Akron council approves consent agenda and unanimously urges Ohio House to restore public library fund

Akron City Council approved its consent agenda and unanimously passed a resolution urging the Ohio House of Representatives to restore the public library fund to the level in the governor’s proposed budget.

At the start of the meeting the council voted to approve the minutes from its prior meeting; the clerk recorded the vote as 12 to 0 in favor. Later, after public comment, the council moved multiple ordinance and resolution items onto the consent agenda and approved the consent agenda 12 to 0.

One separately read item, Resolution 15 (offered by President Somerville, Vice President Fusco, President Pro Tem McKittrick, Councilman Kammer and Councilwoman Connor), urges the Ohio House to take immediate action to restore public-library funding that House Bill 96 would reduce. Councilman Kammer spoke in support of the resolution, telling council that House Bill 96 “proposes reduction of approximately $100,000,000 to Ohio's public libraries over the next 2 years.” The resolution passed by a 12-to-0 roll call.

Nut graf: The session’s formal actions were routine: approval of minutes, placement of several procurement and parks rehabilitation ordinances on the consent agenda, and a unanimous resolution asking state lawmakers to restore library funding. The consent agenda bundled multiple technical and procurement ordinances; none of those ordinances generated separate debate on the council floor during this meeting beyond being placed on consent.

Votes at a glance

- Motion to approve previous meeting minutes — outcome: approved, tally: 12 yes, 0 no.

- Consent agenda — outcome: approved, tally: 12 yes, 0 no. Items placed on the consent agenda included (as read into the record): • Item 1 (offered by Fusco) — agreement with Woodsy's Music Inc. for sound and lighting services for Lock 3 (placed on consent) • Item 2 (Kammer) — contract with A and H Equipment Company for maintenance of street-sweeping equipment (placed on consent) • Item 3 (Kammer) — procurement of snow removal equipment for Akron Fulton Airport (placed on consent) • Item 4 (Kammer) — Cascade parking deck rehabilitation (placed on consent) • Item 5 (Kammer, Fusco, Connor) — design and consulting services for Rubber City Heritage Trail phase 3 (placed on consent) • Item 6 (Kammer) — purchase of Groundmaster 4500 lawn mower for J.E. Goode Park Golf Course (placed on consent) • Item 7 (Kammer) — purchase of SGXL multifunction applicator for J.E. Goode Park Golf Course (placed on consent) • Item 8 (Kammer) — resolution declaring necessity to improve several streets by concrete pavement repair (placed on consent) • Item 9 — withdrawn (no action taken) • Item 10 (McKittrick) — contract with Oriana House Inc. for confinement and rehabilitation services (placed on consent) • Item 11 (McKittrick) — accept and expend VAWA grant administered by the Office of Criminal Justice Services and agreements with Oriana House Inc. to fund investigators for the domestic violence unit (placed on consent) • Item 12 (Connor) — contract with Akron Parks Collaborative for professional and supplemental services for park improvements (placed on consent) • Item 13 (Connor) — rehabilitation of Prentice Park (placed on consent) • Item 14 (Connor) — rehabilitation of Sherbondi Hill Park (placed on consent)

- Item 15 — Resolution urging the Ohio House to restore the public library fund (offered by Somerville, Fusco, McKittrick, Kammer, Connor) — outcome: approved, tally: 12 yes, 0 no.

Other formal actions

- Motion to suspend the rules so legislation could be considered without first being referred to committee — outcome: approved (ayes), recorded as passed with no roll-call tally in the transcript.

- Item 9 — withdrawn by the sponsor and not considered.

- Motion to adjourn — no objection was recorded after a motion to adjourn was made; the meeting was declared adjourned.

Context and next steps: Councilman Kammer asked that the library-resolution letter be sent to the state elected officials who represent Akron; the transcript records council leadership agreeing to do so. Several procurement and public-works ordinances were placed on consent for future contract execution; specific contract dollar amounts were not read into the record during this meeting.

Ending: The council concluded the meeting after the consent vote and routine committee assignments. The clerk announced the live broadcast had ended with President Margot Somerville presiding.