Following-up on a promise he made in his State of the City address in 2005, Mayor Don Plusquellic today joined with Summit County Executive James B. McCarthy and County Fiscal Officer John Donofrio in announcing the consolidation of weights and measures inspections.

"It makes sense.  My inspectors going from, say, Springfield to Copley already have to drive through Akron," said Donofrio.  "This simplifies the oversight we have of devices for weighing, metering, pricing and measuring."

Pending approval by Akron City Council and Summit County Council, the City's Division of Weights and Measures will be phased out, and a new contractual agreement with Summit County will shift all inspection work to the county government, through Donofrio's office.

"Jim and I agree there is no reason to continue to duplicate the functions of a weights and measures operation in the city and the county," said Plusquellic.   "Under John Donofrio, this entire procedure will now be more efficient and economical for citizens."

He added, "We have been able to collaborate in many areas including training of law enforcement, communications, a jointly-developed reverse 9-1-1 system, recruiting businesses in Europe and China, and now with what is a basic consumer service we perform in weights and measures."            

To evaluate possible areas of collaboration, both Plusquellic and McCarthy separately appointed groups of knowledgeable managers from each of their staffs to examine every service the city and the county provide to see if there is the possibility to streamline more operations.

The weights and measures inspections ensure equity in all commercial transactions that involve the determination of quantity, the delivery of correct weight, the elimination of fraud and the enforcement of laws relative to weights and measures.

What's tested:

• Gasoline pumps for volume and for octane content
• Small scales in supermarkets and other retail establishments
• Prescription balances in drug stores and hospitals
• Scales for weighing trucks
• Scales for asphalt/concrete plants
• Tank truck metering devices on home heating oil delivery trucks
• Non-commercial weighting and measuring devices upon request
• Scanning devices

Weights and Measures inspectors also examine prepackaged goods for proper labeling and correct weight; they inspect dairies for correct volume for milk and juices and enforce license requirements for scales and gas pumps. 

The City of Akron has been planning this consolidation for several years and subsequently has allowed the natural attrition process to reduce the weights and measures staff to one person, who will now be reassigned to another department within the municipal government.