City Council - Regular Meeting

Good evening. We're going to call the meeting for Akran City Council to order. At this time, our clerk will read the role. Balden, I Connor, hi. Davis, hi. Fusco, hi. Garrett, present. Hannah, hi. Kr. Hi, Lombardo. I Mkhitrich, I Somerville, I Wilson I. All members are present. For those who voluntarily wish to do so, would you please stand at this time as we're led in prayer by Father Norm. Immediately following our prayer, I'm going to ask if Councilman Fusco will lead us in the pledge of allegiance. I'm going

first. Oh God, our creator, we praise and thank you for being the ultimate source of wisdom and goodness in our lives. We ask your blessing upon our city council and all of us as citizens of Akran. You have made each of us and all creation wonderfully diverse. You have implanted within all our hearts our capacity to care even when love costs and tires us out. You have placed in each of our souls a spirit that brings us together to seek your justice and peace, healing, and reconciliation, especially for the most vulnerable. Awaken in us the call to partner with you and one another in bringing about a better world and an even more vibrant Akran. Please continue to bless our entire city that we may recognize our diverse perspectives not as a threat to fear but as a strength to draw upon. And again in a special way today we ask the blessing upon Jeff Pasco who's also a friend and for his conscientious caring dedicated service through 40 years a real blessing for our city that he cares so much about. Finally, Lord, help us to live with faith to overcome fear, hope to resist negativity, and love to eradicate all kinds of hate and difference. In your name we pray. Amen.

Amen. Amen. [clears throat] To the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

The minutes from our previously held meeting have been provided. Are there any additions or corrections? Motion to approve. Is there a second? Second. All in favor signify by saying I. I. I. Any opposed? The eyes have it. The motion to approve the minutes passes 13 to zero. We'll now move to our public comment period. Going to ask all those who signed up to participate, if you'll please stand at this time so that you may be sworn in by our clerk. Can you please raise your right hand? Do you swear or affirm that the testimony you give will be the truth? If so, please say I do. I do.

Thank you. Thank you. Just going to ask when you hear your name, if you'll please approach the podium. And just as a reminder, you will have three minutes to speak to this body. And we're going to begin actually with Mr. Polar right there by the mic. [laughter] You really want to do this? All right. How y'all doing? Good. Good job, man.

I guess I'll see you around. Let's get down to business. So, as I looked over the budget, we saw that $500,000 was put to the side for recommendations from Perf. My question is, who was the organization that was bought in with the $350,000 from last year that was supposed to do some corrections? We'll speed past that. That'll give y'all something to think about. Miss uh uh Connor, Miss Miss Boyd, I recall at the last meeting when it was periodically and we were talking about uh uh passing the body cam thing. I think you two mentioned that clearly said, "Oh, it's not a problem with them how far we go back on the body cam. The problem is to get them turned them on." Is that not what y'all said? Correct. So, where is that in the legislature? What's wrong with y'all? Why didn't y'all put that in there? Why shouldn't it be a disciplinary action for that for them not even just turning it on? It seems like y'all sped around that and everybody wants to talk about, "Well, we can't see if we go back 30 seconds or whatever the case may be." It should be 24-hour access at all times. We should be able to know what happens with us, what happens with y'all. Just like you said, what if it happens to your child or your [ __ ] It would be a different situation. But because it's us civilians, as citizens, it's like nobody cares. I mean, as I sit here and look over this budget, I don't understand. The reason we can't build in Akran is because y'all keep trying to bring everybody else in when everybody else is already here. We're right here. Y'all not invested in us and us the people. Y'all want to bring in somebody from Germany, somebody from Scotland, somebody from France and Norway. Look at the statistics on their money. They got a lot of it over there. And

it's backed by gold. They not running around with Federal Reserve notes. See what I'm saying? I don't I don't understand. Look at the divide y'all have amongst y'all. Just as simple as police reform. Y'all put $500,000 to the side to wait to see what Perf does, but only want to take $250,000 and invest in homelessness. Where is the balance? Where does it even out at? I don't know. Well, I don't know. We'll see y'all soon. Y'all take care.

Thank you, Mr. Polar. [applause] Is Jerome McClendon here, Paul Harris?

Thank you very much. Good evening everyone, Madame President, members of council, city of Akran staff. appreciate the opportunity to say a few words tonight uh and recognize and thank u Vice President Fusco for his distinguished service to the city of Akran. Over the last 38 years, you've dedicated yourself to helping others and learning about your city, continuing to encourage others to help each other, which is what it's all about really. Don't ever forget where you came from. you never you never have. Having moved quite a bit, I'm envious of all of your meaningful friendships, relationships, and lifelong friends you've made. Something to be said for that. Educated in Akran, working in Akran, and working for Akran. In a role like this, in a career like yours, it's not only about helping the city, but also firstear ward where it started. the neighborhood you grew up in, the street you grew up on, your friends and family along the way, working hard to create a more efficient, beautiful, welcoming city for all who visit, and as council person for Ward 10 at large, council BP, short stint as president and mayor, deputy service director, and ultimately in the mayor's chair. You've seen it all in city government. I've only known you for a short time compared to many of you in this chamber, but those four years have certainly flown by with your affinity to W 10. You welcomed me into my role here with the company at the East End. I appreciate that. Making introductions around town with your relentless approach to investing time to grow the community and making sure the city's finest and most iconic assets like the Goodyear headquarters are repurposed into something the city can be forever proud

of. Your mentorship means so much to others, your colleagues, your neighbors, and most of all, Council Person Connor, who I've got to know so much over the last four years, who I met the same day that that I met you. Uh, following you in W 10, you taught her the ropes. When you grew up in a ward in the city, the neighborhood, and then end up representing those same people, it changes things. It's time to step up, work hard, and get results. And the people appreciate that. Speaking about the people, it's now time for your next chapter. Spend more time with your family and friends to enjoy the fruits of your labor while still young enough to do so. A lot of people don't do that. From my time in Akran, I appreciate your friendship, your demeanor, helpful nature, and nurture, collaborating to get things done the way partnerships are supposed to be done with compromise and looking at all sides of the debate. So Jeff, thank you from all of us for your dedication, thankless hours, and years that went into serving the public. Enjoy your retirement, enjoy your family, and as always, cheers to you.

Thank you, Mr. Harris. [applause] Michael Freeman. Hi, Mike Freeman. 2526 Nesmith Lake Boulevard here in Akran. And I originally came down to say a few words to Councilman Fusco for the fine work that he's done, but I realized the the real work was done uh by his wife right over here, Helen. So that's the person I think we really need to recognize this evening. [applause] Jeff, your name's become synonymous with dedication to our city. 40 years showing up day after day after first election was 86 85

