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Record of Proceedings

Athens City Council Special Session and Committee Meetings - September 14, 2026

City Council and Boards — Monday, September 14, 2026
BodyAthens, Ohio
SessionCity Council and Boards
DateMonday, September 14, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
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Speaker numbers apply only to this recording.

Speaker 1

0:39

Good evening and welcome to Athens City Council.

0:41

Today is Monday, the 14th, and we are in special session.

0:46

The special session was called for the second readings of ordinances 085-26 and ordinance 86-26.

0:55

Ordinance 85-26 was introduced by Council Member Thomas for second reading, and it's an ordinance amending the 2026 appropriation ordinance 120-25 and authorizing interfund transfers to the medical fund as part of the insurance funding cost associated with ordinance 12-26, the city's 2026 employee retirement incentive program.

1:16

Councilmember Thomas.

Speaker 2

1:36

And this is reimbursing all of that basically and pulling these back from where they should have come from and putting them back into the medical fund.

1:46

You can see all the transfers and the various amounts from each one representing an employee.

1:50

And then there is a 157,001 and 96 cents transfer appropriation and then transfer immediate transfer in the internal service fund that is uh funds that were meant to go into 866 and instead were placed into 865 earlier in the year.

2:11

And

Unassigned speaker

2:12

first

Speaker 2

2:13

I will need to I'd like to ask for a uh suspension on this tonight so that we can get it

Unassigned speaker

2:19

the

Speaker 2

2:19

money back into the medical fund.

Speaker 3

2:21

So moved.

Speaker 2

2:22

Second.

Unassigned speaker

2:23

Uh

Speaker 2

2:24

any discussion on the suspension.

2:27

Member Swank.

Speaker 4

2:28

Yeah, uh my my question would be for the auditor.

2:31

Um apologize, I was at a no pack board meeting last week, couldn't be here.

2:36

Um it's my understanding from what member Thomas just said that we're basically moving, and correct me if I'm wrong, please, that we're basically moving money into the right places that it needs to be.

2:47

That's correct.

Speaker 5

2:48

When we did the retirement plan, we originally took the money out of the medical fund because we had no idea.

2:54

We had to designate a fund on that ordinance, right?

2:56

And we had no idea who was going to retire.

2:58

So we didn't know what other where that money actually might come from.

3:02

Once we determine who retired, then we can say now we need to repay that medical fund by if somebody retired from water and sewer, then it would come from water and sewer and go back into the medical fund.

3:11

So again, this just replenishes the money that was used for the retirement program.

3:14

And then the other, you know, appropriation others member Thomas said it's literally just we accidentally put money in 865 that was supposed to be in 866.

3:23

You know, we just wrong

Speaker 4

3:25

off.

3:25

Yeah.

3:26

So in other words, we uh we're just moving funds around, we're not uh having to pay any bills at this time.

3:31

Absolutely not.

3:32

So with those two answers, uh I fail to understand why we need to rush this through and suspend the rules.

3:38

Normally when we uh suspend rules uh to vote on something, it's because of uh then and now.

3:45

Had plenty of those this year.

3:46

Or that we have a bill that uh we're perhaps didn't know about that needs to be paid, or there's a grant that we need to meet a deadline.

3:54

But in this case, we're just talking about moving money out of one pocket into another.

3:58

So I really don't see any need to suspend the rules for this.

Speaker 2

4:02

Um I would just add that we discussed it in committee and discussed it last week, so the rest of us were here.

4:07

Uh also the medical fund is very low and it needs the money.

Speaker 5

4:10

Yeah, it does.

4:11

It's not that it's not that we aren't able to pay bills, but we need to get the medical fund healthy.

4:15

We have bills that are still coming in, and we need to make sure the medical fund has the money in it.

4:19

We do this every year around this time of year.

4:20

We ought to make sure the next ordinance is the same issue.

4:23

And we need to make sure the medical fund is healthy to finish out the rest of the year.

Speaker 4

4:26

Well, the last uh um report we got, which was the July close, uh showed $1,250 in the medical fund, which is very consistent with which we've finished months of this entire year.

4:37

So again, we're not paying any bills today.

4:40

Um this habit of

Unassigned speaker

4:44

point

Speaker 2

4:44

of order.

4:45

This is just supposed to be a discussion on the suspension, not the actual ordinance,

Speaker 4

4:49

correct?

4:49

Yes, it's but that's what I'm discussing.

4:52

Um the reason for the suspension and the point I'm trying to

Unassigned speaker

4:56

make.

Unassigned speaker

5:00

This habit of calling special sessions.

