s Urban Forestry Grant Program Inflation Reduction Act Grant; and declaring an emergency. This grant is to substantially invest in the long term growth and development of the urban forestry program. Vote: Ayes: 11, Nays: 0. (Baylor & Freeman absent)

Ordinance No. 366-2023 amending The Zoning Map by changing the Apartment House Use District Classification (U2, H2, A2) Use on property located south of the properties fronting E. Market Street from Fountain Street east to Ivan Place to a Retail Business Use District Classification (U3, H4, A5) Use; and declaring an emergency. (Public Hearing was held 10/30/2023) Vote: 10-0 (Neal abstained; Baylor & Freeman absent).

Ordinance No. 367-2023 amending/supplementing Title 15, Chapter 153, “Zoning Code”, Article 1 “General Provisions” and Article 6 “Development and Area District Requirements” regarding the East Market Street Urban Overlay Area; and declaring an emergency. (Public Hearing was held 10/30/2023) Vote: Ayes: 11, Nays: 0. (Baylor & Freeman absent)

Resolution No. 369-2023 celebrating November as Native American Heritage Month; recognizing the rich local history of Native Americans in the Akron area; honoring the contributions of Native people to our community; and declaring an emergency. Vote: Ayes: 11, Nays: 0. (Baylor & Freeman absent).

Resolution No. 370-2023 approving and confirming the appointment of Kim Ventresca to the City of Akron Commission on Aging for a three-year term; and declaring an emergency. Vote: Ayes: 11, Nays: 0. (Baylor & Freeman absent) You can read more about the Commission on Aging here.

The Rules Committee continued to take time on the 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 proposes to begin regular Council meetings at 6:30 p.m. and make updates to the Public Comment Period. The proposed changes to the Public Comment Period were incorporated by comparing with the policies of other bodies, such as Akron Board of Education, Summit County Council, Cleveland City Council, Columbus City Council, and Youngstown City Council. You can view the legislation here.

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!

Your Councilperson Is Available

to Serve You!

There are several ways to reach your Ward Representative:

View their information on Council's website .
Attend their ward meeting .
Call or email them.=

Creating New Ways To Share Information With You!

When there is some time in between Committee Meetings on Mondays, we share information similar to what is included in this spotlight on our YouTube livestream.

You can view the full slideshow by clicking below.

Watch 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.

City Of Akron Now Hiring For Snow And Ice Removal Team

Applications are currently being accepted. To qualify, candidates must have at least one year of experience operating moderately complex automotive equipment. They must also have a valid commercial driver’s license (Class B) issued by the State of Ohio, with no air brake restriction. Some highlights of the position include:

$19.75/hr compensation
Guaranteed 40 hours per week with opportunities for overtime
Morning (Monday-Friday 4am-12pm) and afternoon (Monday-Friday 12 pm-8pm) shifts available as needed.
Using city-owned vehicles during working hours, avoiding wear and tear on personal vehicles.
Eligible employees will be offered a spot next season.

Interested candidates can apply directly to the City’s career website at:

governmentjobs.com/careers/akron.

Candidates who meet the minimum qualifications will be contacted via email to schedule an interview.

If you have any questions, please contact the HR Recruiting Line at 330-375-2723.

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

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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!

Rule 1.4

Virtual Meetings

Meetings of Council or its Committees may be held virtually by videoconference technology as determined by the President of Council.

Notice of a virtual meeting shall be provided in accordance with the procedures set forth in Rule 1.3. Any member that is connected to a meeting of Council or its Committees both visually and audibly through the videoconference is deemed present for purposes of attendance and deliberation and voting.

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