[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",5983474,"mediaKeyId","5766747-d62689ad1024e7be851b99ed792f76ee","parentId",5766747,"title","Budget committee advances $640,000 five-year firewall replacement and ServiceNow support contract","audioSeconds",242,"startMs",3171000,"endMs",3413000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5766747-d62689ad1024e7be851b99ed792f76ee&start=3171&end=3413","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5766747-d62689ad1024e7be851b99ed792f76ee/thumbnail_3171000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/5983474/Akron/Summit-County/Ohio/Budget-committee-advances-640000-five-year-firewall-replacement-and-ServiceNow-support-contract","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/5983474-8ec6c74ab236a0f22837d419afec5d87/orig.mp4?Expires=1773640503&Signature=Zr672Y3ODuN60tuBAZwXot2HsmucBSfJrb1EVKpmcIq2JidPCTl6xTlW1qrk9CXDg7JcLI1sD96Ba3PnG2F51DfybruL3AHWuD8fx5nl6kauxQ3BOi3i39H3gLBoG93Nw4-jDUeE5N~hDHEN7~m0xh6IsngvDXqa8rHgTus3i5fw8uBH793xC41ssn2Yca--k5laS-GswdCmpr53sdsnMbNChl0ll~V1sQcfWDiBuf6D5hmQMMMTsQ82LE3kaP-fkXiUnpuZ10Mw-H13xDlEbM6C6ZZ6-rQCrL11yv4PxCQ-yrrF-Vr2zNO6GIyW-RzfuCvrbcSh~s3azuD3VqJwqw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City Council of Akron, OH ","date","2025-09-16T07:12:43Z","article","The Budget & Finance Committee advanced two IT purchases: authorization for a five-year agreement to replace the city's end‑of‑life firewall, presented as a lump‑sum procurement budgeted at roughly $640,000, and a one‑year contract with Beyond20 for implementation and support of additional ServiceNow features.

Darren Fricker (IT representative) told the committee the existing firewall hardware is end-of-life and the replacement will be procured through resellers, with a five‑year pricing structure that the IT department expects to cover through internal IT funds. Fricker said the industry has shifted to lump‑sum, multi‑year pricing, which is why the five‑year total appears higher than prior annual payments. Council members noted the $640,000 figure and asked how it would be financed.

Fricker said the purchase is budgeted in the IT internal service fund and described possible mechanisms to pay the lump sum: use unspent items in the IT fund this year, an interfund transfer with the capital fund paying upfront and then reimbursing, or a chargeback structure to departments. He said the department is still finalizing whether to cover the cost from current IT fund savings or by internal transfers.

Committee members asked for context about prior annual costs; Fricker said the previous annual payment was about $80,000, and the five‑year lump sum represents the multi‑year pricing approach rather than an annual increase of that magnitude. The committee put the firewall ordinance on the consent agenda.

The committee also approved placing on consent a one‑year contract with Beyond20 for ServiceNow support and consulting to implement new ticketing features. Fricker said the ServiceNow contract is the annual support and consulting arrangement used by the city's IT help-desk system.

Both items were placed on the consent agenda after motions and seconds at committee; no roll-call opposition was recorded in the transcript.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","City of Akron Council Committee Meeting - 9.15.2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Budget & Finance Committee approved consent placement for a five-year, $640,000 firewall replacement contract and a one-year ServiceNow implementation/support contract with Beyond20, and discussed funding options within the city IT internal service fund.","taxTitle","Akron, Summit County, Ohio","taxId",2666,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},5983478,"Council committee confirms two appointments to Akron Commission on Aging",229,2240000,2469000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5766747-d62689ad1024e7be851b99ed792f76ee&start=2240&end=2469","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5766747-d62689ad1024e7be851b99ed792f76ee/thumbnail_2240000.jpg","/articles/5983478/Akron/Summit-County/Ohio/Council-committee-confirms-two-appointments-to-Akron-Commission-on-Aging","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/5983478-554686a3015d9e24c49c518098390b5c/orig.mp4?Expires=1773640503&Signature=leqrJ8thRXKKBwQkwnFIh0sIJROP2vKn4JpGB4Kv97VPMU2b7y6mmfZrmDNj-RCw~RcKv5-A-Grz0pfoAWPaBOtHtgWXQIIgy1b8b-G3tyuKdqXbidW7EyUXk-cxkbJsuSTv49koJmES7CdGb6ZqBAjNsJOuGJkjE1XYRLN~6DFxYMqlKULDvhrBhUzt6-MwCyCan2FG-L0u2J0oUJ2L-amEWnYgcDYu3Is~HiIj1Ci9Dm9c03L5HxSEGEQbAw0bScVmH9ue2C6glR~cStyB2I7S0JQHfxud~zaD84YAGMXym4my5CzQOCjLyd2d0mDxu8P1IjxmnT3DedSscT73vA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Health and Social Services Committee approved a resolution confirming two appointments to the City of Akron Commission on Aging and voted to suspend the rules so the appointees could attend a future committee meeting.

Acting committee members presented the resolution nominating Mary Dee and Abigail Morgan to the Commission on Aging and described both as having prior work on aging-related issues. Speakers noted Mary Dee’s work with A.S.I.A. Inc. and Abigail Morgan’s experience with Direction Home and the Akron Area Agency on Aging.

