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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Athens City Council Committees: Flooding, Fees, Infrastructure - Sept 28, 2026

City Council and Boards — Monday, September 28, 2026

BodyAthens, Ohio

SessionCity Council and Boards

DateMonday, September 28, 2026

StatusFILED

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Transcript — Verbatim

Speaker numbers apply only to this recording. Names come from transcript evidence. “Possibly” marks uncertain attribution.

Speaker 1

0:06

Good evening and welcome to Athens City Council.

0:09

Today is Monday, September 28th, and we are in committees this evening.

0:13

We'll begin with committee of the whole, and I'd first like to check in to ask how many people in the public audience are here tonight to comment on the topic of flooding.

0:21

If you could just raise your hand so I can get a sense.

0:27

Okay.

0:28

All right.

0:28

And then if you are here to hopefully talk about uh street event closures, could you raise your hand?

0:34

Okay.

0:35

Thanks.

0:35

That just helps us with some housekeeping.

0:37

And I'd like to also give the mayor an opportunity before we kick off with the flooding topic to provide an update.

Speaker 2

0:44

Thank you, President McCarry.

0:45

I appreciate that.

0:46

Uh this is a really important update to the citizens of Athens because it is the voice of the citizens of Athens that led to this outcome via um Service Safety Director, Deputy Service Safety Director Andrew Chickey.

1:01

So I'm going to read this verbatim because this is important, and then if the press would like a copy of this, um I we can certainly provide

Unassigned speaker

1:08

that.

Unassigned speaker

1:09

I

Speaker 2

1:09

want to make an update to counsel and to the public on the federal case involving the theft of money intended for our new fire station headquarters.

1:19

On November 2024, a person impersonating the city's contractor caused a payment of 721,976 and 26 cents to be sent to a fraudulent account.

1:34

This was a significant loss involving money committed for the to the project that the city was building for the residents and for the firefighters with our fire station headquarters.

1:47

It also set off a lengthy process of investigation that happened, pursuant to stolen funds and addressing the financial concerns and consequences for the city.

1:59

Two defendants were indicted in federal court in November of 2025 and later pled guilty.

2:07

They were sentenced last Friday, September 25th, in Des Moines, Iowa.

2:14

The two individuals, I'm not going to pronounce their names, but it is included in this document.

2:23

Oh, that'd be great.

2:24

111 months in prison.

2:28

That translates to about 9.2 years in prison.

2:32

The second uh defendant was sentenced to 78 months or just north of six years in prison.

2:41

Both were remanded to custody of the U.S.

2:46

Marshals for immediately after the hearing.

2:49

Usually an individual is given time to get their house in order.

2:52

This, on the other hand, the judge had them uh mandated over immediately, and they went straight to prison.

3:00

Deputy Service Safety Director Andrew Chickey, sitting right beside me, attended the hearing on behalf of the City of Athens and the people of Athens and presented the city's victim impact statement to the court.

3:13

He spoke about the financial loss, the work required to respond to the theft, and what it means when public money entrusted to the city is stolen.

3:26

The city was recognized as a victim, and the court ordered restitution of our remaining unrecovered losses and attorneys' fees.

3:36

We had already received 205,000 in recovery stolen funds from the investigation that we put into it, and I would I have to give kudos to our lieutenant or police lieutenant Adam Clare, who worked tirelessly along with Andrew Chicke on all the work that had to go into that recovery.

3:59

And then we received 200,000 insurance payment.

4:04

Those payments addressed part of the loss, but it did not make the city of Athens whole.

4:12

The restitution order will allow allow the city to recover the balance of that stolen money.

4:18

The indictment, guilty pleas, and sentencing did not undo the theft.

4:26

They did not give back the time our staff has spent responding to

Unassigned speaker

4:32

it,

Speaker 2

4:33

or erase the efforts or the effect the incident like this had on the public trust.

4:41

But Friday's outcome is meaningful.

4:46

The city was heard in court.

4:49

Its losses were recognized, and its full restitution was ordered.

4:55

We have recar recovered part of the stolen money.

Unassigned speaker

5:00

We will continue to follow the rest of restitution process and work to recover the remaining losses.

Speaker 2

5:05

Again, I I can't stress this enough.

5:08

If it were not for the quick responses of our investigative team, led by Adam Clare, and this gentleman sitting right beside me, Deputy Service Safety Director Andrew Chicky, we would have been what amounts to 98% of cases like this that where the money is never recovered.

5:30

2% or less of monies that are scammed from individuals, from businesses, from banks, from churches, and yes, from local governments.

5:40

2% is what ultimately gets recovered, if anything at all.

5:44

So we are fortunate for the speed in which our team acted to get this.

5:50

We also were fortunate in that deputy service safety director Andrew Chicke was able to fly out to that sentence hearing because there was only three entities that received restitution.

6:06

One of them was a church, which was is where not allowed to discuss an entity.

6:14

And the other was the city of Athens and our insurer will be getting restitution.

