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Mayor and finance staff present 2026 budget proposal; Guidehouse summarizes ARPA spending
Summary
City leaders presented a $785M operating plan that trims $14M from last year, reduces 35 full-time positions through attrition, and targets overtime reductions in safety forces; consultants reported ARPA obligations are largely spent with near-complete closeout and no treasury clawbacks.
City administration and the director of finance presented the proposed 2026 operating budget to the Budget & Finance Committee, laying out a two-year plan to align spending with projected revenues.
The proposed budget totals roughly $785 million and reduces the adopted level by about $14 million from 2025. The general fund appropriation is about $226 million. Administration officials said the proposal eliminates 35 full-time positions through attrition (saving approximately $3.5 million) and will apply a "mission-critical" hiring review to prioritize requisitions. The administration also emphasized efforts to reduce unsustainable overtime in police and fire: recent steps in fire saved roughly $45,000 in overtime per week, and police overtime spending is targeted for reduction from recent highs.
Revenue measures highlighted included plans to reinstate school-zone speed cameras (administration estimates roughly $600,000 in the first year with $1.2M annual run-rate thereafter when fully implemented) and the inclusion of an initial adult-use cannabis distribution estimate. The administration proposed targeted investments totaling about $2.9M in 2026 for homelessness response, street teams, youth initiatives and to implement recommendations from a use-of-force review.
Finance director Steve Fricker reviewed fund-level assumptions, a projected modest draw on pooled cash, and long-term debt exposure (about $1.3B, with the largest share tied to sewer/CSO projects). He noted the city's bond rating was reaffirmed and emphasized steps to manage benefits and medical self-insurance costs.
Consultant Guidehouse presented a near-complete accounting of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) investments: the city obligated about $145.3M, has spent roughly 98% of awards with 19 active projects in closeout, and reported no U.S. Treasury clawbacks and no audit findings to date. Guidehouse highlighted programs including Akron Home Repair (about 308 homes completed, $19K average investment) and park and public-space investments.
Next steps: the committee took time on the budget and will begin a multi-week hearing process to examine department budgets and proposed changes in detail.
