Akron Begins Budget Process, Updates Cybersecurity Plans

Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan has given his 2019 operating budget proposal to city council, estimated at $168 million, propped up in part by a quarter percent income tax increase approved by voters in 2017.

"Voters overwhelmingly supported Issue 4 and we've been putting those monies back into the promises of the campaign which was police, fire and roads, and that's scheduled to do that this year," said Horrigan.

He says the income tax increase was necessary due to state cuts to local government funding starting in 2010.

"It was a prelude to going back to the voters just a year and a half ago about raising our local income tax to be able to fix some of that infrastructure and invest in our men and women in uniform and to do some things differently economic development-wise," Horrigan said.

He adds that the cut to funding also reflects the trend of the city continuing to losing employees. Akron currently has an estimated 1800 city workers, nearly half the number employed in the 1980s, according to Horrigan.

The mayor says the city is almost back to full functionality after a recent cyber attack to municipal computer systems, with just a few computers affected by malware still being cleaned. It's unclear how cybersecurity concerns will affect the budget.

"We don't have a final plan yet just because it really has been only maybe four or five weeks ago, and what is the best path forward?" Horrigan said. "How many other partners do we have out there to be able to share some of those resources?"

The city says a vote on the budget from city council is expected in the next two weeks. Horrigan says he'd like to have more time for the budget process in the future.

"Eventually yes, I would like to move that process back a little bit, or a little bit earlier in the year," Horrigan said. "But as we were moving through it this time, it's just where it fell. But there's still plenty of time to look at the budget, have the hearings and still be able to pass it by the end of March."

Budget hearings are expected before city council this week.