Akron City Council - Committee Meetings (Remote Option)

Akron City Council

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Monday, July 15, 2024
1:00 p.m. — 4:00 p.m. EDT

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166 S High St, Akron, Ohio 44308 Akron, OH 44308 (Directions)

Akron Municipal Building

Regular Akron City Council committee meetings held every Monday afternoon (except for holidays.) Committees begin at 1 p.m. and end around 4 p.m. The committees are Planning and Economic Development; Parks and Recreation; Rules; Public Service; Public Safety; Health and Social Services; Public Utilities and Green; Budget and Finance; Housing and Neighborhood Assistance. Not every committee meets every week. Check Monday morning for final committee calls.

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Reporting

Edited and summarized by the Akron - OH Documenters Team

Note-taking by Aidan Booker

Committees hear proposed rules for vape shops and marijuana dispensaries.

View notes

Live reporting by Wittman Sullivan

Rules committee members discuss charter amendment proposal to allow city to consider external police and fire chief candidates

Wittman Sullivan @WittmanSullivan

Hey everybody, I will be documenting this afternoon's Akron City Council Committee Meetings at Akron City Hall (166 S. High Street) with #AKRDocumenters and @SignalAkron

04:18 PM Jul 15, 2024 CDT

Wittman Sullivan @WittmanSullivan 2/25

The Planning and Economic Development Committee Meeting started at 1:01 pm with Jeff Fusco, Margo Sommerville, Johnnie Hannah, Sharon Connor, Eric Garrett, Donnie Kammer, Linda Omobien, Brad McKitrick, Phil Lombardo, and Tina Boyes present

Wittman Sullivan @WittmanSullivan 3/25

The minutes from the previous meeting passed unanimously
A staffer explained Item 1 funds affordable housing, lead abatement, park improvements, emerging CDC's, emergency shelters, and the Great Streets Program with Housing and Urban Development (HUD) block grants

Wittman Sullivan @WittmanSullivan 4/25

The Summit County Continuum of Care Executive Director said she support emergency shelter funding and said it is important
ThebAlpha Phi Alpha Housing executive director said he supports funding quality housing as a human right

Wittman Sullivan @WittmanSullivan 5/25

The Executive director of Habitat For Humanity Summit County said these funds are being used to build 16 homes in North Hill. She said Akron's property tax abatement program keeps mortgage payments affordable at approx. $450 per month

signalakron.org/new-park-16-ho…

Wittman Sullivan @WittmanSullivan 6/25

A staffer said Akron received decreased federal funding because Congress has allocated less money to HUD programs. She said HUD has accepted more communities into entitlement programs which "spreads the peanut butter."

Wittman Sullivan @WittmanSullivan 7/25

A staffer said Item 2 will require Akron vape shops to get a conditional use permit and will add a 2500 ft spacing requirement between vape shops. He said vape shops are clustering in commercial districts which put commercial areas at risk of disinvestment and "retail blight"

Wittman Sullivan @WittmanSullivan 8/25

A staffer said up to 250 adult-use marijuana facilities are coming to Ohio. He said Item 3 requires 1-mile spacing between marijuana facilities and 500 ft distance from schools, parks, and church, and requires facilities to get a conditional use permit to operate.

Wittman Sullivan @WittmanSullivan 9/25

A staffer explained that Item 4 is a conditional use permit that allows an oversized accessory structure at 87 W. Linwood Avenue
A staffer explained that Item 5 builds a mother in law suite at 2574 Addyston Road being built with a shingle roof to be used as a swelling at storage

Wittman Sullivan @WittmanSullivan 10/25

Items 11 and 25 filed unanimously
Fusco requested time on 12-24
Suzie Graham Moore said Item 1 enters into a 0% interest approximately $500,000 loan to remove lead at 1200 Firestone Parkway
It was put on consent agenda unanimously

beaconjournal.com/story/news/202…

Wittman Sullivan @WittmanSullivan 11/25

A staffer said item 2 leases 1246 SQ ft in the Ocasek Building for Legal Defenders Office of Summit County Ohio Inc
Item 2 was referred unanimously
The meeting ended at 1:49 pm