85 came to Yeah. came came to your office in ' 86. Then you've been a steady hand. You've been a listening ear and uh city's going to miss you. You had an unwavering belief in the city. We appreciate that. Four decades. Unbelievable. Four decades. Four decades of meetings. Four decades of meetings. A lot of those meetings could probably been handled by an email. Um and some of those emails turned into long meetings, too. I know that. So, 1986, it's a great year for Akan. Not not a real good year for everybody else. I mean, Chernobyl blew up that year. The space shuttle blew up that year. So, but Jeff Fusco got elected that year. So, that's that's that's that's a good thing. Uh, your service does it spans generations. I know I myself am a recipient of that, recipient of that. Uh, as I looked around when I walked in, there's a lot of people in this room that weren't alive when you were elected. Taylor Swift wasn't born when you were elected. [laughter] Uh, I noticed when I came through uh the security desk downstairs, somebody was talking about this being your last meeting and they happened to say he was here when this building was built, wasn't he? And uh, no. Okay. Okay. Very, very good. Thrilled for your uh, for your retirement, Jeff. I think of the things that you've accomplished throughout the years. has been said, your time as a ward councilman, your times at large, that time that you served as mayor. I think of every time I use 311, your involvement in that and then all of the work that you've put in on our uh on our city sewer system, all the work that you have put in really involved with what is now a standard function and standard uh uh event here in our city with the marathon. Thank you so much. I uh hope that your your retirement is one that can be free of agendas and that you will really take time as it's been said before to smell the roses. Uh I know

that you uh will probably miss the deadlines, the meetings, the late night phone calls. So, uh there's been a crew of us that have committed that we'll make sure and call you every night after 9:00. [laughter] So, uh, they said, somebody told me when I first came in years ago, he said, "Well, if you hang around long enough, people will quit arguing with you." No, doesn't happen. All right. To your young the younger council people, doesn't happen. Going to argue with you. And I would encourage those of you that are here tonight before you leave to have an argument with Councilman Fusco. So, thank you so much for your service. Thank you for the mentorship to me. God bless you.

Thank you, Mr. Freeman. [applause] Brian Lucy. Good evening, Madam President. My name is Brian Lucy. I'm the president of Akran FOP7, and I'm here tonight to express our sincere appreciation to Councilman Fusco for his dedicated service to the city of Akran and your ongoing support for public safety. It's truly remarkable the commitment that you have shown us and every member in our organization has felt that. But I want to move on to some other business that's at hand. Tonight, the city's going to talk about the budget, specifically reducing the police budget by over $2 million. To put this into perspective for each of you, that's over 26,000 hours of police work that will not be done in 2026. So, I encourage each of you to consider which work you would like us to not respond to anymore. Is that car crashes, noise complaints, neighborhood disputes, or follow up on investigations? Administrators and elected officials here often talk about hard decisions that need to be made when it comes to budget cuts, and we understand that. But public safety needs to be a top priority. And at the same time, we're facing drastic cuts. council debates expensive new storage options for bodywn camera footage. Let me be clear, we as officers do not oppose the bodywn camera program. Quite the contrary, complaints have gone down and it shows us what we knew all along that we act professionally and we treat citizens with dignity and respect when we respond

to calls. But if we're buying more space for bodywn camera footage, we should make sure we're funding the people wearing them and the equipment carrying them to the scenes. It feels as though there's some support for bodywn cameras for cynical reason to catch police officers. They oppose doing something wrong. It's sad. It's unrealistic. And it's a hyperbole that hurts the important work we do every single day. Just Saturday, the brave men men and women of the Akran Police Department and Fire Department responded to a tragedy. A double homicide. 12-year-old boy was shot and killed. And after that call, these officers went call to call to call till the end of their shift. Because we don't have the luxury to take time to decompress or take a break between calls. We're short staffed, the call volume is high, and the demand is great. I've said it time and time again. our officers show up and treat citizens professionally and with dignity and respect. I could talk about this much longer, but my three minutes is coming up to uh coming to an end. So, I'll leave you all with this. 26,000 hours, that's how much police work will not get done if you cut $2 million from our budget. So, decide what events and what types of calls you would like us not to respond to anymore. And lastly, Saturday night for each of you, do some research and see which med units in the city had to respond to that incident on Wilith Road. Would we be okay if you called 911 for a med unit and they had to drive across the city to respond to help you or your family members? It's irresponsible and it's unsafe.

Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Lucy. Going to ask that you please maintain order. Thank you,

Kelly Crawford Smith. Kelly Crawford Smith, former Ward 10 council woman. I live in the city of Kaga Falls now, which quite frankly is not as cool. I'm just going to go ahead and say that out loud on the record. As a former W 10 council member and former colleague, I'm here tonight to express my sincerest gratitude to Jeff Fusco for his four decades of service to my hometown. What an incredible run it has been. A few weeks back when he announced his retirement, I wrote a bit of an ode to Jeff Fusco, some of which I'll share here tonight. In this lifetime, we are seldom fortunate enough to have people sitting in our front row, cheering us on and endlessly advocating for us with absolutely nothing to gain. Jeff Fusco has always been that guy in my corner and in my life. When I was a 26-year-old kid running for city council, he walked door to door with me every day for no reason other than he knew I was fully ready and capable of stepping into community leadership. It was an incredible act of love and support and one that changed the trajectory of my whole life. When many politicians want nothing more than articles and fanfare and attention, Jeff Fusco once stepped up and swore in as mayor in a deserted room for no other reason than restoring calm to an upended city. He always deserved better. He deserved the accolades and pomp and circumstance that all of the others received. By far, he was one of the most deserving. And yet, he didn't want nor ask for any of it. And I bring this up often, quite frankly, because I'm the one that's still not over this. But that is an incredible measure of who he truly is. Jeff has always viewed his public service as a direct and very personal responsibility for and to the citizens of Akran. A caretaker, he has always dedicated himself to working toward a better Akran for all people, for safety forces and their families. He has always been there to advocate for

them. He viewed them as his colleagues and co-workers, never as enemies of the city. With Jeff and his seat on this council floor, they always felt cared for and cared about. Fusco, it will take me a hundred lifetimes to truly thank you for what you've brought into my life. You have served so faithfully and so incredibly well. This council will soon discuss your replacement, but you, my friend, are truly irreplaceable. There will never be another Jeff Busco. On the show Parks and Wreck, Ron says to Leslie, "You'll get a lot of offers in your life, but you'll only have one hometown. My hometown, Akran, is better because of you. Public service is better because of you, and I am better because of you. You have served so loyally and humbly and honestly, and I'm so so insanely proud to call you my friend and mentor and unapologetic advocate. You deserve everything good and joyful in this lifetime. Well done, my friend. Thank you, Kelly. [applause] Jackie Rahoodi. Good evening. It's an honor to stand here tonight to recognize and celebrate the remarkable career of Jeff Fusco as he retires from city council. Jeff has dedicated nearly four decades of his life to the city of Akran, serving in many roles, including deputy service director, ward 10 council member, at large council member, council president, and even interim mayor. In every role, he has brought a rare combination of vision, practicality, and dedication that has made our city stronger, cleaner, and more vibrant. During his time as the deputy service director, he was the steady hand behind so many of the services we rely on here in this city every day. The streets were maintained, the neighborhoods were cared for, and residents knew they could count on his leadership to get things done. And that's a theme that we've continued to seen throughout his time on council.