Speaker 4

5:04

This habit of putting finance committee meetings before regular sessions of uh council

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Engineering And Infrastructure███████████████15%
Procedural█████████████13%
Technology and Innovation█████████████13%
Urban Planning███████████11%
Public Safety████████8%
Property Tax Management███████7%
Affordable Housing███████7%
Waste Management██████6%
Fiscal Sustainability█████5%
Summary of Proceedings

Athens City Council Special Session and Committee Meetings - September 14, 2026

The Athens City Council met in special session on Monday, September 14, 2026, at approximately 7:00 p.m. to conduct second readings of ordinances 085-26 and 086-26, followed by committee meetings (Committee of the Whole, Planning and Development, Finance and Personnel, and City and Safety Services) beginning at 7:13 p.m. and adjourning at 9:08 p.m. The special session addressed interfund transfers to replenish the city's medical fund, while the committee meetings covered a county treasurer presentation, street light municipalization, a neighborhood corridor overlay zone, annexation, a TIF for affordable housing, the sale of a former fire station, and a solid waste cleanup ordinance.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Rob Delich (Morris Avenue): Expressed support for street light municipalization, citing positive experience with a cooperative in Virginia that returned excess revenue to customers. Also commended the city's efforts on the overlay zone, noting it implements goals from the comprehensive plan.
  • Lynn Baljack (Morris Avenue): Expressed concerns that the overlay zone and pedestrian-focused planning will not succeed without addressing the city's vehicle problem, including traffic noise and safety issues.

Special Session

  • Ordinance 085-26: Proposed amending appropriations to transfer funds to the medical fund for the 2026 employee retirement incentive program, including a $157,001.96 transfer appropriation. A motion to suspend the rules to advance the ordinance failed with 5 votes in favor and 2 opposed (needing 6), so the ordinance received only a second reading and was not adopted.
  • Ordinance 086-26: Proposed interfund transfers for various wages and additional transfers to the medical fund. The rules were suspended (unanimous vote) and the ordinance was adopted.
  • Discussion highlighted the low balance of the medical fund ($1,250 as of July close) and the need to replenish it. Councilmember Swank opposed suspending rules, arguing it was a routine fund transfer without urgent bills or deadlines. Others emphasized unpredictability of medical costs and backlog after summer break.

County Treasurer Presentation

Treasurer Taylor Sappington presented an overview of programs including payment plans, escrow, and delinquent tax reduction. She reported that delinquent tax amounts for Athens City decreased from $676,000 to $184,000 over the past year (a 72% reduction), achieved without foreclosures. She also discussed the land bank's role in addressing problem properties and potential housing development. Mayor Patterson added context on property tax distribution (only 4% of property tax bills go to the city). Councilmembers asked about land bank processes and the role of county commissioners.

Street Light Municipalization

Director Stone and consultant Jason Tanko (via video) presented options for city ownership of street lights and potential municipalization of the electric utility. The city's attempts to purchase street lights from AEP were unsuccessful, leading to exploration of creating a municipal electric utility. The proposal would be phased, starting with new developments, and could be outsourced to a cooperative or nonprofit. Discussion included potential cost savings (20–30% reduction on the transmission/distribution portion of bills), impact on SOPEC aggregation, and maintenance reliability. No action was taken; the presentation was informational.

Neighborhood Corridor Overlay Zone

Planner Megan Jennings presented a proposed overlay zone to promote walkable, neighborhood-scale commercial corridors. The product of over a year of community input and planning commission approval in January 2026, the zone will apply only where boundaries are later designated (Phase 2). Key features include pedestrian-oriented design, reduced parking requirements, and incentives for outdoor dining and mixed-use. A public hearing was scheduled for October 19, 2026. Council expressed broad support.

Annexation of Children's Services Property

The council discussed annexing a county-owned parcel off East State Street, with the southern portion (children's services) zoned B3 and the northern portion zoned R1 for future residential development. The annexation would bring approximately 100 employees into the city income tax base. The matter was moved to first reading at the next regular meeting.

Welcome Home Ohio Affordable Housing TIF

A property tax increment financing district was proposed for the Hudson Avenue project, which will add eight new homes. The 10-year, 75% TIF is expected to generate approximately $350,000 to fund water line improvements, including replacing a two-inch line for fire protection. The remaining 25% of property taxes would still be distributed to other entities, including schools. Council requested that the administration notify the school district. The ordinance will be placed for first reading when legal language is ready.

