"For years now, we have been hearing from our citizens that we should provide them with collection of recyclables every week," said Manager of Public Works, Paul Barnett. "It really does make more sense and eliminates any possible confusion in scheduling."

The City is also seeking to keep up with rising costs in other areas and is going to Akron City Council with requests for increases in building permit fees, downtown parking and special assessments.

For several years, the public service department has been working with the private sector and a consultant on delivering more to its customers, and many of those customers have agreed that they would willingly spend more for these improvements in service.

Deputy Service Director Jeff Fusco has been working on the plan from the beginning, and said today, "Contractors, builders and others who regularly apply for plans and permits have told us they wanted to see us give them more in the way of convenience and service. And they said they would be amenable to paying more. This would be our first increase in these fees in eight years." Fusco added that the cost for so-called nuisance complaints would also go up. This would apply to calls on, for example, junked cars, and unkempt lawns and property.

In early 2005, the service department plans to begin offering an on-line permit application process that will include an option to pay on line as well. Director of Public Service, Jerry Holland said of the idea, "While our fees will increase because of this, it really affords our customers so much more convenience, many of them might actually save in the long run."

With the on-line process, customers of the plans and permits office will often not have to make a trip downtown. And, if they do, the City is also planning to provide free parking for them.

For those who pay to park, rates may rise by roughly 16 percent at City-owned lots and decks. Not since 1997 have parking rates increased across the board downtown.

Akron’s Director of Finance, Diane Miller-Dawson, said that special assessments for street resurfacing are also likely to increase, but calls all of the proposed increases absolutely necessary now.

"Almost without exception," said Miller-Dawson, "we find ourselves behind other similarly-sized cities in what we, as residents, pay for these services. Our studies indicate a need not only to keep up with the cost of providing these services to our citizens, but a need to be on a par with other medium-sized cities in Ohio."

The City is requesting the increases at this time for the most accurate preparation of its budget for the coming year.