resultsdriven leadership with a focus on improving life for all of Akran. For those of us that keep Akran beautiful, Jeff has been more than a supporter. He's a true champion of this work. He has stood behind our graffiti removal programs, litter removal efforts, recycling initiatives, and countless other programs that keep our neighborhoods safe, clean, and full of pride. He doesn't just support these efforts on paper. He understands the value that they bring to real people and real neighborhoods every single day. He champions the litter removal by our crews, but he also joins us to remove litter himself. And we cannot forget his leadership on the tree commission where his commitment went far beyond the policy and paperwork. He has been deeply involved in the tree plantings across the city of Akran enga engaging school children directly. He always encouraged the kids to name the trees that they've planted and say hello to their trees every single day. A small act, but one that taught lasting lessons about stewardship, responsibility, and the joy of nurturing our environment. Watching Jeff with the children, you could see how much he believes in connecting residents, young and old, to this city and its natural beauty. Because of him, Akran isn't just greener, it's personal, more connected, and more alive. Your integrity, your commitment, and your passion are inspiring. You have led with purpose, a deep understanding of what our city needs, and a light touch of humor that reminds us that public service, while very serious, can also be joyful. Akran is stronger, cleaner, and greener because of you. On behalf of keep Akran beautiful and on behalf of every Akran resident who has benefited from your work, I say thank you. Your legacy is visible in our neighborhoods, our streets, our trees, and in the pride we feel as a community. We wish you the very best in the next chapter and know that wherever you will go, you will make a difference just have you has you have in our city of Akran. We thank you. Thank you, Jackie. [applause]

Ellen McWilliam Woods. Madame President and city council, it is great to be here tonight uh to honor a longtime friend, long-term uh we have been through uh the our both careers together for 36 plus years. Um I actually kind of wrote down like all our journey that has happened and the reason why uh I think that I am here tonight to sort of represent the young people that Jeff has impacted over the years. uh because in 1986 that was right about the time I was starting in the Akran public schools and uh we grew up together with you as uh in ward 10 and as soon as I started becoming the director of special education in the Akran public schools and coordinator and expanding my horizons past ward six where I was uh is right when you were becoming the atlarge council person uh and we were in the trenches together during so many issue campaigns I couldn't even list them all. Uh and most importantly in 2003 which I think is probably one of uh your most important ballot issues as well as mine which was the income tax where we were able to rebuild all of our schools. During all of that time though, what I appreciated the most was your attention to the individual families, your constituents that would come to you and then you would bring to me in my various roles in the schools, but then also

looking at systemic broad issues as well. I was actually rather angry at you when you uh retired in 2008 after being the deputy service director because that's right when I was becoming the assistant superintendent and I needed you more than ever during that time. Thank goodness you came back. That didn't last. I'm sorry uh to your wife but you did come back and I appreciate that uh because that was right when we were working towards the college and careermies and we have had so many breakfasts and lunches together and typically it has been around work-based learning internships how can we get the city to expand and open to have our youth have internships and experiences uh with a special interest with the police and fire. You wanted us to put into the college and career academy some way to have close pipeline so that we were growing our own so that we weren't going outside that we were having our own students and you pushed us to do that. I am now retired and I'm so glad that you're joining me. I hope you are better than I am at retiring though. Uh and so congratulations. Thank you for pushing us to be innovative. Uh, and I will see you on the other side because I know you're not going too far. Thank you. Thank you, Mrs. Woods. [applause] Mark Schwitzer. Good evening. Uh, Mark Schwitzer, 859 Bridge Road. Uh I've known uh Jeff Busco for over 60 years and we grew up across the street from one another up in Goodyear Heights

and suffice to say the world and the city that we were born into is very very different than the one we live in today. We all know there have been good changes and some not so good. I won't go into all of them. It's like when they ask how many baby boomers does it take to change a light bulb? They'll say seven. one to change the bulb and another six to talk about how much cooler the old bulb was. But still, as the years went by, I'm sure there have been times when we both we could have left Akran, chased other opportunities somewhere else, but somehow our values in our hearts kept us here. I'd like to think Jeff's tenure in public service has been informed by many of those traditional values. One, that talk is cheap. You can make headlines or you can try to make real change. Rhetoric isn't the same as reality, especially during election time. Governing doesn't come via social media. I'm surprised so many people who grew up without it have come to use it as a crutch. They should know better. You have to talk to people face to face and do real work. Another thing I know he believes in is don't worry about who gets the credit. Real satisfaction comes from getting a job done. You can point fingers or you can point an accomplishment and say we got that done. Winston Churchill often spoke about leadership. He wrote this one about early king of England but it could apply to leadership anytime anywhere. Here again we see the power of a man to bring order out of ceaseless broils and command harmony and unity to be his servants. and how the lack of such men has to be paid for by the suffering of the many. The lack of such men or women or leaders. How true that rings today.

Harmony and unity in a divided country and sometimes a divided city. This may be what we need the most. But what's that mean? Means trying to build a consensus. Trying to listen and see both sides of an issue. Treating your colleagues with respect, harmony, above all unity. I feel these things are things that Jeff always worked for. The idea that we're on the same team and we all need to work together. He's always known there's a difference between getting along and going along. The first one should be a given. We all know the latter is not always going to happen. That's okay. So, as Jeff steps away from city council in his time in public service, I hope these values remain in our leadership and be renewed as a new generation of leaders takes over. With that, I'd like to thank him again, and I hope you all do the same.

Thank you, Mark. [applause]

Is Al here? I I don't want to mispronounce your name, so I'm going to let you tell us what it is. Okay. [laughter]

Thank you. It's Barcado. Barcado. Thank you. And I love your dad. Thank you. [laughter]

In any case, this is a letter that um Jeff wrote to the Beacon Journal. And since the Beacon Journal only has about 28 subscribers through the city, I thought we make some public record of this. [laughter] But this is a letter that Jeff wrote. Dear Akran, thank you for giving me the honor of serving you for 38 of the past 40 years. It has been one of my greatest privileges of my life. My final day on Akran City Council will be March 31st. I'm stepping away from public office, turning my focus toward home. It is time for me to spend more time with my family. For decades, they have shared with me this city. They endured the late nights, missed the events, pressures, and demands that come with service. There are no words sufficient to thank them for their sacrifice, their strength, their unconditional love. When someone serves, their family serves, too. During the campaign in 1985, um, you were handed a contract. The contract was between you, Helen, and your mother and father and friends. Um, don't forget where you come from is what they asked of you. You haven't over the years. Not every decision you made pleased everyone. That is the nature of public service. I always placed Akran first. I honored my oath of office to uphold the United States and the Ohio Constitution and the laws and charter of the city. These guard rails matter. They protect us given even when we disagree. It encourages debate during difficult times. Akran grows when we

compromise and find a way to get you. Uh I will close this with let us remember that our diversity is not a division. It is our strength. Let's get to know our neighbors better. Encourage our youth. Lift our seniors. Keep our newest citizens safe. Care for those experiencing hardship. and thank for public servants and faith communities. Let us all belong in a circle of Akran first. [snorts] With that, stand up for Akran, believe in Akran, invest in Akran. Let us move forward together with courage, humility, and determination. Thank you for the trust you placed in me. Thank you for the journey and always always Akran first.

Thank you. [applause] That concludes our public comment period. We do want to thank everyone who took the time to come and to participate. Council, before you is the consent agenda. Is there a motion to approve? So move. Is there a second? Second. All in favor signify by saying I. I. Any oppose? The eyes have it. The consent agenda passes 13 to zero. We'll now move to our old business starting with budget and finance. Councilman Lombardo.

Thank you. We have two two items from the past that Sarah, if you would read those, please. Sure. The first item is a resolution adopting an annual operating budget for the fiscal year 2026 and declaring an emergency. Thank you. The committee's report is favorable. We're asking for a suspension of the rules. Okay. Thank you. Do you have any further comment, Councilman? No further comment on that. Uh it's just the resolution to discuss and approve the operating budget. So with that, we're asking for passage. Okay. Thank you. So the committee's report is favorable. All in favor signify by saying I. I I any oppose? The eyes have it.

