Delegate Process Questions
Akron Civic Solutions Assembly From Session #1: Orientation · March 14, 2026
Where the Proposals Came From
Who developed the 12 proposals?
A Solutions Team of 18 local people — people who work on housing every day, from many different angles — reviewed more than 165 ideas gathered from the community. They checked which ones the city could actually act on, refined the strongest ones, and scored them together based on these criteria. The 12 before you are the ones they felt needed the deepest community discussion.
The full list of 165 ideas and how they were narrowed down will be made public. You'll also see a summary of "quick wins" and things the city is already working on.
What briefing materials will we receive?
You can find them here. Every brief covers both the benefits and the trade-offs of each proposal. The Solutions Team reviewed drafts for accuracy and balance. If you ever feel something is missing or one-sided, write it in your Delegate Record. That feedback is critical.
What happened to the ideas that didn't make the final 12?
They're not gone. The full list, and how it was narrowed will be shared publicly. The 12 before you needed the deepest discussion to be considered for implementation, but the other ideas are still on the table for future stages.
Bringing New Ideas
Are we limited to the 12 proposals?
No. There will be a vote on those 12. But your Delegate Record has a section just for new ideas. If your discussion sparks something the proposals don't cover, write it down. You’ll share new ideas every session.
On the final day, the full Assembly will discuss those ideas together. That kicks off the next stage of the process, where they'll get more research and development. No hard deadline — keep writing ideas as they come to you.
Will new ideas from small groups get shared with everyone?
Yes. New ideas from your Delegate Records will be pulled together and shared with the full Assembly on the final day.
What if the proposals don't go far enough?
Please say so. That's exactly the kind of judgment this Assembly exists to make. Your written guidance can include ways to strengthen a proposal. If you think something needs to be bolder, write it down.
What if the Assembly recommends something the city is already doing?
Some of your new ideas may be something City if already doing. That’s a good outcome. It tells the city that a real cross-section of residents supports that direction — after careful, informed discussion. That kind of backing matters.
Schedule and Sessions
How is time structured across 10 weeks?
Thursday evenings (6–8 PM) are focused sessions, usually covering one or two proposals. Saturdays are full days covering five proposals, about 60 minutes each, with breaks. Between some sessions, you'll do short online ratings from home (about 15–20 minutes).
Your first round of discussion on proposals 1–6 wraps up by March 28. Your first round on proposals 7–12 wraps up by April 25. All 12 stay in play the whole time, and nothing gets cut early.
Will we have enough time to really dig in?
That's the point of going through each proposal twice. Your first discussion covers the basics. Once you share your feedback and get answers to your questions, you’ll see it all for a second, deeper discussion. Your Delegate Record also captures anything you didn't get to say out loud.
Will questions from the first discussion be answered before the second?
Yes. After your first discussion of each proposal, your questions will be collected, and the Solutions Team and researchers will work to get answers. Those come back to you before the second discussion.
Will we get materials in advance?
Yes, agendas and briefing materials will be sent to you at least two days before each session.
What if I can't make a session?
Please reach out to Dreama as soon as possible. Emergencies happen. Life happens. That’s totally understandable. That said, missing more than two sessions means you need to step down as a Delegate. Each session builds on the last, and your fellow Delegates are counting on the full context you bring.
Do Our Recommendations Actually Matter?
Does our vote really change things?
Akron City Council unanimously passed a formal resolution, and the Administration signed a written agreement committing to receive and respond to the Assembly's recommendations. This isn't a town hall where feedback disappears into a folder.
Changes won't happen overnight. Council will work through budgets, timelines, and legal steps. But your recommendations carry real weight because they're backed by a formal commitment, and because they come from a real cross-section of Akron residents who did the work. The City of Akron has committed to respond to the recommendations publicly and to provide regular updates no less than every 6 months for two years.
How do we make sure the City follows through?
After the Assembly, working groups will form to partner directly with the city on making endorsed proposals happen. You're encouraged to join. It's the most direct way to make sure your recommendations land the way you intended.
Don't tell us about limited resources. We're here to say what Akron needs.
You are right. That's exactly your job. Recommend what you believe is right, and let the city figure out how to make it work. The briefing materials include information about what's realistic, but that's to help you make informed choices, not to limit what you ask for.
Will everything happen at once?
It depends on the proposal. Some changes can move quickly. Others take longer. Your recommendations can include guidance on what should happen first.
How to Participate and Make Your Voice Heard
If I think of something between sessions, how do I share it?
Write it in your Delegate Record. Everything you write there goes directly into the record that shapes the Assembly's recommendations. You can also bring it up at your table.
Will I hear from Delegates beyond my table?
Yes. Over the course of the Assembly, you'll sit with different groups. Thursday sessions keep you with a smaller cluster. Saturdays mix groups across the full Assembly. You might not sit with all 65 people, but since you’ll see the summaries across all Delegate Records, every voice shapes the group's understanding, even across tables.
