The "Akron Plan for the 21st Century," was introduced by Plusquellic in his State of the City message -- a proposal to lease Akron’s sewer system to outside investors to fund an endowment that would finance the scholarship program.

Mayor Plusquellic appointed long-time community leader Louise Gissendaner as chair of the Akron Plan Advisory Group. Gissendaner is president of the Cincinnati-based Fifth Third Bank Company’s Akron market area and director of community development of the Northeastern Ohio segment. She is also a member of the Akron Planning Commission.

"The role of the advisory group will be to assist the city in finding the proper balance between ratepayer protection and maximized value in the transaction," said Plusquellic. "We can do both: set a new course for the future of Akron’s young people and protect the customers of our sewer system. These are not mutually exclusive goals."

Plusquellic said that the group, consisting of individuals who have finance, legal, and technical backgrounds will protect ratepayers by assisting the city in adopting specifications when it markets its proposal. Issues such as rate stability, system maintenance, and environmental concerns will be addressed when the system is operated by private sector investors.

Previously, Plusquellic has assured members of the AFSCME union that represents Akron utility workers that the proposal will not cause the loss of a single job, provided they work with the City to make a successful transition in operations.

"We will keep some control over future rates, environmental issues, and service levels Before we do anything final, we will have public meetings, and of course, city council will need to approve any final plan," said the Mayor. 

Kalamazoo, Michigan established the Kalamazoo Promise, funded through the generosity of wealthy private citizens wishing to bolster higher education. The program promises students an opportunity of a higher education degree if they first complete high school as a resident of the city.

The Akron Plan would be a so-called last-dollar scholarship, meaning that students must apply for all available aid first. It would also include the prospect for students to obtain certification from an Akron trade school.

Plusquellic will appoint a second advisory group at a later time to recommend how a city-wide scholarship program would be defined and implemented.

"A high school education is no longer enough to succeed in a competitive, global market place," said Mayor Plusquellic. "This would be the kind of transformation that could re-shape Akron for the rest of this century. We've invested in our school buildings, so I say let's invest in our students."

The work of the advisory group will be coordinated by the city’s Public Service Director Richard Merolla, who has supervisory authority over public utilities under the city charter, along with Finance Director Diane Miller-Dawson and other City of Akron personnel.

Members of the Mayor’s Advisory Group on Lease of the Sewer System include:

• Mark Clark, First Energy Corp, executive vice president, strategic planning & operations
• Bill Considine, president, Akron Children’s Hospital
• Mark Goldfarb CPA for Saltz, Shamis and Goldfarb Accounting
• Steve Kasarnich, Carpenter’s Union
• Louise Gissendaner, Fifth Third Bank
• Holli Mallak, resident and member of West Hill Neighborhood Organization
• Malcolm Costa, president and CEO, Community Action Council of Summit County
• John Frank, retired, former Akron City Council representative
• Roy Ray, retired, former mayor of Akron
• Henry Johnson, owner of Henry’s Acme,
• Ilene Shapiro, Summit County Council,
• Robert Otterman, senior advisor for Summit County government