In May 2018, the topic of an update to the urban ag ordinance in Akron made news, specifically in regards to the proposed fee increase to beekeepers. Fortunately, the Akron City Council recognized the concerns of stakeholders and withdrew the proposed ordinance. A social media post shared “We’ll be listening to input of stakeholders to develop legislation that meet the needs of our neighborhoods while allowing for effective management of the city’s animal control code.” So, what has been happening since May?
Akron City Co
uncil asked the Summit Food Coalition to coordinate meetings with agricultural stakeholders within Akron and Summit County to discuss the current ordinance and submit drafted suggestions by the end of 2018 for their review. Since May, there were three stakeholder brainstorming sessions which helped address what the com
munity wanted to see in the new urban ordinance. In late July and August, there were three research sessions focused on specific sections of the ordinance (Urban farms, soil testing, and water; Process & definitions; Beekeeping and Chickens). Summit County Farm Bureau, Ohio State Extension, Countryside Conservancy, Let’s Grow Akron, and many other groups have participated with Summit Food Coalition in these meetings. The input from the brainstorming sessions was considered alongside the materials at the research sessions and used to draft revisions to offer to the Akron City Council.
Work is not yet completed, though, as several of the topics require further investigation and research. There are several urban ag ordinances available from other cities that can be used for inspiration but the documents are long and it takes time to re-word an ordinance to fit the needs and wants of Summit County and Akron agriculture stakeholders. Volunteers are needed to help with this research and drafting. If that is of interest to you, can you please contact Beth Knorr of Summit Food Coalition at summitfpc@gmail.com or Lindsay Shoup of Summit County Farm Bureau at summit@ofbf.org?