AKRON, Ohio - Akron voters will decide in November whether to increase the city's income tax from 2.25 percent to 2.5 percent, to pay for street repaving and police and fire services.

Monday night Akron City Council unanimously approved putting the measure on the ballot.

Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan proposed the .25-percent addition in June to bring the city an additional $16 million annually. The increase would cost an Akron worker making $50,000 an extra $125 a year, officials say.

The city has lost $15 million a year in tax-sharing from the state and about $80 million in unrealized income tax revenue since 2008 as a result of the recession, according to officials. Akron's last income tax increase was in 2003, when .25 percent was added to replace aging school buildings with community learning centers.

The tax hike would be the first increase for public services in 36 years and the money would be divided equally between police, fire and roads.

Akron Director of Finance Diane Miller-Dawson told council's Rules Committee earlier on Monday that police, fire and safety services make up 70 percent of the city's budget and that staffing levels for those services need to be maintained.

"People rely on these public services," Miller-Dawson said. "Our EMS crews have become like doctor's offices in a lot of our areas. So we need to make sure those services are strong."

At-large Councilman Jeff Fusco agreed, saying with the uncertainty of the healthcare on a national level, the city needs to keep its eye on support services.

If the tax increase is approved by voters, the city will rebuild fire stations No. 12 in Wallhaven and No. 2 in Middlebury, which has temporary supports in the basement under trucks that weigh 43,000 pounds -- compared to 15,000 pounds when the station was built in 1944.

Two fire trucks have more than 100,000 miles on them, and several fire stations need extractors, which remove carcinogens from firefighters' clothing, Fire Chief Clarence Tucker said last month when Horrigan announced the proposed increase.

Several police cars have more than 160,000 miles on them, and many have holes in the floorboards, Police Chief James Nice said at last month's press conference. The city estimates at least 63 cruisers need to be replaced.

The money also would increase the budget for road maintenance and repair, with 70 percent residential and 30 percent for primary support roads, repaving about 43 more miles of roads.

Want more Akron news? Sign up for cleveland.com's Rubber City Daily, an email newsletter delivered at 5:30 a.m. Monday through Friday.