Comprehensive Plan Review Advisory Commission Appointments

Three citizen members and one business member were nominated for the commission: Natalie Hunter Whitman (near north side), Aaron Leatherwood (south side), Mark Weinberg (near east side), and Kim Kelly (business). The appointments will be ratified at the next regular council meeting.

Sale of Former Columbus Road Fire Station

The Finance and Personnel Committee considered legislation to authorize the sale of the old fire station, which had been unsuccessfully offered for lease. The minimum sale price would be set at one-third of the county auditor's appraised value ($453,000, so $151,000 floor). The administration also proposed a backup option to transfer the property to the Athens Community Improvement Corporation for direct negotiation if the sealed bid process fails. The ordinances were moved to first reading.

Solid Waste Cleanup Ordinance

The City and Safety Services Committee reviewed a draft ordinance allowing the city to order cleanup of solid waste on private property after five citations (with fines escalating to $175 each), with the cost placed as a tax lien. The ordinance aims to address egregious trash accumulation that attracts vermin. Code enforcement currently lacks this tool. Councilmember Swank raised concerns that the ordinance does not cover construction debris and blighted properties. Director Stone suggested moving forward with this ordinance and later expanding definitions. No objection was raised to moving to first reading.

Key Outcomes

  • Ordinance 086-26 adopted; suspension rules for 085-26 failed (5-2), so it remains in second reading.
  • Public hearing for Neighborhood Corridor Overlay Zone set for October 19, 2026.
  • Annexation, Welcome Home Ohio TIF, sale of fire station, and solid waste cleanup ordinances moved to first reading at upcoming meetings.
  • Appointments to Comprehensive Plan Review Advisory Commission moved to next regular session for ratification.
  • Street light municipalization to be further studied; no action taken.

Meeting Transcript

Good evening and welcome to Athens City Council. Today is Monday, the 14th, and we are in special session. The special session was called for the second readings of ordinances 085-26 and ordinance 86-26. Ordinance 85-26 was introduced by Council Member Thomas for second reading, and it's an ordinance amending the 2026 appropriation ordinance 120-25 and authorizing interfund transfers to the medical fund as part of the insurance funding cost associated with ordinance 12-26, the city's 2026 employee retirement incentive program. Councilmember Thomas. And this is reimbursing all of that basically and pulling these back from where they should have come from and putting them back into the medical fund. You can see all the transfers and the various amounts from each one representing an employee. And then there is a 157,001 and 96 cents transfer appropriation and then transfer immediate transfer in the internal service fund that is uh funds that were meant to go into 866 and instead were placed into 865 earlier in the year. And first I will need to I'd like to ask for a uh suspension on this tonight so that we can get it the money back into the medical fund. So moved. Second. Uh any discussion on the suspension. Member Swank. Yeah, uh my my question would be for the auditor. Um apologize, I was at a no pack board meeting last week, couldn't be here. Um it's my understanding from what member Thomas just said that we're basically moving, and correct me if I'm wrong, please, that we're basically moving money into the right places that it needs to be. That's correct. When we did the retirement plan, we originally took the money out of the medical fund because we had no idea. We had to designate a fund on that ordinance, right? And we had no idea who was going to retire. So we didn't know what other where that money actually might come from. Once we determine who retired, then we can say now we need to repay that medical fund by if somebody retired from water and sewer, then it would come from water and sewer and go back into the medical fund. So again, this just replenishes the money that was used for the retirement program. And then the other, you know, appropriation others member Thomas said it's literally just we accidentally put money in 865 that was supposed to be in 866. You know, we just wrong off. Yeah. So in other words, we uh we're just moving funds around, we're not uh having to pay any bills at this time. Absolutely not. So with those two answers, uh I fail to understand why we need to rush this through and suspend the rules. Normally when we uh suspend rules uh to vote on something, it's because of uh then and now. Had plenty of those this year. Or that we have a bill that uh we're perhaps didn't know about that needs to be paid, or there's a grant that we need to meet a deadline. But in this case, we're just talking about moving money out of one pocket into another. So I really don't see any need to suspend the rules for this. Um I would just add that we discussed it in committee and discussed it last week, so the rest of us were here. Uh also the medical fund is very low and it needs the money. Yeah, it does. It's not that it's not that we aren't able to pay bills, but we need to get the medical fund healthy. We have bills that are still coming in, and we need to make sure the medical fund has the money in it. We do this every year around this time of year. We ought to make sure the next ordinance is the same issue. And we need to make sure the medical fund is healthy to finish out the rest of the year. Well, the last uh um report we got, which was the July close, uh showed $1,250 in the medical fund, which is very consistent with which we've finished months of this entire year. So again, we're not paying any bills today.

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