This resolution passes 13 to zero. Item number two has a substitute offered as an amendment. I will read that in if you're following along on our agenda. It's item number 2A under new legislation. Again, this is a substitute offered as an amendment offered by Lombardo. ordinance to make the annual appropriation for the current expenses, other expenditures, and the capital outlays of the city of Akran for the fiscal year ending December 31st, 2026, and declaring an emergency. Councilman Lombardo, uh, again, the committee's report is favorable. We're asking for suspension of the rules. Are there any objections to suspension of the rules? Seeing and hearing none, the rules have been suspended.

Uh, thank you, Madam President. Um, you know, over the past uh few weeks, we've had the uh budget hearings. um heard a lot of good conversation with all our departments of the city um you know from the courts to IT HR service department don't want to uh exclude anybody but I can go on and on department of neighborhood assistance so a lot of good things were discussed about the uh operating budget for 2026 and um you know on the other hand we had some amendments that come up with some good things and some some not so good things that's maybe my opinion um you know I can agree with a lot of these things uh especially we're giving money to you know keep back on beautiful I don't want to keep going on with the different line items um so there's good positive things going on with the city um just have an issue that I don't agree with with our uh citizens review board um you know when you look at our our staffing level for our safety forces you know first of all public safety you know it's not an optional thing here uh it's essential So, um, you know, when we're looking at anything with our our police regarding, um, the different needs that they have, whether it's staffing, whether it's, uh, new cruisers, um, you know, then we go on to BA body warn cameras, uh, they all need those things to do their job. Um, you know, same thing with our Akran Fire Department. Um, they have, uh, staffing level issues also. Uh, they have recruitment and retention of officers. Uh that's a that's a well that's really on both sides and you know they just need the tools and resources necessary to meet the demands of their uh growing and uh you know increasingly increasingly co complex call volume. So uh that being said you know I I I just have an issue myself regarding uh some of these these

monies allocated to our citizens review board. I'm not going to support the budget for that reason. Um we, you know, again, these these two groups, our public safety forces, you know, they're more or less on the uh proactive uh type of mode. Um I just don't agree with the, you know, Monday morning quarterback uh reactive mode. So, uh those are my comments. Um certainly open it up to anybody else that would like to say something. Thank you so much, Councilman. Any other comments? Councilman Garrett.

Thank you, Madam President, for the opportunity. Um, as it relates to the budget, I want to commend the mayor and his staff when putting together a budget um that it identifies the fact that we no longer have our ARPA funds as part of this budget. Um, it's sort of frustrating to see my colleagues try to separate law enforcement. I mean, whether it's the police or whether it's the fire or whether it's the citizens oversight board, it's all the part of law enforcement. And I would like for my colleagues to not try to separate them, keep them together. It was a small ass that they put together. Um, and we have to realize, madame president, the reason that we have a citizens oversight board in the beginning. There were issues that we needed to address, not begrudging our our police department because um the young gentleman who was tragically the 12-year-old who was tragically murdered had just gotten his last haircut at my barber college. He was the last one to get his haircut that day. And I'm just grateful that they were able to save the 2-year-old. I'm glad that our police forces were there to help out. These are things that our citizens review board is going to have to start to deal with in terms of the 288 use of force cases that were presented to them. And so when we look at the budget and we want to know how the how we get to where we are, we all here supported our police department. We supported them with the you guys supported him with the 15% raise. Even though Fricker told you how much the budget was was going to affect us, you went with it. You're you're you're you're supporting the overtime. It's going to affect our budget. Steve Fricker said it.

But we push that. We understand that the citizens review board asked for $25,000 and we have our accountant who knows the numbers $700 million but that is a sticking point for some and it shouldn't be. All safety forces remain to be should be supported fire police and citizens oversight. Thank you, Madam President. Thank you. Any other comments? Com uh Councilman Busco.

Yes. Thank you, Madam President. The um I [clears throat] do want to uh on the occasion of uh voting on this final budget, uh want to thank the team uh Fricker and Wheeler. It almost uh sounds like a a band from the 70s or something, I don't know. but uh in their team that's that stands behind them uh they've they've done a great job and it is and we were told that these raises are going to have a profound impact in terms of our where we go in 2627 moving forward um and that was largely out of our hands as we all know in terms of Akran City Council but um I do appreciate the exchange the back and forth that we had uh even as this morning uh in terms of kind of negotiating things along the way. Um I do have uh a little bit of heartburn over the uh and I think it needs to be said um over the uh police oversight board, which by the way I don't kind of view as a as a public safety entity. I I kind of view it as an entity that that over uh reviews public safety. That's the way I see it. And they're an independent board. uh not one that's sanctioned by the city. And that's I'm pretty sure that's what's in the charter. The um however, going back to the uh the the increase and it goes from $100 to $300 in terms of the uh police oversight board. That's the compensation piece that's included in this budget. And I think that, you know, that could be um some of the concern. I I too have a little bit of concern just that um did get a commitment uh from the administration that they're going to look at all of our boards. We have about a dozen boards in our city. Many of them do the omen's work. I mean amazing

amounts of hours are put in to investigations to driving by houses for housing appeals board. Uh the civil rights committee all these all these boards they do so much good work. Um, and I from what I understand, we're going to review all of them. All I'm asking uh is that we review them all and look at them holistically, which is going to cost money because they they justifiably should be compensated. There's no question about it. I don't know if the $300 that's in this budget is enough or not. And um but I would just ask, and I understand this is going to occur, that uh that study be done first. um that's what I asked for, but it's in the budget and we're going to be voting on that tonight. Uh and then secondly, you know, how do we respond to the other boards? Um because in all likeliness, as we know, whenever, you know, um you do for one, you should do for others. So, uh that's that's about to come as well. So, hopefully in the next couple months, we'll be able to see justification and where where it all lands. Um but uh with that uh and we also have the commitment and and I appreciate it from the administration in terms of um keeping us posted because we're really going to have to stay on top of this. We're really going to have to stay on top of the overtime and everything else because we want to make our city safe and we want to do all we can to make sure that that occurs. And so I appreciate the fact that they're going to keep us updated uh you updated. So thank you with that. I do stand in favor of the budget. Don't want to block anything. Uh and I want us to have the city move forward and again appreciate the efforts of all civil servants across the board. Thank you.

Thank you. Any other comments? Uh Councilwoman Amobi and Jesse your hand.

Thank you, Madam President. And and thank you to the finance team and the administration. I think you all worked very hard and I think you listen to all of us as we raise concerns about some of the issues. You also added money for additional inspectors, individuals that can be somewhat proactive hopefully in looking at some of these apartment buildings and the concerns that we have around those. We also added money to the keep a beautiful program. And with regard to the oversight board, I I want us to be really clear. This is a board that the citizens of Akran voted for and it was needed then, it's needed now. And we are very fortunate to have Mr. Fenel with his expertise. And if you look at his annual report that he just released to the public, you will see that over 97% of the cases that he has reviewed, he concurs with the activities of the officers. is 3% that he's looking at and making recommendations for us to do better supervision to ask that the body warn cameras be uh activated to just examine some of the activities and behaviors of the officers. I think that's a pretty darn good record for any review body. So, we extremely fortunate to have him. I know because I have attended many of the meetings of those members of the board and I know they have put in a lot of hard work and I'm not saying that the other commissions and the other committees that we pay stipens to don't deserve an increase. This body came in and requested an increase. We didn't give them what they requested. We did give them an increase. I think is welld deserved and I think we ought to be fair and we're not criticizing our police officers. We're

just trying to make it a better um system and more responsive to the needs of the citizens of Akran who voted to have the oversight board. So, thank you, Madam President. Thank you, Councilwoman. Councilman Kr.

