Note to readers:

The following item is a written record of the Ward 9 Akron City Council Meeting meeting from Feb. 3, 2026, compiled by Akron Documenter Wittman Sullivan. It is not a reported story.

Documenters are residents who are trained to observe and document local government meetings. Their notes are edited before publication for clarity and accuracy — unless quotation marks are used, all text is paraphrased.

If you believe anything in these notes is inaccurate, please email us at documenters@signalakron.org with "Correction Request" in the subject line.

Summary

  • City of Akron Urban Planner Kurt Mulhauser gave an overview of housing in Akron. He said maintenance of existing affordable housing and new housing construction comes with cost challenges. The city is taking steps, including low-interest loans and the 15-year tax abatement, to help. 
  • Representatives from Unify Akron introduced the locally focused civic assembly. They asked people to submit their ideas about housing by Friday, sign up to serve on the 65-member delegation, and volunteer throughout the process. 
  • Better Kenmore Executive Director Eleni Manousogiannakis said the agency is renovating a property with a mix of commercial and residential uses on Kenmore Boulevard. 

Documenter’s Follow-Up Question

  • Why doesn’t the city plow snow curb to curb?

Feb. 3 Ward 9 meeting  

  • Ward 9 Akron City Council Member Tina Boyes started the meeting at 6:29 p.m.
    • She said they held a ward retirement party for Kenmore Komics owner John Buntin Jr. in January. 
    • She said most of Kenmore is now plowed after the city gets to Kenmore’s mostly residential streets. Crews were out on 12-hour shifts until the weekend, and she visited the snow and ice command center, where screens show live plow tracking, traffic cameras, weather reports and 311 requests.
    • Akron Public Schools (APS) will have the Miller South and Pfeiffer building groundbreaking on March 19.
    • Keep Akron Beautiful will host a Kenmore neighborhood cleanup at Prentiss Park on April 25 from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. for Clean Up Akron Month.

Community questions trash and snow plowing methods

  • A community member said she has a neighbor who doesn’t pick up their trash and lets it blow onto neighbors’ properties.
    • Boyes asked for the address. She said the city can fine them and then take their trash cans, but she worries that removing cans will only worsen the issue.
  • A community member asked when the streets will be plowed curb to curb.
    • Boyes said city staff did a phenomenal job, but illegally parked vehicles prevented curb-to-curb plowing. 
    • Another community member said East Avenue hasn’t been cleared curb to curb, which is “unreasonable.”
    • Boyes said the city is not doing full plow shifts this week.

Akron Police Department shares report on stolen guns

  • An APD officer said six guns were stolen out of vehicles in January, and three were stolen at night from unlocked vehicles at Castle Homes. He said guns shouldn’t be stored in vehicles and they should be locked. He said anything left in cars will likely be stolen.
  • A community member asked if the city fines for guns found in cars.
  • The officer said they do not fine for guns stored in cars, but lawmakers could change that. 

Urban planner says housing is affordable in Akron but comes with challenges

A history on housing in Akron

  • City of Akron Urban Planner Kurt Mulhauser said Akron has 97,000 housing units and is the second-most affordable city in the country. He said his friends on the West Coast are surprised that a nice home can be bought in Akron for $150,000.
  • He said Akron’s housing units were mostly built between 1920 and 1950. Few homes were built between 2000 and 2015, but the past decade has seen a housing construction increase.
  • Recent citywide housing projects include The Residences at Good Park in West Akron, Riverwood in the Merriman Valley, and The Heritage at White Pond in Wallhaven.
Signal background

Tax abatement is helping with new builds

  • He said a citywide 15-year tax abatement has increased housing repair and construction, helping to build approximately 250 units and renovate 250 others. This abatement freezes property taxes for 15 years, which is great for empty lots since homeowners will not have to pay for increased property taxes due to improvements. 
  • Federal funding cuts have reduced housing rehabilitation funding. The city used to do code enforcement in targeted areas where they would pay to bring homes up to code, but with $6 million in annual federal funding, the program is limited. 
  • He said low housing prices result in out-of-state buyers purchasing rental properties with cash and failing to maintain them for cost reasons. The city is trying to use low-interest loans to incentivize home stewardship. 
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Kenmore neighborhood struggles to get banks to build homes

  • Mulhauser said Kenmore reflects the city’s averages in housing, with approximately the same average housing prices and homeownership rates.

    Kenmore’s main struggle, he said, is getting homes built on small vacant lots since banks refuse to finance home construction that may cost $200,000 on a street with $100,000 homes.
  • He said the city is creating ready-to-build plans for homes on the smaller lots present in Kenmore that will emulate older Akron home designs meant for 40-foot lots. 

Unify Akron aims to improve community engagement

  • David Swirsky from Unify Akron said he used to help Boyes with social media, the newsletter and First Fridays and he wants to bring community engagement to the city.
  • He said Unify Akron (UAk) is part of Unify America, which started in Montrose, Colorado, to help find collaborative local solutions instead of political infighting. After meeting with over 300 stakeholders, UAk decided that housing was the most important priority.
  • The mayor’s office and Akron City Council have unanimously approved a memorandum of understanding to collaborate on housing solutions. 

UAk will work with 65 delegates

  • Theresa Augustin said “your ideas matter” to UAk’s democratic and participatory model. She said researchers from the University of Akron will work with 65 randomly selected delegates who represent the geography and demographics of Akron — they will look at housing and policy solutions.
    • She said teams will organize UAk, including an outreach team and an accountability team.
    • People can submit their ideas by Friday, Feb. 6, for review.
    • People can sign up to join the civic assembly lottery, which will pay a $1,000 stipend. It will meet on Thursdays and Saturdays — food, transportation and child care will be provided.
    • They plan to have three civic assemblies over the next three years.
  • A community member asked if journalists are covering UAk.
    • Swirsky said the Akron Beacon Journal and Signal Akron have.
    • Boyes said this information will be shared on her Facebook page.

Ward updates range from Kenmore renovations to downed tree concerns

  • Better Kenmore Executive Director Eleni Manousogiannakis said they are renovating a property that will include two two-bedroom second-floor apartments on Kenmore Boulevard. The ground floor will include active retail space in line with the 2019 community vision plan.
  • A community member asked if it’s possible to clear Mud Run’s downed trees to prevent flooding.
    • Boyes said she will look into it.
  • A city staffer said the city does $30,000 lead abatements for people who are unable to renovate their homes. They also do home repairs for elderly residents.
    • A community member asked if you still need to have a child under 6 in order to qualify for lead abatement.
    • The staffer said you do as per Federal Housing and Urban Development guidelines. 
    • Mulhauser said to call 311 for city questions and 211 for county questions.

School updates scheduled for next Ward 9 meeting

  • APS Superintendent Mary Outley will be at the March 3 Ward 9 meeting to talk about the new campus project.
    • Boyes said Pfeiffer’s mascot will change from the pirates to the cardinals to honor the former Kenmore High School.
  • The meeting ended at 7:39 p.m. 

Akron Documenters trains and pays residents to document local government meetings with notes and live-tweet threads. We then make those meeting summaries available as a new public record.