Akron Reporter

Akron, Ohio,  — On Jan. 22, Akron Mayor Shammas Malik will present his proposed 2024 capital budget to Akron City Council. The proposed budget features $360.8 million of investments into our city’s infrastructure.  The 2024 capital budget reflects the needs of the community with a focus on public safety, city services, fiscal responsibility, and more. View the full proposed budget here.  

“I’m proud to present the proposed 2024 capital budget to Akron City Council,” said Mayor Malik. “It was important to me that we present a budget that is fiscally responsible, and today’s proposed budget has the lowest amount of general obligation debt since 2018. We are also investing in the largest areas of need in our community. We have increased funding in some places including the sidewalk program, addressing speeding in our neighborhoods, community development corporation support, the body-worn camera program and building improvements for Akron Police. We’ve also realigned the resurfacing program to get caught up on the carryover and get us back on track for 2025. I look forward to hearing feedback from both our councilmembers and our residents on this proposed budget.”   

While the City’s operating budget, which will be passed by City Council before the end of March, outlines spending on City services and operating expenses, the capital budget outlines investments in the City’s physical infrastructure.    

The budget includes $197.4 million in state funding and $62.3 million in federal monies.  Local funds of $91.8 million include $18 million expected to be generated this year by the Safety and Streets income tax. These Safety and Streets funds are used exclusively to invest in improvements to police, fire, and roadways in Akron. A full 2024 Safety and Streets budget is available here.  

2024 Proposed Capital Budget Highlights: 

Investing in Public Safety

• Allocating $1 million to replace 25 cruisers for Akron Police and $950,000 for a new fire engine truck.    
• Increasing the body worn camera program by $130,500, bringing the total investment to $375,000 for the year. This increase will cover approximately 37 new body-worn cameras for the SWAT team and SNUD unit, as well as a new docking station. 
• Addressing work environment in the Stubbs Justice Center with a number of building improvements at a cost of $220,000, including relocating and expanding the APD gym. 

Addressing Speeding in Our Neighborhoods 

• Speeding is a critical issue for many of our residents. With that in mind, we have increased the 2024 budget for traffic calming devices from $200,000 to $500,000.  
• This funding will cover piloting permanent speed tables, electronic signage, and other interventions to curb speeding.  

Realigning the Resurfacing Program 

• In 2024, Akron will be resurfacing a total of 70 centerline miles of pavement including 50 carryover miles from the 2023 resurfacing program. By focusing primarily on the carryover work, we will be able to get the program caught up and start 2025 fresh with a full program completed on an efficient, annual basis. Additionally, this will allow the city to prioritize other street projects this year and help lower general obligation debt.   

Prioritizing Fiscal Responsibility 

• As a result of savings in the resurfacing program and other areas, the proposed budget includes $11.7 million in general obligation debt, the lowest number budgeted for debt since 2018, down from over $26 million budgeted in 2023.  

Expanding Sidewalk Program  

• We have allocated $1 million to the city’s sidewalk program to help get us caught up on the backlog of requests. This allocation is the highest for this program in over 10 years. 

Continuing Work on Water & Sewer Projects  

• The Northside Interceptor Tunnel Project is continuing with some major milestones in 2024. The city will complete excavations necessary for the structures for the construction including the beginning and ending shafts for the tunnel boring machine. The machine is currently being built and is expected to arrive in the fall to begin work in 2025.   
• We will complete installation of the new smart water meters this year and implement the new billing system which will improve the functionality of the entire water system.   

Rebuilding Our Community Centers  

• We are committed to existing plans to renovate and rebuild our community centers. In 2024, design and construction will begin on Reservoir Park Community Center and design of the renovated pool at Reservoir Park, as well as continued construction at Patterson Park Community Center.  
• In addition, we’ve added a $300,000 line item in the capital budget for emergency repairs or improvements for our community centers, on an as-needed basis.   

Investing in Recreation and Parks  

• This budget includes a dedicated $300,000 line item for Akron Parks, as well as a commitment to the Akron Parks Challenge.  
• Our administration is also committed to building a splash pad at Elizabeth Park to continue adding water recreation across the city for Akron’s youth.    

Elevating Housing and Community Services 

• We’ve added a $150,000 line item to explore a pilot program for the construction of tiny homes in our community to benefit our residents who are unhoused.   
• We increased support for our community development corporations from $300,000 to $500,000.  

Council will get two presentations on the budget. Today’s presentation will cover transportation, public facilities, housing and community services, economic development, and miscellaneous items. Next Monday, January 29, the presentation will cover recreation and parks, water, and sewer. 

Residents can get involved by reaching out to their Councilperson to offer feedback, comments, suggestions, and more. To find your representative, visit City Council’s website here.  You can also offer feedback directly to Mayor Malik by visiting the city's Engage page here. 

Original source can be found here.