Thank you, Madam President. Uh we had a former colleague here today that spoke at public comment and I wanted to uh give my colleague across the aisle that he's in favor his final debate uh because I'm going to oppose the operating budget this evening. It will be the first time opposing the operating budget since I've been on council. Uh, but first of all, I want to thank all the hardworking men and women of the city that do all the different job positions to make our city better. I also want to thank uh Mike and Steve uh with working with leadership uh and also with Steve answering my emails and phone calls over the last couple weeks. I appreciate it. Um, couple reasons why I'm going to vote against the operating budget. Uh, first of all, I want to thank I think keep a beautiful is a good move. Uh, hiring additional housing inspector is a good move. Uh, do I support giving uh, citizens police oversight board extra uh, money? Yeah, I do. But it has to be across the board. Uh, I I just don't think it's fair that we have other boards that meet monthly uh, that have been meeting for a very long time and and I deserve or they deserve a raise. they deserve more money when they have their meetings. Uh but the real reason tonight, the the main reason why I'm opposing this is the staffing levels for the fire and police. This weekend we had tragedy in Ward 7. Uh so firsthand I seen the staffing levels and what happened in Ward 7 and how the med units where they came from. uh why the police officers came from all different parts of the city. We had uh four families that were displaced in an apartment

fire. Um I just couldn't imagine what's next and I don't want to. Um earlier I said another reason is I would cut I wish the mayor would have cut back a little more in his cabinet. um just to show, you know, that he's dedicated to the city um and trying to, you know, compensate some of these boards and some other things that help run the city on a daily basis. Uh finally, um operating budget. I just want to go back to what happened this weekend. You know, nobody called me. Nobody called me from the administration. And this has to do with operating budget because we have folks that are in the administration that has the title safety. Okay? And there's numerous folks that have that title and just pick up the phone and call me and let me know what's going on. Uh I have a lot of concerned residents about what happened this weekend. And uh a phone call would have been greatly appreciated. Same thing with 1431 South Main Street. Probably the biggest fire that we've had in Ward 7 in probably like 20 years. And if I'm wrong, please correct me and debate me on it. And uh nothing heard nothing about it uh from the administration. So uh I'm not here to pick on the administration or pick on anyone, but I'm just very disappointed with what happened over the weekend and the lack of transparency. That's why I'll be voting no.

Thank you, Councilman. Uh Councilman uh Balden.

Thank you, Madam President. Um I I look at the operating budget as something that is important and we're going I I I'm in support of it. Uh some really good things and appreciate again as been said the work that was done by uh the finance department, the hard work they did, the the charts, the graphs, everything was really great this year. Uh I've only been down here two years recently and and went through two of these. Uh and it was really good to see the information that was provided. It was laid out very well and easy to uh follow. Uh good things in the budget were brought up. Keep Akuman beautiful. The increases, the changes that were made, the increase to keep a beautiful adding the two housing the housing inspector code compliance. We need those. We need those. The things that do concern me. Uh number one is the uh cuts to safety forces. Uh that's concerning especially after last weekend knowing where some of these uh uh EMS units came from. Uh that's concerning uh and it could affect my ward as if one of them came from my ward and we needed help in W 8. Uh it and it could be anywhere in the city. It can affect any resident here. Uh the other thing is the increase in pay for the citizens police advisory board. Now, I may be wrong, but I believe the mayor requested every department to look to where they could trim some of the fat. Now, I may be wrong, but I think that was what we heard. The only place that didn't and came in and said, "We need more money was the citizens police advisory board that I know of." Uh, and that's frustrating. I understand they they do a lot of work, as we said. Uh, and and they do work and it was it's work that needs to be done and they need to review these cases. 97% of them what they say they sided with the police. It's the 3% uh that need to be worked on, but it's a 300% raise per meeting. That's a lot of money. It's a big percentage. I

understand it. I'm not happy with it, but the operating operating budget needs to be passed and I'm in support of the operating budget with concerns.

Thank you, Councilman. Councilman McKitrich. Thank you, Madam President. Um, I with your permission, I would like to ask Mr. Angelone if he would mind standing up and explaining to people because I think there's many people that don't understand what happens if this budget does not get passed within this time period. And then I do have some comments if if you would mind or if Mr. Fricker would be more appropriate to answer that question. No, I'm I'm happy to, Councilman. So, really, it kind of breaks down there's several buckets, right? The the biggest um the biggest issue immediately is that you're violating Ohio law, right?

So, if the budget doesn't get passed, we're going to be in violation. Now, that has other ramifications that are more serious necessarily than just that facial violation of Ohio law. Uh specifically, we're going to default immediately on our capital leases. So, think about things like financing that we've used to purchase buildings, OKC, um uh other other buildings. I'm trying to think AES structure infrastructure that we financed. Uh those things will be immediately in default, right? So, what's the the reality there? Well, if we breach on those contracts, uh they can terminate those agreements. Uh you could be looking at literal repossession of things. You could have city vehicles, uh you know, all kinds of crazy stuff. I mean, things you've never seen or thought about. Um probably more impactful in the long term, though, uh is what that would have on uh the city's ability to gain financing. So, our bond rating uh is going to be immediately impacted. So regardless of what happens, if it doesn't pass, uh, our bond rating is going to suffer, which means that our cost to borrow money goes up and that will impact us for probably a decade. So you're looking at serious long-term ramifications. There's immediate problems that that will happen, uh, but really the long-term problems are where it's where it's really ugly. So,

thank you very much. I appreciate that. I I I believe there's many many people that don't understand. They just think, "Oh, well, don't pass it." And there's there's no harm, no foul. There is, as we've heard, um I think that uh yes, there's things I agree with, I don't agree with in the budget. I appreciate all of the finance staff and all the work that they did for us. Um I mean, they went above and beyond as far as what I've seen to be able to do this. Um, again, uh, I come from public safety. I ran both times, both cycles saying that was my number one priority is public safety. And it always will be public safety. And we can have the nicest parks, the nicest restaurants, the nicest everything in the city, but if people don't feel safe, we have nothing. We have nothing. They're not going to go enjoy these things if they don't feel safe. A few years ago when people we heard somebody talk about the Beacon Journal and what's in it I think it was Mr. Barracotta and that um a few years back there was a survey the number one thing in that survey that people were concerned about was public safety public safety because who's going to go places if you who's going to go downtown who's going to go to restaurants if you don't feel safe you know Mr. Kame how many how in Mr. cameras. How do the people feel safe right now? I as a person with experience in public safety, I have concerns this summer. I do. I've expressed it. I've been I've been criticized for having concerns about the safety of our citizens. I see that there's possibilities of being able to work things out. Um, you know, some give and take between the union and and the city and so on. But um I it it's it's something that I think we really need to have our finger on that pulse. We need

to see what's going on as it we got a taste over the weekend as to what is potentially going to kick off this summer when things really get busy and if we get more than if we would have had another major incident Saturday night. I don't know what would happen because we have no private ambulance company when we run out of med units now. Now we have to use mutual aid from outlying communities and I don't know how that's going to work having other communities come in the city. So I will pass I will vote for this budget. I do disagree. I I it's extremely worried about the staffing. That's my biggest concern. But as we heard if we don't pass it that's a whole another problem and that I don't think most people understand that. Thank you Madam President.