A member of the public, Miss Connor, spoke in favor of Abigail Morgan, saying she had worked with Morgan on an independent living board and that Morgan was “an amazing asset.” The committee then moved to suspend the rules so the appointees could join before the next scheduled committee meeting; the suspension motion passed on a roll-call vote recorded in the transcript as 4 to 0.

The resolution was read into the record and the committee recorded its favorable votes; no further discussion was recorded. The appointments will be sent to the full council for confirmation as required by the city’s procedures.","The Health and Social Services Committee approved a resolution confirming appointments of Mary Dee and Abigail Morgan to the Commission on Aging and moved to suspend the rules so appointees could be present at a future meeting.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},5983483,"Akron committee backs ordinance amendment to add healthcare workers to menacing law",1318,565000,1883000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5766747-d62689ad1024e7be851b99ed792f76ee&start=565&end=1883","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5766747-d62689ad1024e7be851b99ed792f76ee/thumbnail_565000.jpg","/articles/5983483/Akron/Summit-County/Ohio/Akron-committee-backs-ordinance-amendment-to-add-healthcare-workers-to-menacing-law","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/5983483-356a920833e48a2e32fe570565d20757/orig.mp4?Expires=1773640503&Signature=EmrW8HtZPDPpnS6I6ZHbg1c3ss3wUADYPE9Gfuhp89US1Dgv-nYFugvor0rO9gAVq5itGI9keM0e96FV-8Sq3iK969~SIQpSyCBGs44M0p9x1Cj2jSlxodP1nNCPFDB8PuwMCyPodjLPgYxj4y9KzKwxS2qT0s773wqqI0vjHmLpGBI06UR5ugMRM19eF2yTn8xc8cu6fsFJAUGtZT1HWIk1xeta69mjGoe4hT~ORiIEFSNebOyy~t-tdVVF~G6gVXjQXPyG5y4oG63iLpTS-VxgtAoGg6~LD7kUBgNH0O6ijRBu59M92gP7Qvrt1i3HIe-SX4cp3Mi-orpM~wz4Vw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Public Safety Committee voted to suspend the rules and forward an ordinance that would add healthcare workers to the list of protected classes under Akron Codified Ordinance 135.06, the city menacing ordinance, after a presentation from local health systems and testimony from a nurse who said she had been assaulted on the job.

Supporters told the committee that workplace violence against health care staff is rising and asked the city to increase protections at the local level. Representatives from Cleveland Clinic and Summa Health described industrywide increases in assaults and urged the committee to adopt the change. The committee approved a motion to suspend the rules and give a favorable report to council.

The request came after a presentation by Brittany Zahringer of the mayor's office and healthcare representatives, including Dallas Moyer of the Cleveland Clinic's Center for Workplace Violence Prevention, and Robin Brown and Tracy Carter from Summa Health. They cited national and local data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics figures showing healthcare workers are about five times more likely than workers in other industries to experience workplace violence, Press Ganey data that the presenters described as “more than two nurses assaulted every hour,” and a 2024 American College of Emergency Physicians survey finding 91 percent of emergency physicians reported they or a colleague had been a victim of violence in the past year. Locally, the presenters said reported workplace violence incidents at Akron General have more than doubled since 2022 and reports at Summa Health increased by about 68 percent.

The panel asked council to amend the city menacing ordinance to add healthcare workers so that menacing when directed at a healthcare worker carries heightened misdemeanor penalties. Tracy Carter and other presenters also referenced recent state-level action. They noted House Bill 452, the Healthcare Workplace Safety Act, which the presenters said took effect in January 2025 and requires comprehensive workplace violence prevention plans, training, reporting and security measures at health care employers; the local ordinance amendment was presented as a complementary local protection.

Nurse Alyssa LaBaron gave first-person testimony about multiple on-the-job assaults at Akron-area emergency departments, describing one incident in which a patient kicked her in the abdomen and a separate incident in which a patient struck her chest; she said officers encouraged her to press charges but that follow-up communication from prosecutors was lacking. LaBaron said coworkers urged her to pursue charges and described frustration with how cases were handled.

Committee members expressed unanimous support during the meeting. Councilman Lombardo said approving the ordinance “is the easiest thing to do.” Councilwoman Davis suggested exploring mandatory jail time as part of debate on penalties, and Councilman Kammer asked whether the ordinance’s definition of “health care worker” would be broad enough to include dentists and home-health providers; a law department representative (Anziolani) said the drafted definition was intended to be broad and to cover those settings. The law department representative also said the enhanced penalty would be an M1 misdemeanor—the highest misdemeanor level available under the city’s penal framework.

The committee made a motion to suspend the rules and issue a favorable report; the motion carried on a voice vote with no opposition recorded. The ordinance will be placed on the council agenda for consideration by the full council.

The presenters asked the city to move quickly, saying local action signals support for staff safety and can complement state and federal efforts to reduce assaults on health care workers.","The Public Safety Committee voted to advance an ordinance amending Akron Codified Ordinance 135.06 to include healthcare workers, following presentations and testimony about rising workplace violence against caregivers.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Budget committee advances $640,000 five-year firewall replacement and ServiceNow support contract

Council committee confirms two appointments to Akron Commission on Aging

Akron committee backs ordinance amendment to add healthcare workers to menacing law