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 [email protected] 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.
Suggested Reading
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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