6:21

But there were other cases, there were other entities involved, but they didn't have presence there.

6:26

So for us to be able to have Andrew show up there, give testimony, really gives credit to the fact that we were one of three entities to receive restitution from the indicted individuals.

6:48

Thank you, Mr.

6:48

President.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Public Engagement███████████████████████████27%

Water And Wastewater Management████████████████████████24%

Engineering And Infrastructure██████████████14%

Environmental Protection███████7%

Public Safety███████7%

Budget Equity Analysis██████6%

Transportation Safety█████5%

Affordable Housing████4%

Pending Litigation██2%

Summary of Proceedings

Athens City Council Committee Meetings - September 28, 2026

The Athens City Council met in several committees on Monday, September 28, 2026, covering flooding mitigation strategies, a proposed street closure fee schedule, a water main replacement on North Hill, and multiple financial items. The meeting ran from evening until adjournment at 9:28 PM.

Mayor's Update: Fire Station Fund Theft Sentencing

Mayor Patterson reported that two defendants were sentenced on September 25 in Des Moines, Iowa, for the theft of $721,976.26 intended for the new fire station headquarters. Sentences of 111 months (approx. 9.2 years) and 78 months (approx. 6.5 years) were handed down.
The city had already recovered $205,000 from the investigation and $200,000 from insurance. The court ordered restitution for the remaining losses. Deputy Service Safety Director Andrew Chickey attended the hearing to represent the city's interests as a recognized victim.

Flooding Mitigation Strategies

Administration Update:

Mayor Patterson detailed immediate actions taken over the prior two weeks, including dredging on Coates Run, debris removal, and widening basins at bridges in the Richland Avenue corridor.
The city is offering sewer-side credits to businesses that power washed silt. A new sanitary sewer backflow prevention program will reimburse residents in the East State Street and Madison corridors.
A new Athens Climate Resiliency Fund was announced, seeded with $8,000 per month from the city's marijuana dispensary tax revenue (total approx. $36,000/month) to fund mid- and long-term mitigation.
The city acquired lightweight portable flood barriers and is waiving special haul fees for flood-related debris removal.

Presentation by Dr. Natalie Cruz Daniels:

Dr. Cruz Daniels, a professor and flood mitigation expert from the Voinovich School, presented a technical assessment of the Coates Run watershed (approx. 3 square miles).
She explained that in a two-year recurrence flood event, flow increases 1,000 times over average conditions. The June 18 flood was a 500-year event, August 11 was a 50-year event, and September 21 was a 2-year event.
She stated that current dredging is a short-term solution, not a fix. Long-term strategies require retaining water upstream through detention basins, bioretention, and floodplain benching. She noted that Army Corps modeling showed bridges create a backwater effect that exacerbates flooding.

Public Testimony:

Mark Spezza (Classic Gold Realty): Reported his office flooded for the third time this year. Urged ODOT to address a 150-foot hill slip on state property behind the car wash that is depositing debris into Coates Run.
Mike Noel (Architect, owns Morrison School): Stated the September 26-27 flood was the worst in 45 years, with water reaching 80% of his first floor for the first time. Endorsed underground detention tanks.
Emily Hunkler (271 East State Street): Thanked the city for the backflow prevention program letter. Asked that flooding on East State Street remain a priority, as stormwater and sewage have been entering basements.
Diane Spezza (Classic Gold): Noted that a family, a resident, and a business (Collins Real Estate) have all relocated due to repeated flooding.
Jeff Dosey (281 East State Street): Expressed support for the backflow program but stated storm sewer capacity remains insufficient, causing water to back up into yards and exert hydraulic pressure on homes.

Council Discussion:

Member Stazer requested improved communication from the city administration to residents contacting them about debris and flood issues.
Member Wood asked about timeframes and costs for larger projects. Mayor Patterson stated they could run into tens of millions of dollars and would require state/federal partnerships, citing the Hoboken, NJ, model as aspirational but not directly replicable. Smoke testing is ongoing to identify cross-laterals.

Transportation Committee: Street Closure Fee Schedule

Deputy Safety Director Chickey presented a proposed fee structure to recoup a portion of city costs for special events requiring street closures.
The formula categorizes events (e.g., local nonprofit at 35% of baseline, for-profit at 100%) and adds surcharges for extras like electricians or food trucks. Examples given: $300 for International Street Fest, $750 for Ohio Brew Week Last Call.
Chickey noted the actual cost of a weekend closure is $940.85, meaning the proposed fees cover roughly 58% of city costs.

Public Comment:

Daniel DeLuca (Tavern Owners Association): Expressed understanding of the costs but asked if Dora or enrichment funds could be used. Emphasized events are community-building, not profit centers.
The auditor strongly recommended striking the proposed security deposit requirement due to refund administrative burdens. Chickey agreed and also recommended striking parking garage fees.

Committee Outcome:

The committee agreed to move the fee structure forward to the full council. The deposit and parking garage provisions were dropped.