Thank you Councilman. Uh, Councilman Lombardo, since we're uh asking Mr. Angelone about certain things, is there a certain date uh in the charter? Does it say April 1st? Uh, what does it say? There is a certain date. I'll I'll allow him to answer that. Sorry, I'm your mic. Yeah. So, the date is March 31st. So, that is the date by which it must be passed. And again, that it's a little bit complicated, but suffice it to say, we actually look to Ohio law in this instance, not just the charter. So, it's not even in our local laws. It's really statewide. And every jurisdiction in Ohio really has recognized that that it's state law that that governs. Thank you. Yeah.

Okay. Any other comments at this time, Councilman Kr? I really don't want to, but I will. Uh when I come down here, I'm elected by my people that I represent in W 7. And I don't need someone telling me that I don't know what I'm doing or what that I'm not educated on if I don't pass the budget. I'll vote however I want down here. That's why I'm voting against the budget. I'm going to make it short and simple just out of respect. Thank you, Councilman McKitrich.

I just point the this is just the general citizens. Uh I'm sorry if any of my colleagues felt this was aimed at them. Uh it was not. Um but it just ordinary citizens that are out there that I've have comments from. [snorts] So just just so council understands. Thank you. Thank you. Any other comments at this time? Seeing and hearing none, the rules have been suspended. The committee's report is favorable. All in favor signify by saying I. I. I. Roll call. Balden. I. Boy. Hi. Connor. Hi. Davis. Hi. Fusco. Hi. Garrett.

I Hannah. Hi Kr. Lombardo. Nay Mkhitrich. Hi Amobian. I Somerville I Wilson I This ordinance passes 11 to two. Thank you. We'll now move to planning and economic development. Councilman Fusco time on the agenda. Thank you so much. Time will be granted. Public service. Councilman Krin time. Thank you. Time will be granted. Public safety. Councilman McKitrich. Continue time please. Thank you. Time will be granted. That concludes our old business. We'll now move into new legislation.

Item number one, offered by council as a whole, resolution acknowledging the retirement of Jeff Fusco, Councilman at large for the city of Akran, and accepting the same, expressing appreciation for Councilman Fusco's services as at large councilman, establishing the process to fill the vacancy caused by this retirement, and declaring an emergency. Council McKitrich. Well, Madame President, I tried to go for an adverse report today, but it didn't get any traction, but uh the committee's report is uh suspension of the rules with uh I guess u it should have been an adverse report, but suspension of the rules with the favorable report.

Thank you. Are there any objections to suspension of the rules? Seeing and hearing none, the rules have been suspended. Um I I I spoke earlier today. I'll I'll yield to my other colleagues. Thank you. We'll open the floor. Any other council members have any comments? We'll start with Councilman Lombardo.

Sure. I spoke today, too, but you know, it goes uh it's worth repeating. I just want to thank Jeff for his service and everything that, you know, he's done for me. Um a lot of issues that I had to overcome as a newly elected councilman and and you know, I look to you for guidance and you were always there. You you made time for me, made time for my residents. So, I appreciate that and and your leadership here today and in the past 38 years. Thanks, Jeff. Councilman Hannah. Thank you, Madam Chair. Jeff, I just want to know how much you pay these people to come down here. [laughter]

Thank you so much. I've been sitting beside you for two years now. And like I said earlier, some of the good, the bad, and the ugly rubbed off for me. Thank you for your service, Councilwoman Davis. Thank you, Madam President.

I just want to say, um, thank you, Jeff, for supporting me, you know, through a campaign since I've been down here on city council. I can call you if I don't get you right. Then you always call me back, walk me through whatever. I really really appreciate you and consider you a friend and um you go and just enjoy your retirement and I'm sure you'll be working somewhere pretty soon. That's just who you are. Okay, you take care. Councilman Kr.

Thank you, Madam President. Uh Jeff, impressive resume. Seriously, I I wish it was right here in front of me. He he has a very impressive resume. You heard from all these folks this evening. Uh he he's been a great leader. Uh the city is better with you, Jeff, serving on city council and in the service director's office. Ward 7 is better because of your leadership. And uh I just want to thank you um from all over the years, especially when you were mayor. It just seems like uh when you became the mayor, we became very close. And uh I appreciate that. And uh I just please, the wife is here. Go enjoy retirement, enjoy life with her, the grandkids, everything. So enjoy.

Thank you. Any other comments? Council person Wilson. Thank you. Um, we've had a lot of rigorous debates and good conversations. Uh, we definitely don't agree on some things, but I appreciate the level of sincerity that we've been able to have a lot of conversations about important things. So, thank you for that. And also, I'm your ward rep, right? So feel free to feel free to call [laughter] me anytime. Take care, Councilwoman Boys. Thank you, Madam President. Um, I too shared my my words earlier today, but later on in the day, I received a fun little picture here uh by way of councilwoman. Uh, yes, she did. She's the one. [laughter]

And, uh, Councilman Fusco shared this with me. And uh it's really special because right on the end here you see Councilman Fusco with a dark head of hair which we're not used to. But on the other end here closest to where I'm standing right now is my father and I'm going to tear up a little bit. Um, I I lost my father in 2019 and he served here as well for years alongside you and you know I've always I mentioned it to to President Somerville here. You know, oftentimes I've wanted to reach out to him and get advice and kind of how he dealt with situations, how he dealt with people, [laughter] but um I've not had that and you've been a great right hand um and always been available to me when I've called you. So, I appreciate that.

Thank you, Councilwoman. Uh, Councilman Balden.

Uh, thank you, Madam President. Uh, Jeff, uh, we've known each other for a while. Oh, man. Uh, back uh, from 19 boy 91 when I met you the first time. Uh, when I ran uh, for council and and you you gave me some great advice when I ran and got down here and worked with you for six years and it was great. Uh, I learned a lot from you. uh came back and kind of saw you from afar and I remember I think I saw you once when you were mayor at Porch Rocker and we were sitting I sat down I said how's that going he's going it's going [laughter] typical Jeff but it was going and that's what he did he's done this all the time he's he's kept this city going and he's kept his his his vision and his his arrow true and I appreciate appreciate that. It's been great to work with you again and I'm sure we're going to stay in touch. Uh and I going to enjoy your retirement. Uh but you know, we're going to be bugging you. So, uh I appreciate all you've done for the city as everyone I think does. Uh I know everyone on this council does and appreciate that and look forward to getting some time off and kicking back a little bit. Thanks for all you've done.

Thank you, Councilman Connor. I'll try um I don't know, you know, mentor, friend, co-orker, guidance, a thousand words and none that I can string into a sentence. I wish you all the best and I'll probably call you tomorrow. [laughter] Any other comments, Councilman Garrett? Thank you, Madam President. My my wife and my kids and everybody at home would probably say, "Dad, remember if we told you if you don't have nothing nice to say, then don't say anything, Dad." I uh so often with me being in the military, I would go out and folks would say, "Thank you for your service." And I would just look at them and say, "Thank you for yours." You know, I appreciate what you do, whether it's at Home Depot or wherever that case may be. Mr. Fusco and I disagreed on nearly every single thing here, but it was during the campaign that I had to try to work as hard as he did. It was coming down here to council at different different debates that I had to prepare to deal with him. And iron sharpens iron. I wish you well with you and your family and your grandkids. I wish you well. Um, wish you nothing but the best and success out there. Iron sharpens iron and thank you for sharpening me. Thank you for the debates and the battles. It only made me stronger. Good luck.

