Akron officials will form a special committee to modify an old city procedure that allows the mayor to approve some high-priced contracts without council’s approval.
The provision, known as Section 56, caused controversy earlier this year when it was discovered during the city’s budget hearings.
The decades-old provision allows the mayor to authorize certain “consulting” or “professional” contracts over $50,000 without council’s approval. It supersedes a line in the municipal code that requires all contracts in excess of $50,000 to go before council.
Last year, Mayor Dan Horrigan approved 173 such contacts for a total of more than $30 million — all without council’s approval.
Councilmember Shammas Malik, who won the Democratic primary and is the city’s presumptive next mayor due to no Republican or independent candidates running in the general election in November, supports modifying Section 56. He previously called it a “loophole” that allows the mayor to “pick and choose” which contracts to bring before council.
“We all need to come to some kind of consensus around the future process by which these contracts have been entered into,” Malik said during council’s budget and finance committee meeting Monday. “I look forward to participating in these discussions.”
Council unanimously passed a resolution to create the committee Monday night. The group will be made up of councilmembers and representatives from the mayor’s office, according to the legislation.
They will review possible changes to the language of the provision and report back findings to the full body of council.
During budget hearings in March, opposition to Section 56 was so staunch that five councilmembers – Malik, Linda Omobien, Tara Mosley, Nancy Holland and Russ Neal - refused to approve the city’s budget unless the provision was revised or removed entirely.
At that time, Akron finance director Steve Fricker agreed that Section 56 should be revised. He and other officials committed to bringing all contracts above $50,000 to council for approval in the meantime.
“I think we’ve reviewed several of them today and in previous weeks, and I think there’s been some benefit to that,” Malik said during Monday’s council meeting.
Akron seeking federal funds for electric vehicle charging stations
Council also unanimously approved a resolution permitting officials to apply for $7 million in federal funds to help construct more electric vehicle charging stations across the city.
The goal is for all Akron residents to eventually be within a 10-minute walk of a basic EV charging station, and a ten-minute drive from high-voltage, fast-charging ones, said Emily Collins, strategic adviser to Mayor Dan Horrigan.
The grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation would ultimately help the city cut down on greenhouse gas emissions, she said.
“Community emissions from the transportation sector is currently, without a doubt, Akron’s largest contribution to greenhouse gas emissions,” Collins said. “This proposal will assist us in transitioning away from that contribution.”
The city currently has about 20 EV charging stations and hopes to install 130 using the grant, Collins added.
Some of those charging stations are not considered publicly accessible because they are owned by private businesses, and people must patronize the business in order to use them, she said.
“Some of them, for example, are at the hotels, and you’re expected to be someone who’s staying at the hotel to be able to use them,” Collins said.
The city recently wrapped up a 50-person EV planning task force, which issued recommendations to increase the number of public electric charging stations and introduce an affordable EV car share service in Akron.
The city received four “robust” applications for its request for proposals for a company to install the EV infrastructure, Collins added. Whomever is chosen would be responsible for the work proposed in the federal grant application.
Council to approve funding for Sojourner Truth Plaza, John Brown House
Council also plans to approve spending $250,000 over a two-year period to support the ongoing construction of the Sojourner Truth Plaza, which will be completed in front of the United Way Building on N. High Street. The memorial broke ground last summer and will commemorate Truth’s famous “Ain’t I A Woman” speech, which took place in Akron.
The proposal was added to council’s consent agenda for its next meeting and is expected to be approved next week.
During its regular meeting Monday night, council approved spending $100,000 for financial assistance to the Summit County Historical Society, which will be used for improvements to the John Brown House museum. They plan to repair a barn on the property and construct new steps on the home’s front porch.