Will the City see our reasoning, not just our votes?
Yes. The report to the Administration and City Council will include the benefits you prioritized, the trade-offs you flagged, and the guidance you offered. They won't just know what you decided. They'll understand why. And your work becomes part of the public record for future efforts to build on.
Can I get a copy of the process documents?
Yes. Your binder has reference materials, and the team will keep key documents available throughout. If you need something and can't find it, ask your facilitator or the concierge team. You can always find materials here.
What are the guidelines around sharing what happens in sessions?
You're welcome to talk about the topics, the ideas, and your own views. What we ask is that you don't share who said what at your table. If someone shares a personal story during the discussion, that story stays in the room. You can talk about the ideas it raised, but not who said it. This keeps the space honest for everyone.
How Rating and Voting Work
What's the difference between rating and voting?
Think of it this way: rating helps you think through each proposal. Voting is your final say.
While you're discussing proposals, you'll rate the benefits and trade-offs of each one on a 1–7 scale. You're not comparing them against each other, you're sizing up each one on its own. On May 13, you'll cast a yes-or-no vote on each proposal.
What does the rating scale look like?
For benefits: 1 = "Not important" → 5 = "Extremely important."
For trade-offs: 1 = "Does not concern me" → 5 = "Concerns me greatly."
You'll fill these out on paper in your Delegate Record at the end of each session.
There's also a second kind of rating you'll do from home between sessions. After your discussions, the Unify Akron team pulls together what you wrote and sends it back to you online before the next session. You'll rate how much you agree with each point (1–5 again). This helps everyone see where there's real common ground, and where people genuinely see things differently.
Are proposals voted on one at a time or all together?
Both. On May 13, you'll vote on each of the 12 proposals one at a time. Each one needs two-thirds support to move forward. Then you'll vote on the full set as the Assembly's official recommendations to the Administration and City Council.
What if a proposal doesn't get two-thirds support? What if none of them do?
That can happen, and it's okay. Not every proposal passing is a real possibility, and it's a fair outcome.
Either way, the Assembly's final report to the Administration and City Council will be complete. It will include every vote result, your ratings, and the reasoning behind it all. The City government gets a full picture of where Akron residents landed after months of careful work together.
Why rate at all? Doesn't Akron deserve every solution?
Absolutely. Every proposal has real benefits and real costs. Rating helps the Assembly figure out which benefits matter most and which trade-offs worry people most. That way, the final recommendations reflect what this community actually values.
The Bigger Picture
Housing connects to schools, transit, and food access. Can we think about all of that?
Please do. While the Assembly is focused on what the City of Akron can directly control in housing, your guidance can absolutely address those connections. If a proposal would be stronger with attention to transit or neighborhood services, say so. When you're weighing trade-offs, think about how a proposal would affect your whole neighborhood.
Can these proposals really work without state or federal help?
The proposals focus on things the City of Akron can directly control, such as zoning, code enforcement, public investment, permits, and rules around landlords and tenants. That was one of the screening criteria. Some proposals may work better with outside support, and your guidance can say so. Everything the Assembly produces will also be shared with the County of Summit.
How do we overcome pushback in our neighborhoods?
That's a real challenge, and it's one of the reasons this Assembly matters. When recommendations come from real residents who did the homework, they can carry more weight than proposals from any single group or even the city itself. Your discussion can also surface practical ways to engage the community and build support in the community.
What does "safe, well-maintained, and affordable" actually mean?
That's partly for you to define. The Assembly's goal is intentionally broad. Part of your job as Delegates is to bring specificity to what those words mean for Akron. When you give guidance on proposals, you're helping answer that question in concrete terms.
Has this kind of process been done before?
Yes. Assemblies like this have been used in cities and countries around the world, from Ireland to Canada to cities across the U.S. and Australia. They've tackled climate policy, urban planning, and more. The model has delivered real value to bring a real cross-section of people together, give them time and good information, let them talk it through, and present recommendations to a government that has already said it will act.
After the Assembly
What happens after May 14? Can we stay involved?
Absolutely. You can join working groups that partner with the City of Akron to make endorsed proposals happen. Your involvement doesn't have to end when the Assembly does.
Will the people who come after us have our work to build on?
Yes. Your work — the research, your discussions, your recommendations — becomes part of the public record. Future efforts will be able to pick up where you left off.
Where to Learn More
Will we get detailed materials on each proposal?
Yes. You can find them here. For every proposal, you'll get a written brief called a "Lowdown" and a short video. They cover what the proposal does, its potential benefits, and its potential trade-offs. The “Lowdowns” also include links to sources if you want to go deeper.
Can I get more information beyond the briefing materials?
Yes. Please write specific questions in your Delegate Record, and the Research Team will get you more before your next discussion.
Still have questions? Write them in your Delegate Record, bring them to your table, or ask your facilitator or the concierge team. You can also email the team here. There are no bad questions — if you're wondering, someone else probably is, too.