Akron Voters Pass Housing Charter Amendments on Application Fees, Deposits and Fair Housing
Akron voters approved three charter amendments on November 3, including two housing measures. Issue 11 passed with 57.8 percent of the vote, eliminating rental application fees and requiring landlords to offer security deposits in three or six installments. Issue 12 passed narrowly with 50.9 percent, adding criminal history and source of income to the city's protected classes in housing, with exceptions for sex and arson offenses, and giving the Akron Civil Rights Commission jurisdiction over housing discrimination complaints.
Issue 13, which passed with 57.7 percent, strengthens the city's citizen police review board. The City Council must now enact implementing legislation within 90 days.
The measures were placed on the ballot by the Freedom BLOC through a signature drive. Mayor Shammas Malik had opposed writing the detailed rules into the charter but said after the vote that he would work with the council on workable rules. Results are unofficial pending certification. (Source: Summit County Board of Elections)
Source: Summit County Board of Elections
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 俄亥俄州阿克伦市中心（Downtown Akron, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons） / Downtown Akron, Ohio (CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)
