Note to readers:

The following item is a written record of the Ward 4 meeting from April 28, compiled by Akron Documenter Christina Zink. 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 

  • Akron has balanced its 2026 budget, which Akron City Council approved in March. There are projected reductions due to a loss of funding from grants during the COVID-19 era and other federal funding streams. The most expensive part of the budget is labor and employment expenses, and the largest income stream is tax revenue and assessments. 
  • Akron is currently managing a $1.35 billion debt, mainly due to sewer system upgrades, which represent 61 percent of the city’s outstanding debt obligations.

Documenter follow-up questions

  • Are funding losses limited to COVID-era grants, or are there additional losses in federal funding streams? If so, are the losses permanent?
  • How else can Akron generate additional revenue without sacrificing quality of life for its residents?

Meeting start 

Ward 4 includes Akron’s West Akron neighborhood and part of its Wallhaven neighborhood. It is represented by City Council Member Jan Davis. For more information about the ward, click here. Ward meetings are often informal events intended to provide the community with information and provide citizens with a chance to voice concerns.

Davis began the meeting at 6:03 p.m. by telling attendees that council recently appointed Mark Greer to fill the vacancy left when At-Large Council Member Jeff Fusco retired. 

Davis then introduced Lisa Mansfield, who is the main organizer of the Senior Summit event held on May 6.

Mansfield said the goal was to provide seniors with the resources they need to age in place and stay active in their communities.

City of Akron budget discussion

Davis introduced Steve Fricker, director of finance for the City of Akron, and Mike Wheeler, deputy director of finance, to discuss Akron’s 2026 budget. There was a PowerPoint presentation. Fricker said the budget has been balanced and that the main goals moving forward are to reevaluate expenditures to better align with expected revenue streams. This is especially important due to the loss of ARPA funding, which is COVID-era funding provided by the federal government to states.

Fricker provided the following information about the 2026 operating budget:

  • The operating budget is $785 million, which is a $13.8 million reduction from last year’s budget.
  • The amount represents about 200 different budgets for different categories of expenditures the city is responsible for.
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City to leave non-critical positions unfilled

  • There are 1,983 full-time positions budgeted for 2026.
  • Approximately 85 to 100 positions are vacant at any given time.
  • Moving forward, vacant positions will not be filled unless demonstrated to be mission-critical for city operations (this does not apply to sworn police and fire positions).
  • The result is that 34 positions will be eliminated through attrition, which will save approximately $3.5 million in wages and expenses.

Average base wage for city employees is $77,717

  • The average base wage for an Akron employee is $77,717, and the average total cost, including health insurance, is $120,893. Total labor costs are over $260 million. 
  • Recent contract negotiations for police, fire and the Civil Service Personnel Association Union (CSPA) have increased compensation by 4.5% for 2026. $9.7 million is being withdrawn from the police, fire and roads budgets to cover the increases, which will leave a remaining balance of $13.4 million. 
  • Current staffing levels include 455 police officers and 378 firefighters as well as 31 police cadets currently in training, another 25 police cadets planned for November 2026 and five lateral police transfers.
  • Overtime for safety forces is being adjusted to pre-pandemic levels.

Akron budget sets aside money for new initiatives

These include:

  • Speed cameras in school zones.
  • Selling Akron-owned parking facilities or hiring a third-party management company for them.
  • Transitioning to form-based zoning, which will replace legacy code to attract businesses and investment with a clearer framework.
  • Contract review, which includes reviewing all city contracts to determine where best to bring work in-house and eliminate unnecessary services.

Reserve funds are currently at $30 million, cash on hand is currently estimated at 40 to 50 days, and the city’s bond rating is A+.

Other community investments include:

The total for all these initiatives is $2.9 million, with most of it going to small business assistance and the use-of-force report’s implementation. 

Akron debt tops $1.35 billion

Fricker’s PowerPoint presentation showed that Akron is $1.35 billion in debt, with 61 percent of it due to sewer system improvements. Other debts include income tax debt, the building of schools and updates to the water system.

Go deeper: Read our full explainer on how Akron decides to demolish derelict houses.

Ward 4 residents raise concerns about public safety, vacant buildings

  • There were concerns that overtime reductions in police and fire would cause safety issues in the city. Fricker said planned overtime reductions would affect police presence at events and people replacing others who are on leave.
  • There was much discussion about vacant buildings. Residents asked if there was a plan for Akron to sell or use its vacant properties. Fricker and Davis said there are plans in the works for some of the buildings. There was also discussion about existing housing units that are nearing completion. Davis also talked about efforts to revitalize the community. She said, “Akron is on its way back — I can feel it in my bones.”

Akron Police Officer Aaron Brown provided some information to residents about how to stay safe, as well as information for anyone interested in becoming a police officer for the City of Akron.

Davis ended the meeting at 7:28 p.m. by wishing everyone a good night.

🗓️ New events calendar! From block parties to concerts and kids’ activities, find fun around Akron and Summit County all year long. Dive into the calendar and start planning.

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.