Akron Council's Weekly Legislative Spotlight! 2026 Issue #31

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From the Desk of

Akron City Council President

Greetings!

Akron is on the move, and you belong in the front row.

Welcome to the Akron City Council Legislative Spotlight, your direct line to the decisions, debates, and developments shaping our city right now. No fluff. No runaround. Just the real work your Council is doing for you, your block, and the city we all call home.

What's Inside This Issue

Legislative Updates: The ordinances and resolutions on the table, and what they mean for your everyday life.
Council in Action: Your representatives, ward by ward, working for the neighborhoods that make Akron great.
Akron Community Hub: Local events, community news, and ways to make your voice heard.

Why it Matters

City Hall should never feel like a mystery. When you know what's happening, you can help shape what comes next. Informed neighbors become engaged neighbors, and engaged neighbors build stronger communities.

Whether the topic is infrastructure, public safety, housing, or economic opportunity, the Spotlight keeps you connected and ready to act.

One Small Ask

If this newsletter speaks to you, pass it along. Forward it to a neighbor, post it in your block's Facebook group, or tag a friend who needs to know what's happening in Akron. And if someone shared this with you, subscribe here so you never miss an issue.

Now — let’s get into it. Here’s what your Council has been up to.

Sincerely,

Margo Sommerville

Council President

Ward 3 Council Member

Legislative Highlights From Monday, October 5, 2026

Ordinance No. 299-2026 authorizing a Conditional Use to rebuild a gas station and convenience store at 2129 S. Main Street; and declaring an emergency. Council held a public hearing on September 21, 2026.

Ordinance No. 304-2026 authorizing the Mayor, or his designee, if awarded, to accept and expend funding from the US Conference of Mayor’s 2026 Healthy and Sustainable Communities Grant Program; and declaring an emergency. If awarded, funding from this grant will support expansion of the City's Meadows program. You can learn more about the benefits of meadows here .

Ordinance No. 307-2026 authorizing the Mayor, or his designee, to enter into a contract or contracts, without the formality of publicly advertising for bids, with ImageTrend LLC, to extend services for continued Record Management System support for Fire Department Operations; and declaring an emergency. The Fire Department uses ImageTrend LLC for software and services for staffing, electronic patient care reports, fire reporting, inspections and additional operations.

There will be no meeting on October 12th in observance of Italian-American Heritage and Culture Day. Municipal Offices will be closed. There will not be a delay in trash collection. The 2026 schedule is available here.

Remember...

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

Learn more by watching the video below:

The City of Akron will begin its annual leaf removal program in November. Signs will be posted in your neighborhood approximately 48 hours in advance. Please keep in mind that it takes multiple days to complete each ward.

You can learn more about Leaf Removal here.

Check out the calendar on

Council's website for

upcoming Ward Meetings!

We’re Making

Our Website

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with the

Recite Me Assistive Toolbar!

Visitors can now personalize their experience and access content in the way that works best for them.

Features include:

- Screen reading support

- Reading aids for focus and comprehension

- Customizable styling options

- Translation into 100+ languages

Explore the toolbar on our site today: https://www.akroncitycouncil.org

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

October 19, 2026

Ordinance amending/supplementing Title 15, “Land Usage”, Chapter 153 “Zoning Code”, Article 17, “Unified Planned Development District—Class UPD”, Section 153.534 “Class UPD-13 district” of the Code of Ordinances of the City of Akron, 2004, to amend setback and other development requirements.

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?

Why not share it with your friends and neighbors? The QR code will take them directly to the sign-up page on

our website.

flyer with a cell phone stating to call 311- Your one call to city hall.

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.

Italian-American Heritage and Culture Day:

In 2020, Akron City Council passed Resolution 184-2020, recognizing and declaring the second Monday in October as Italian-American Heritage and Culture Day in the City of Akron to honor the history, culture and contributions of the Italian-American Community.