City & Safety Services Committee: Columbia Water Main

Chair Isherwood introduced an amendment to increase authorization for water main replacement on Columbia from $250,000 to $650,000.
The project aims to replace two water lines simultaneously before winter to avoid future breaks.
Moved forward to first reading with a request to suspend the rules for expedited passage.

Planning & Development Committee

Welcome Homes Ohio PUD: The committee advanced the planned unit development for 8 affordable homes (3-bedroom, $180,000) near the new fire station. A public hearing was set for October 19.
Comprehensive Plan Commission: An ordinance amendment to increase the number of qualified electors from 3 to 5 was moved forward.
Rental Inspection Committee: The nomination of Katie Bushel was advanced for full council approval.

Finance & Personnel Committee

Arts, Parks, and Rec Debt Fund: An amendment was advanced to allow transfer of fund balances exceeding $1 million (currently $2 million in the fund) to the APR income tax fund for operational expenses.
Appropriations: $19,000 for fire equipment (air bags and Zodiac boat replacement), $40,000 for HVAC work at the Community Center, and $65,024 for a PACE loan pass-through were approved. A $917 water fund refund was also approved.
Interfund Transfers: A technical correction was advanced to formally document the transfer of $611,283 to the medical fund.
Then and Now: A $22,000 reimbursement to ProCoast Rentals for a Stimson Avenue sewer connection repair (missed during the corridor project) was advanced.

Key Outcomes

All committee items were advanced to the full City Council meeting on October 5 for first readings or suspensions.
The flooding mitigation update was received; the administration will continue short-term work and pursue long-term strategies.
Meeting adjourned at 9:28 PM.

Meeting Transcript

Good evening and welcome to Athens City Council. Today is Monday, September 28th, and we are in committees this evening. We'll begin with committee of the whole, and I'd first like to check in to ask how many people in the public audience are here tonight to comment on the topic of flooding. If you could just raise your hand so I can get a sense. Okay. All right. And then if you are here to hopefully talk about uh street event closures, could you raise your hand? Okay. Thanks. That just helps us with some housekeeping. And I'd like to also give the mayor an opportunity before we kick off with the flooding topic to provide an update. Thank you, President McCarry. I appreciate that. Uh this is a really important update to the citizens of Athens because it is the voice of the citizens of Athens that led to this outcome via um Service Safety Director, Deputy Service Safety Director Andrew Chickey. So I'm going to read this verbatim because this is important, and then if the press would like a copy of this, um I we can certainly provide that. I want to make an update to counsel and to the public on the federal case involving the theft of money intended for our new fire station headquarters. On November 2024, a person impersonating the city's contractor caused a payment of 721,976 and 26 cents to be sent to a fraudulent account. This was a significant loss involving money committed for the to the project that the city was building for the residents and for the firefighters with our fire station headquarters. It also set off a lengthy process of investigation that happened, pursuant to stolen funds and addressing the financial concerns and consequences for the city. Two defendants were indicted in federal court in November of 2025 and later pled guilty. They were sentenced last Friday, September 25th, in Des Moines, Iowa. The two individuals, I'm not going to pronounce their names, but it is included in this document. Oh, that'd be great. 111 months in prison. That translates to about 9.2 years in prison. The second uh defendant was sentenced to 78 months or just north of six years in prison. Both were remanded to custody of the U.S. Marshals for immediately after the hearing. Usually an individual is given time to get their house in order. This, on the other hand, the judge had them uh mandated over immediately, and they went straight to prison. Deputy Service Safety Director Andrew Chickey, sitting right beside me, attended the hearing on behalf of the City of Athens and the people of Athens and presented the city's victim impact statement to the court. He spoke about the financial loss, the work required to respond to the theft, and what it means when public money entrusted to the city is stolen. The city was recognized as a victim, and the court ordered restitution of our remaining unrecovered losses and attorneys' fees. We had already received 205,000 in recovery stolen funds from the investigation that we put into it, and I would I have to give kudos to our lieutenant or police lieutenant Adam Clare, who worked tirelessly along with Andrew Chicke on all the work that had to go into that recovery. And then we received 200,000 insurance payment. Those payments addressed part of the loss, but it did not make the city of Athens whole. The restitution order will allow allow the city to recover the balance of that stolen money. The indictment, guilty pleas, and sentencing did not undo the theft. They did not give back the time our staff has spent responding to it, or erase the efforts or the effect the incident like this had on the public trust. But Friday's outcome is meaningful. The city was heard in court. Its losses were recognized, and its full restitution was ordered. We have recar recovered part of the stolen money. We will continue to follow the rest of restitution process and work to recover the remaining losses. Again, I I can't stress this enough. If it were not for the quick responses of our investigative team, led by Adam Clare, and this gentleman sitting right beside me, Deputy Service Safety Director Andrew Chicky, we would have been what amounts to 98% of cases like this that where the money is never recovered.

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