Akron Council's Weekly Legislative Spotlight! 2024 Issue #19

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Weekly Legislative Spotlight

From the Desk of the Council President

Hello Joan,

A hearty welcome to our new subscribers. We are so excited that you are joining 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 you enjoy the information we share each week, including 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 issues 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, June 10, 2024

Ordinance No. 211-2024 authorizing the Director of the Department of Planning and Urban Development to enter into a contract with Let’s Grow Akron, Inc., for the provision of operating the Akron Grows public gardening program in order to carry out the intent and purpose of programs under the Consolidated Plan for the year 2024; authorizing payment therefor; and declaring an emergency. Vote: 12-0 (Hardy absent). Learn more about Let's Grow Akron here.

Resolution No. 216-2024 congratulating Akron School for the Arts at Firestone CLC (“Firestone Theatre”) students Kyle McFalls and Rylee Horowitz on winning awards at the 2024 Dazzle Awards; recognizing Firestone Theatre for their continued excellence; and declaring an emergency. Vote: 12-0 (Hardy absent). Learn more about Firestone Theatre here.

Ordinance No. 220-2024 authorizing the Director of Finance to expend funds, from the appropriate account or accounts, in the amount of $150,000 to Akron Community Foundation in furtherance of the initiative by Victim Assistance Program Inc. to assist those community members impacted by gun violence; and declaring an emergency. Vote: 12-0 (Hardy absent). The fund is dedicated to supporting the victims of the June 2nd shooting on Kelly Avenue. Victims experiencing financial hardships can call Victim Assistance Program twenty-four hours a day at 330-376-0040 to learn more. Those looking to support the organization can call the business line at 330-376-7022 x 208. The funding will be available after Monday, June 17. Donations can be made at akroncf.org/GunViolenceResponseFund.

Remember...

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

Ring Doorbell Cameras

Council Staff has been working hard to distribute Ring Doorbell Cameras to approved applicants. These doorbell cameras were purchased with ARPA funds and applications were processed in compliance with federal guidelines.

All applicants were notified via email whether they were approved, rejected, or put on a waitlist.

As of this date, approximately 60% of the approved applicants have picked up their Ring doorbell cameras.

If approved applicants do not schedule to pick up, we will distribute those cameras to residents on the waitlists. If you applied, please be sure to check your email!

June 2, 2024 Shooting Update

The medical examiner’s office has confirmed the identity of the one fatality in this incident as 27-year-old LaTeris Cook. Please join us in extending our condolences and thoughts to LaTeris' family.

Akron Police Department detectives have been working tirelessly since the early morning hours of Sunday as they process all the evidence.

Anyone with information is encouraged to call the Akron Police Department Detective Bureau at 330-375-2490 or 330-375-2Tip.

Residents may also provide anonymous information to any of the following: 

The Summit County Crimestoppers, call 330-434-COPS. 
Text TIPSCO with your tips to 274637.
Download the Akron PD app and submit information by texting Tip411 or by accessing the link on our website www.AkronCops.org.

The City of Akron and Keep Akron Beautiful are launching another round of the Recycle Right Campaign.

The initiative—running Monday, June 10 through Friday, August 9—will again include mobilizing specially-trained personnel to conduct curbside cart observations.

Before the City began the Recycle Right campaign in 2019, the contamination rate of Akron's recyclables was 39.3%, which is high. This rate cost the City $205,031 in contamination costs. After the first two rounds of the Recycle Right campaign, the rate dropped down to 26.3% which brought the contamination cost down to $38,038.

The most recent audit confirmed this program's continuing success, showing that the City’s contamination rate for recycling is currently at 22.3%, meaning the City has nearly cut the contamination rate in half during this campaign. This year, Akron hopes to improve the contamination rate further with a goal of below 20%.

Residents who have contaminants (non-recyclables) in their recycling carts will receive this informational "Oops" tag on their carts with direct feedback designed to improve recycling cart contents.

To help take any guesswork out of what can or cannot be recycled, the City of Akron offers the free Akron Recycles app. The app allows residents to search any item and find out if it belongs in the trash bin, the recycling bin, or on the curb as a bulk item. The app also provides customized alerts and reminders regarding curbside pickup. It is available to download for free on Apple or Android devices.

The Blue Heron Homecoming is an annual environmental festival that provides community members with a chance to learn about the Akron Waterways Renewed! (AWR!) program. The festival features representatives from the City of Akron, firms involved with the AWR! program, and community partners, including local non-profits and environmental groups. This year’s theme is “Where Does Your Water Shed?”

Learn more 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

***

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.

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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 new "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.

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.