Wittman Sullivan @WittmanSullivan 12/25

The Rules Committee Meeting started at 2:01 pm with all committee members present
Nanette Pitt said City Charter only allows for internal Candidates for Akron Police and Fire Chiefs and Deputy Chiefs. She said item 1 will allow for external candidates for those positions

Wittman Sullivan @WittmanSullivan 13/25

Pitt said a committee created the charter amendment legislation and city council must call a charter amendment election before September 5th
A staffer said the amendments will remove 4-year term, remove rank requirements, and require the mayor to hold a "robust" candidate search

Wittman Sullivan @WittmanSullivan 14/25

He said this will also unclassify the police and fire chiefs from civil servants. Instead they would work for the mayor similar as a cabinet member
A committee member said the committee met 4 times in 5 weeks. She acknowledged the changes may negatively effect officer morale

Wittman Sullivan @WittmanSullivan 15/25

Veronica Sims (committee member) said the charter amendments create flexibility
Vernon Sykes said it is "beyond time" to update the city charter to advance the "citizens interest"
A committee member said the amendment will let the mayor address diversity in hiring

Wittman Sullivan @WittmanSullivan 16/25

Davis said police officers are concerned about external candidates taking away opportunities and asked when an external search would be necessary
Sims said there it will be used to encourage diversity. She said it will increase awareness of diverse issues in Akron

Wittman Sullivan @WittmanSullivan 17/25

Omobien said putting diverse personnel in high level positions will show diverse people that public safety is a career option and will expand staffing opportunities
Fusco said the amendment makes the appointment process more political by removing civil service hiring standards

Wittman Sullivan @WittmanSullivan 18/25

Fusco requested more public input in the amendment process
Sommerville said the public needs to see the legal opinion that makes the amendment necessary before "even considering" an amendment.

news5cleveland.com/news/local-new…

Wittman Sullivan @WittmanSullivan 19/25

She said the vital community outreach that Shammas Malik (Mayor) did recently is not reflected in the charter amendment
She said she doesnt want to rush the amendment process when there are still issues with the Citizens Police Oversight Board, created by a 2021 amendment

Wittman Sullivan @WittmanSullivan 20/25

Lombardo said external hires are a "slap on the face" for safety force workers who may lose promotion opportunities to external candidates
A committee member said Lombardo is mistaken and the current system has failed. She said the status quo is hurting the department and city

Wittman Sullivan @WittmanSullivan 21/25

Lombardo said that safety forces have not failed Akron Communities, but there is still room for reform
The item was referred to further discussion 3-1. Fusco, McKitrick, and Connor voted to refer, Omobien voted against referring.

Wittman Sullivan @WittmanSullivan 22/25

The Public Safety Committee Meeting started at 3:38 pm
A staffer said Item 3 renews a contract with Legal Defenders Office of Summit County Ohio Inc.
She said passage is needed today so they can pay the organization in a timely manner
Item 3 passed unanimously

Wittman Sullivan @WittmanSullivan 23/25

A staffer said item 4 opposes Andy's in Firestone liquor license renewal, triggering a hearing with the Ohio Division of Liquor Control. He said there are safety concerns in the nearby neighborhood and there has been a recent spike in calls for service to the business

Wittman Sullivan @WittmanSullivan 24/25

Item 4 passed unanimously
The meeting ended at 3:47 Pm. The next City Council Committee meeting will be July 22 at 1 pm at Akron City Hall (166 S. high Street. For more coverage check out

akron.documenters.org

Wittman Sullivan @WittmanSullivan 25/25

Have a question, think we got something wrong. Send any questions about this meeting or these tweets to documenters@signalakron.org

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Agency Information

Akron City Council

See meeting notes for details

www.akroncitycouncil.org

See Documenters reporting

“YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTRzlObsoxdg6IFgWSFCOgA/videos

IN PERSON: Council meets each Monday evening at 7:00 p.m. in council chambers on the third floor of the Akron Municipal Building, 166 South High Street. City Council does not meet when a national holiday falls on a Monday, and recesses the month of August and the last two weeks of December.

For accomodations in access: Yamini Adkins, Director of Human Resources, 166 South High Street, Municipal Building, Suite 103, Akron, Ohio 44308, (voice) 330-375-2780. If you require TDD phone service call Ohio Relay at 800-750-0750 and they will assist in contacting the Department of Human Resources at (330) 375-2780.”