Akron council approves resolutions and ordinances on consent; list of passed items and actions

Akron City Council approved multiple resolutions and ordinances at its Jan. 13 regular meeting. The measures were acted on largely by suspension of rules and unanimous votes recorded as 12–0. Below is a summary of items the council approved, items placed on consent, and one item sent for additional time.

Votes at a glance

- Agricultural-district renewal for property at 1661 Drysbach Drive (Frank and Mary Pulitz): Resolution approving the renewal application to have 13.72 acres designated agricultural under Ohio law. Planning staff recommended approval; the council suspended the rules and adopted the resolution 12–0.

- Resolution honoring Mary L. Lombardo: Offered by Councilman Hannah; the council adopted the emergency resolution honoring Mary L. Lombardo on the occasion of her passing, 12–0.

- Ordinance authorizing contract(s) with Navient for OnBase production support, license maintenance and project implementation services: Committee report favorable; rules suspended; ordinance adopted 12–0.

- Coventry-Akron JEDD addition (Coventry Township parcel 220-0706): Ordinance placing a Summit County parcel into the Coventry-Akron joint economic development district (JEDD) zone 2; item placed on the consent agenda and approved as part of consent (consent passed earlier 12–0).

- Easement to East Akron Neighborhood Development Corporation (EANDC) for sign access at Middlebury Plaza (parcels 685-9582 and 672-7717): Committee recommended granting a long-standing easement for signage discovered during refinancing; rules suspended and ordinance adopted 12–0.

- Agreement with Ohio & Erie Canalway Coalition for Summit Lake vision-plan projects and funding pursuit: Placed on consent and approved as part of the consent agenda.

- ODOT improvements on State Route 261 (concrete bridge patching, netting, fence replacement): Committee report favorable; rules suspended and ordinance adopted 12–0.

- Contracts for underground utility locating services (engineering bureau): Item placed on consent and approved with consent.

- Purchase from Xylem Inc. for water meters and transmitters (citywide water meter replacement program): Committee report favorable; rules suspended and ordinance adopted 12–0.

- Resolution supporting the Ohio Municipal League’s challenge to AT&T tariff application at the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio: Committee report favorable; rules suspended and resolution adopted 12–0.

- Ordinance amending ambulance and EMS charge schedules (Title 11, Chapter 111): Committee report favorable; rules suspended. Council said the updated billing will not increase resident transportation fees; ordinance adopted 12–0.

- Intergovernmental agreement extension with Summit County for boarding city prisoners: Placed on consent and approved as part of the consent agenda.

Items sent for additional time

- Resolution recognizing the tragic loss of Jasmere Tucker (offered by Councilman Garrett): Committee requested time; council granted time. The resolution was not adopted at the Jan. 13 meeting.

Procedure notes

Several items were handled by suspension of the rules after favorable committee reports. The consent agenda was approved earlier in the meeting by a 12–0 vote; items listed as placed on the consent agenda were adopted as part of that action unless otherwise noted.

Why this matters: The passed measures enable procurement and contracting for city operations (document management, water meters), advance local infrastructure projects (ODOT work, Summit Lake planning support), preserve a property tax designation for agricultural use, and update emergency medical-service billing rules — all items with fiscal or operational implications for city services.