AKRON, OH — Akron officials say the city cannot accept a fact finder’s recommendations in ongoing contract negotiations with the police union without imperiling its finances.
The council majority’s vote came after Akron Mayor Shammas Malik told them the city cannot currently afford the requested wage increases and health insurance cost contributions. The fact finder also rejected proposals the city said would have helped the police chief improve department operations, the mayor’s office said in a May 20 news release.