Despite dire shortages of fire-protection gear, rusted-out police cruisers and Akron roads that mimic driving on the moon, Mayor Dan Horrigan didn't want to assume voters would approve an income-tax increase last week.
"I get superstitious. I didn't what to jinx myself and start spending money we didn't have," he said. "We've been quietly looking around at things, like what a new fire station looks like, what it would need."
The increase was approved Nov. 7, bumping city income tax from 2.25 to 2.5 percent, bringing the city an additional $16 million annually. About 70 percent of Akron voters agreed the money was needed.