06/28/2011
Housekeeping keeps Council busy
Council passed a plethora of resolutions and ordinances relating to road repairs, sewer easements, property sales and grant applications at Monday's meeting. The two ordinances on the agenda that have garnered the most interest were the ordinances aimed at restricting roadside panhandling and placing new regulations on taxi cabs. The former was referred for further discussion, and the latter was passed. The new taxi cab ordinance defines a taxi as any vehicle engaged in the business of carrying passengers either for hire or for tips and requires all drivers to register and adhere to the revised taxi cab regulations. The meeting can be seen on Vimeo, a video sharing website.
06/24/2011
Expungement Program gets new phone number
Akron's Criminal Expungement Program now has a new direct phone number: 330-972-7462. 804 applicants have been screened for the program to date and 131 were eligible to have their criminal records expunged, according to Aviva Wilcher, program director. 40 applications have been filed, and records have already been sealed for 15 applicants. Eight more hearings are scheduled next month. To be eligible for the Expungement program, applicants must be first-time non-violent offenders.
06/21/2011
Council to address streetside panhandlers
City Council referred new legislation to discussion at next Monday's Public Safety Committee meeting and the regular Council meeting that would limit where panhandlers can approach motorists for money using spoken, written or printed words. Watch Council in action to hear the discussion, which occurs toward the end of the meeting.
06/15/2011
Public Utilities Committee changes meeting time
Akron's ordinance regulating taxi cab service will be the chief topic of discussion at the Public Utilities Committee meeting Monday, June 20. To accommodate interested parties, the committee meeting time has been changed to 4 p.m. The meeting will be in Council Chambers. Citizens who wish to be heard at a committee meeting are asked to contact the committee chairperson prior to the meeting or notify the Clerk of Council in writing that they wish to address the committee.
06/14/2011
Council meeting, Monday, June 13
City Council approved funding for summer outdoor activities including concerts at the Akron Art Museum and concerts in the parks by the Akron Symphony Orchestra. Watch the meeting on Vimeo:
06/10/2011
City Council News to be published Saturday in Beacon Journal
See the Saturday, June 11 Akron Beacon Journal for the new edition of City Council News. Stories include the status of critical CDBG grant funding, the PERF report recommendations for Akron's police department and a profile of new Ward 8 Councilman Phil Montgomery. The newest edition of the newsletter also can be downloaded by scrolling down to the bottom of this page and clicking on the newsletter image.
05/24/2011
Council approves application for HUD grant; Council meeting can be seen online
Council passed legislation at its May 16 meeting that authorizes the city to apply for a $2 million Healthy Homes Production Program grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
05/12/2011
See City Council in action!
It's only in the experimental stage, but City Council meetings may soon be coming to Vimeo on a regular basis.
05/11/2011
President, new police chief win Council praise
The May 2 City Council meeting began with Council President Marco Sommerville offering congratulations to President Barack Obama for bringing closure to the September 11 tragedy and ended with Council welcoming Akron's new police chief. "For all Americans, I want to congratulate the President for what he did," Sommerville said, referring to the military operation in Paksitan during which Osama bin Laden was killed. At the end of the meeting, Sommerville introduced James Nice, Akron's new police chief, and pledged Council support. "We will stand behind you 100 percent. Welcome home. We are glad to have you back and look forward to working with you," Sommerville said. Nice is a former FBI agent who grew up in Kenmore.