Thank you, Councilman. Um, I shared some comments, but of course I want to take an opportunity to share some things as well. When I first became president of Akran City Council, I had a lot of ideas in terms of what I wanted to do in terms of building Akran City Council and making sure that we were um doing uh council driven initiatives and all of these different things, a lot of crazy ideas and Councilman Fusco was right there willing to support uh us do all of those things. We were able to accomplish everything we set out to do. So, I just want to thank Councilman Fusco just for uh his leadership. I want to thank him for his friendship. I want to thank him for being willing to always do the work and not the easy work, but the hard work, you know, making the tough decisions, right, that need to be made and not afraid to do it. Um, also I just want to thank you for uh just your wealth of knowledge um and information has been so beneficial even to me and even helping me to get to where I am here today um in this game that they call politics. So Jeeoff, we definitely are going to miss you. I'm happy uh for your wife. She's smiling ear to ear. Um but we're definitely going to miss you, but we just wish you know wish you the best uh on your next chapter. We know you're not going far. Um, we're we're we're lucky for that. So, again, thank you so much. Definitely have to give you an opportunity because we want to hear from you.

Thank you. Um, I guess I'm not I don't have to stand over there for three minutes just yet. But, um, anyways, the I'm not going to cut you off tonight, too. So, [laughter] if you need more than five minutes, you got it tonight. Lock. Start the clock. Anyways, the um I I respectfully request that I deviate a little bit from Robert's rules and kind of use the whole room if that's okay. Madam President, absolutely. The um first of all,

I'm not going to do it. Thank you all for coming down tonight. I certainly appreciate it. Uh thank you for your comments. Thank you for your support. Thank you for your love. Thank you for everything. Um, I wouldn't be here obviously without you, especially my wife Helen. If she could please stand up and turn off the camera. Honey, there this is on YouTube. [applause] Thank you so much. The um and of course everyone here knows uh she's wanted me to change my phone number. I'm not going to. So, uh, so if if if anyone needs anything like that Michael Jackson song, I'll be there. Uh, the, um, uh, my wife has always reminded me that I'm a work in progress. Um, she's right. Of course, over the years I have come deeply to appreciate the loyal opposition, the debate. It means a lot. It means we're moving our city forward. We're not going to agree on everything. There's no question. But we have to listen and make educated decisions. That's that's where I think the real progress is being made. Um and as I've said this before and you all know this. Um always try to find a way to get to yes. Can't always do that. Time doesn't permit it. Um the the the timing there's all kinds of external factors forcing us to make decisions at times that we don't want to make but we have to make. Um, and so, uh, I I I I do respect respect that the camaraderie, the camaraderie that we all feel for one another.

I mean, we all have people coming at us in a good way, in a bad way. Um, but I've been blessed to serve alongside intelligent, dedicated, caring people. Um, some I've debated, some I've disagreed with, some of them I've become very good friends with. I have been blessed to have such an amazing support team, my wife Helen, all the friends, the family. Uh, that's that's what makes us go. Um, and that's who permits us to keep going. Um, I've just been blessed with all that. Um, [clears throat] we all share the same goal. We all want to do the right thing for our community, for our neighborhood, for this city. Um, and uh, it's just sometimes we're just we're just not on the same page on how to get there. So, keep keep up the good work. Keep on debating, keep on listening. Uh, disagree. It's okay to disagree. It's not a bad thing. It's don't personalize it. That's where I think that's the only piece that we got to and I've tried my best to uh be cautious of. Um also Mr. Cameron mentioned this today and that is you know we have to get past and I have words here. I don't even know if I'm not even close but the um but it's on here and that is and that is we have to move past the issue is done. you move on to the next one and then the next one because there's always going to be a next one and we're always gonna fight and we're always going to disagree with one another. That's okay. Like I said, there's going to be another issue. There's going to be another battle, whatever you want to call it. But don't personalize and just move on. That's that's what I've learned over these

years. Um and and and I got to say over the last 38 years, I have people who have talked about me, about my family. they have threatened me threatened and I I forgive them um for all that throughout these years because I understand it comes out of passion. Um and even the recent ones it's it's all about the forgiveness. Uh there there's one thing um I've learned one thing that's extremely important and we're all a work in progress and I know I have said some things and done some things recently that I'm not proud of. Um and for that I ask you for your forgiveness not only to my colleagues here but to the administration to folks in the community. We all make mistakes and I'm doing my best because I'm a work in progress, too. Absolutely. I have always believed the people of Akran elected us to represent everyone that responsibility requires listening, learning, and making thoughtful decisions. There will always be the opposition, but we are tr entrusted with perspective, information, and judgment. And with that comes the responsibility to lead with integrity. On a personal note, um, and my mother and I always whenever I was growing up being raised, we always shared a lot of laughter. More and more fun than not. Much more fun for a for a spell. I lost a little bit of that, but I've gotten it back these last few years. And and you you all have supported me throughout that. And thank you for that. I really appreciate it. Thank you all for that. Thank you.

I've made a conscious choice to bring more positivity into my life, to choose laughter over anger and optimism over negativity. After 38 years, I leave not as a finished product, but as someone shaped by this experience, the city, and all of you. I'm better because of this work. And I'm better because of the people in this room, especially my wife, Helen, especially you. Thank you for that. I'm deep, deeply grateful. Deeply grateful. and I will carry this place and all of you with me always. Thank you. It's been an honor of a lifetime. Thank you. [applause] [applause]

[applause] [applause] Well, I'm just sitting up here. I'm saying, do we really have to vote on this tonight? But, [sighs] okay, I guess we do. So, let's see. I didn't lo right here, right? I just want to make sure. Give them an opportunity. Okay. All right. All right. So, the committee's report um is favorable. All in favor signify by saying I. I. Any oppose.

The eyes have it. This resolution passes 13 to zero. Item number two, offered by council member Wilson, resolution amending resolution number 373 2023 to implement rules 7.11, 7.12, and 7.13 of the rules of procedure for Akran city council and declaring an emergency. Councilman McKitrich. Uh the committee wishes time. Thank you. Time will be granted. Item number three offered by Lombardo, ordinance authorizing the mayor or his designate to enter into a contractor contracts with CHW adviserss to provide certain professional consulting and lobbying services and declaring an emergency. Councilman Lombardo.

Consent agenda, please. This item will be placed on the consent agenda.

Item number four, offered by KR. Resolution declaring it necessary to improve Abington Road between the termini of Triplet Boulevard and Wedgewood Road. North Cyberlink Street between the termini of Market Street and Bower Boulevard. Bower Boulevard between the termini of Cutler Parkway and Britain Road. Brighting Road between the termini of Batana Avenue and Independence Avenue. Verden Drive between the termini of Market Street and Mador Avenue. Goodyear Boulevard between the termini of Eastwood Avenue and East Land Avenue. Hillside Terrace between the termini of Eastwood Avenue and Eastland Avenue and Merit Lane between 80 feet east of Pine Brook Trail and 370 ft west of Stone Creek Trail and declaring an emergency. Councilman KR consent agenda.

