Akron City Council Meeting (remote option)

Council president Margo Sommerville started the meeting at 6:30 pm with council members Bruce Bolden, Sam Deshazior, Brad McKitrick, Jeff Fusco, Tina Boyes, Linda Omobien, Phil Lombardo, Johnnie Hannah, Jan Davis, Donnie Kammer, Eric Garret, and Sharon Connor present

Wittman Sullivan @WittmanSullivan 4/21

The previous meeting minutes passed unanimously with Kammer abstaining A community member said the community must come together to create policy around police involved shootings in the same way that Akron came together to support the FDNY after 9/11 beaconjournal.com/story/news/202…

beaconjournal.com/story/news/202…

Wittman Sullivan @WittmanSullivan 5/21

A community member said the Akron Educators Association president negotiated a deal in 2022 that has made Akron Public Schools economically "suffer for years to come" She urged council to support the upcoming APS levy dam.assets.ohio.gov/image/upload/s… signalakron.org/akron-public-s…

dam.assets.ohio.gov/image/upload/s… signalakron.org/akron-public-s…

Wittman Sullivan @WittmanSullivan 6/21

A community member said her apartment in Valley View Apartments has mold growing in the stairs. She said the Akron Housing Division has informed her that there are leaks and mold in the basement. She said her landlord said it was only mildew and hasn't done anything about it

Wittman Sullivan @WittmanSullivan 7/21

McKitrick said Item 1 acknowledges the Charter Amendment had an inadequate number of signatures and will not be on the November Ballot Item passed unanimously Fusco referred items 5-11 Fusco placed items 12-14 on the consent agenda signalakron.org/heres-why-the-…

signalakron.org/heres-why-the-…

Wittman Sullivan @WittmanSullivan 8/21

Fusco said Item 15 gives $35,000 to Cardinal Group to maintain 1200 Firestone Parkway (Old Firestone Factory) He said the original $40,000 has been spent Item passed unanimously

Wittman Sullivan @WittmanSullivan 9/21

Kammer requested items 16 (purchase of a new bucket truck for the Office of Information Technology) and 17 (engineering services for city owned water tanks) be placed on the consent agenda

Wittman Sullivan @WittmanSullivan 10/21

Fusco requested item 18 (amending the housing appeals board) be placed on the consent agenda

Wittman Sullivan @WittmanSullivan 11/21

Boyes said Michael Jones lost his life on the street she grew up on. She said her family would get snacks at the Duke and Duchess gas station on East avenue She said she saw her first best friend for the last time in that parking lot, who later overdosed on Fentanyl

Wittman Sullivan @WittmanSullivan 12/21

She said he lost his life after refusing an officers request to exit a stolen U-Haul. He attempted to drive off but was shot and killed She said one man was doing his life's work and another didn't know where his life was heading, she said two things can be true

Wittman Sullivan @WittmanSullivan 13/21

She said council usually takes a corner, but that the best place is often in the middle She said one review board or ballot issue won't solve anything, she said everybody must show up for Micheal, the officer, and her first best friend signalakron.org/two-things-can…

signalakron.org/two-things-can…

Wittman Sullivan @WittmanSullivan 14/21

McKitrick asked people to reflect on 9/11 Wednesday and recognized the "trauma" the nation felt and the work of first responders Bolden thanks the mayor's office and service department for their work in the Merriman Valley after the August flood signalakron.org/it-just-kept-g…

signalakron.org/it-just-kept-g…

Wittman Sullivan @WittmanSullivan 15/21

Davis said Ward 4 was hit "really really bad" from the floods. She said they weren't able to help everybody but they are looking for resources to help people She thanked Service Director Chris Ludle and the mayor's office for their help signalakron.org/here-are-some-…

signalakron.org/here-are-some-…

Wittman Sullivan @WittmanSullivan 16/21

Deshazior said he saw the truck Akron donated to Akron pulled out of service while he was in New York. He said the truck had over 500,000 miles on it and said that donation shows that Akron is the city atop a hill

Wittman Sullivan @WittmanSullivan 17/21

Omobien said something needs to be done about interactions between black men and white officers which Too often end up in fatal shootings She said she doesn't understand why Jones was shot and why nobody told him why he's being arrested

Wittman Sullivan @WittmanSullivan 18/21

Connor said the Akron Barber College ran by Eric Garret gave out over 300 haircuts as well as school supplies for students returning to school She recognized Johnnie Hannah for the reopening of Morgan Park akronohio.gov/news_detail_T1…

akronohio.gov/news_detail_T1…

Wittman Sullivan @WittmanSullivan 19/21

The meeting ended at 7:33 pm. The next Akron City Council meeting will be September 16th at 6:30 pm at Akron City Hall (166 S. High). For more coverage check out Akron.Documenters.org

Akron.Documenters.org

Wittman Sullivan @WittmanSullivan 20/21

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

Wittman Sullivan @WittmanSullivan 21/21

Don’t miss other work from Akron Documenters! Summaries of our threads and notes are featured in @signalakron’s free newsletter, Signals 330. Subscribe here: #LocalNewsMatters #Akron go.signalakron.org/4fSKIrQ

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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.”