Akron Council's Weekly Legislative Spotlight! 2026 Issue #2

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From the Desk of

Akron City Council President

Greetings!

Welcome you to the Akron City Council's Legislative Spotlight.

The Legislative Spotlight remains your trusted source for staying informed, engaged, and connected to the work of your City Council. Through this publication, we aim to keep residents aware of the issues shaping our city and the actions Council is taking on your behalf.

Why the Spotlight Matters

Each issue is thoughtfully prepared to support an informed and empowered community. Inside, you’ll find:

Legislative Updates: Highlights of recent Council actions, decisions, and initiatives.
Council Business: Insight into how your City Council works to serve Akron.
Akron Facts & Events: Community news, local highlights, and opportunities to stay involved.

We believe informed residents help build stronger neighborhoods and a stronger Akron.

Looking Ahead

This year, we look forward with optimism and resolve. Together, we will confront challenges, build on progress, and pursue policies that enhance the quality of life across our city. We encourage you to stay engaged, share your voice, and partner with us as we move Akron forward.

Be sure to follow Akron City Council on Facebook and share this Legislative Spotlight with your neighbors, friends, and family.

Thank you for being an essential part of Akron’s story. Now, let’s take a look at the latest updates from Council.

Sincerely,

Margo Sommerville

Council President

Ward 3 Council Member

Legislative Highlights From Monday, January 12, 2026

Ordinance No. 7-2026 authorizing the Mayor, or his designee, to enter into an agreement or agreements with Buckingham, Doolittle & Burroughs, LLC, or its designated entity, in support of its relocation to the City of Akron; and declaring an emergency. Vote: Ayes: 12, Nays: 0 (Davis absent). The City of Akron intends to support Buckingham, Doolittle & Burroughs, LLC in the relocation of its Embassy Parkway office to the City of Akron. The relocation will provide numerous significant and beneficial economic impacts to the City of Akron and its residents and support the development of a vibrant and robust downtown economic corridor.

Ordinance No. 9-2026 authorizing the Mayor, or his designee, to enter into an agreement or agreements with the Summit County Land Development Corporation (Summit County Land Bank) to develop a residential housing toolkit for future new housing developments in order to carry out the intent and purpose of programs under the Consolidated Plan for Housing and Community Development programs for 2025; authorizing payment therefor; and declaring an emergency. Vote: Ayes: 12, Nays: 0 (Davis absent). The City of Akron has previously entered into a grant agreement providing for financial aid to the City of Akron under Title I of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 and 1977. The Program requires that services be provided to benefit residents who reside in the City of Akron.

Ordinance No. 10-2026 authorizing the Director of Public Service, or his designee, to enter into a contract or contracts, after publicly advertising for bids, utilizing purchasing consortiums, requesting and receiving Requests for Proposals (RFPs), requesting or receiving quotes and/or self-performing work for the purchase and application of asphaltic concrete, pavement removal, riser rings micro-surfacing, partial depth resurfacing and preventive maintenance for various streets in the 2026 Resurfacing Program, including alternates; approving specifications therefor; and declaring an emergency. Vote: Ayes: 12, Nays: 0 (Davis absent). The 2026 Resurfacing Program will allow the City to improve various streets by resurfacing with an application of asphaltic concrete and related work as needed to the street surface to correct rutting, depressions, surface failures, minor crown deficiencies, and settlements. Learn more about Resurfacing here.

Remember...

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

2026 Capital Investment Budget

Council continued reviewing the 2026 Capital Investment and Community Development Program, legally referred to as the Capital Investment Budget. This budget is focused on key infrastructure investments in the areas of public safety, transportation, water and sewer systems, parks and recreation facilities, other public facilities, as well as certain investments in economic development, housing, and community services.

You can view the first review session held last week here. You can view the second review session here.

Council will hold a public hearing on January 26th. Learn more about how you can participate in the public hearing here.

View the full proposed budget here. Per Charter, Council must pass the Capital Budget by February 15, 2026.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

There will not be a Council meeting on Monday, January 19th in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. City offices will be closed.

There will be a one day delay for trash/recycle services. View the full holiday schedule and more information about trash and recycling services here.

Check out the calendar on

Council's website for

upcoming Ward Meetings!

Your Council Representative

Is Available to Serve You!

There are several ways to reach your Ward Representative:

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

Upcoming Open Comment

Public Hearings

January 26, 2026

5:00 p.m. Special Meeting

Resolution adopting the 2026 Capital Investment and Community Development Program.

Ordinance authorizing a Conditional Use to establish a dual-use marijuana dispensary at 1140 W. Portage Trail.

Notices are posted on our website.

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). These notices are also published in the Akron Beacon Journal.

You do not need to fill out any forms to participate. You can 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, to receive the information to join remotely.

Please Help Us Get The Word Out!

Enjoying the Legislative Spotlight?

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our website.

311- Akron's One Call to City Hall

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, call 311, or download

the "MyAkron311" app.

The app is available for free on all Apple or Android devices in the app store.

After downloading, residents can create a profile, enter a service request, look up timely city information, and set up notifications specific to their address such as trash/recycling collection reminders.

Public Comment Period

A public comment period is held at each regularly scheduled Council meeting, where up to ten (10) members of the public may address Council on matters within Council's authority. No member of the public shall be permitted to address Council during the public comment period more than once every 30 days.

Those who wish to participate in the public comment period of a regular Council meeting need to submit a public comment form by 4:00 p.m. on the date of the meeting.

The sign-up form is available here.

This brief video demonstrates how to fill out the form.

For those that do not have a mobile device/computer to utilize, or need additional assistance, Council staff is available to help.

Signing up is a requirement of Council Rules, similar to other bodies.