This item will be placed on the consent agenda. Item number five offered by KR, ordinance authorizing the director of public service or his designate to enter into a contractor contracts after publicly advertising for bids for the construction and replacement of various sections of sidewalks throughout the city and declaring an emergency. Councilman KR consent agenda. This item will be placed on the consent agenda. Item number six offered by KR, ordinance authorizing the removal of designation as a through street for a portion of Dia Avenue from its intersection with Thorndale Drive and Warrington Road to its eastern terminus at its intersection with West Exchange Street and declaring an emergency. Councilman KR consent agenda.

This item will be placed on the consent agenda. Item number seven offered by KR, ordinance authorizing the director of public service or his design to enter into a contractor contracts without the formality of publicly advertising for bids with GPD Group Incorporated for the design and implementation of the Main Street Corridor phase 3 project and declaring an emergency. Councilman Kr, consent agenda. This item will be placed on the consent agenda. Item number eight offered by KR, ordinance ratifying the actions of the director of public service or his design in entering into a contractor contracts with a crano excavating incorporated without the formality of publicly advertising for bids for the emergency repair of a road median barrier and declaring an emergency. Councilman KR consent agenda.

This item will be placed on the consent agenda. Item number nine offered by KR, ordinance authorizing the mayor or his designate to if awarded accept and expend funds from the region 5 wetland program development grant program through the United States environmental protection agency to facilitate the Akran wetland mapping assessment research and strategic habitat plan and declaring an emergency. Councilman KR. Thank you, Madam President. Committee's report is favorable and we're asking for suspension of the rules.

Are there any objections to suspension of the rules? Seeing and hearing none, the rules have been suspended. Thank you, Madam President. This uh this will this legislation will allow the city to apply and accept a grant from the U. US EPA. This project will create Akan's first inventory and assessments of wetlands and resources within the municipality. That's it. Thank you. The rules have been suspended and the committee's report is favorable. All in favor signify by saying I. I.

Any oppose? The eyes have it. This ordinance passes 13 to zero. Item number 10 offered by KR. Ordinance authorizing the director of public service after publicly advertising for bids to enter into a contractor contracts for construction of the WRF secondary treatment process electrical improvements project and declaring an emergency. Councilman Kimer. Thank you, Madam President. Committee's report is favorable and we're asking for suspension of rules. Are there any objections to suspension of the rules? Seeing and hearing none, the rules have been suspended.

This will allow us to advertise and bid a project to replace existing switch gear and install a new transformer. Um, with that, we're asking for passage. Thank you. The rules have been suspended. The committee's report is favorable. All in favor signify by saying I. I. Any oppose? The eyes have it.

This ordinance passes 13 to zero. Item number 11 offered by KR, ordinance authorizing the mayor or his designate to apply for a water pollution control loan fund loan. Sign all documents for and enter into WPCLF agreements with the Ohio Ohio Ohio Environmental Protection Agency and Ohio Water Development Authority for the construction of the water reclamation facility secondary treatment process electrical improvements project and declaring an emergency. Councilman Kr. Thank you, Madam President. Committee's report is favorable and we're asking for a suspension of the rules. Are there any objections to suspension of the rules? Seeing and hearing none, the rules have been suspended.

Thank you. Uh, this legislation will allow us to apply for a loan and the term will be a 28-year and the match interest is 3.48%. With that, we're asking for passage. Thank you. The rules have been suspended and the committee's report is favorable. All in favor signify by saying I. I. I. Any oppose? The eyes have it. This ordinance passes 13 to zero. Item number 12 offered by Connor, ordinance authorizing the director of public service or his designate to enter into a contractor contracts after publicly advertising for bids for the resurfacing and refurbishment of basketball courts at Apprentice Park and declaring an emergency. Councilwoman Connor,

the committee's report is favorable and we're asking for suspension of the rules, please. Are there any objections to suspension of the rules? Seeing and hearing none, the rules have been suspended. Thank you. This will provide resurfacing and fencing around the new expanded basketball courts at Apprentice Park, part of the Akran Parks challenge. Thank you. The rules have been suspended. The committee's report is favorable. All in favor signify by saying I. I. Any oppose? The eyes have it.

This ordinance passes 13 to zero. Item number 13 offered by Connor. Ordinance authorizing the mayor or his designate to enter into a contractor contracts with Tom Todd Ideas Incorporated for a partnership with the city of Akran and the creative Akran summer program for 2026 and declaring an emergency. Councilwoman Connor committee's report is favorable. We're asking for suspension of the rules, please. Are there any objections to suspension of the rules? Seeing and hearing none, the rules have been suspended.

This is our summer program with Tom Todd for middle schoolers. It is now expanding to four parks this year. So, it will be at Firestone Park, uh, Patterson, Summit Lake, and Reservoir. Um, some are one week, some are 10day. Um, it varies, but the information will go out to all the middle school children. Thank you. The rules have been suspended and the committee's report is favorable. All in favor signify by saying I. I. Any oppose?

This ordinance passes 12 to one. Item number 14 offered by Councilman Mkhitrich, Councilman Balden, and Councilman Garrett. Resolution declaring April 2026 as Fair Housing Month and restating the city of Akran's commitment to furthering the goal of eliminating housing segregation and discrimination and declaring an emergency. Councilman Balden. Thank you, President. The committee's report is favorable. We ask for suspension of the rules. Are there any objections to suspension of the rules? Seeing and hearing none, the rules have been suspended.

Thank you, Madam President. National Fair Housing Month is observed every April across the United States. Commemorates the passage of the Fair Housing Act uh which was signed into law on April 11th, 1968, shortly after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King. uh this resolution uh something we've done yearly and I want to thank uh Jamie McMillan who was here with us and is here with us again tonight uh from the vice president of advocacy for the Akran Cleveland Association of Realtors uh who stated their commitment to this uh the fair housing and we are stating our commitment with the city of Akran uh to fair housing as for its passage. Thank you so much. Any additional comments at this time we have the sponsors council person Wilson.

Thank you so much and thank you for bringing this legislation in. And I mentioned this in committee, but I thought I'd bring it up again. Um I think it's so important here in the city of Akran, we have two opportunities to submit uh housing related issues to the city. Um one is through our housing um inspectors folks. So if folks are facing poor housing conditions and aren't able to get action on it, they can submit a housing complaint. Um and folks can just Google housing complaint city of Akran. And then we have the Akran Civil Rights Commission here in our city, which is a citizen-led body that processes complaints of discrimination in housing, employment, and public accommodations. Um, an awesome body that works a lot on housing issues. So, I wanted to bring those up and I hope that I would, if the sponsors would be willing, I'd love to motion for council as a whole.

Okay. Okay. So, we do have a motion on the floor. Is there a second? All in favor signify by saying I. I. Any oppose. The eyes have it. This resolution passes 13 to zero. That concludes our new legislation for this evening. We'll now move into our committee assignments. Rules. Councilman McKitrich. 2 p.m. Public safety. Councilman McKitrich. 2:15. Budget and finance. Councilman Lombardo. 3 p.m. Parks and Recreation. Councilwoman Connor. I'm going to say this one last time. Planning and economic development. Councilman Fusco, what? [laughter] Housing and neighborhood assistance. Councilman Balden

3:30. Public service. Councilman KRM Health and Social Services. Councilwoman Davis. Thank you. Is there anything else coming before council at this time? Seeing and hearing none, we have a motion on the floor. No objections. Meeting adjourned. This concludes the live broadcast of Akran City Council. Marggo Somerville, president of council, presiding.