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Record of Proceedings

Athens City Council Committees Meeting: October 26, 2026

City Council and Boards — Monday, October 26, 2026
BodyAthens, Ohio
SessionCity Council and Boards
DateMonday, October 26, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
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Speaker numbers apply only to this recording.

Speaker 1

0:07

Good morning and welcome to Athens City Council.

0:10

Oh good evening.

0:11

It is Monday, October 26th, and we're in committees this evening, beginning with the committee of the whole, and a wonderful update from our rental code inspection process subcommittee.

0:21

And we have our former council members, Silvaeus Bilnez here to kick us off.

0:25

I will turn things over to you for your 15-minute presentation.

Speaker 2

0:28

Thank you very much.

0:29

And um I'm going to try to make this brief.

0:32

I see that you have a lot of things on the agenda, and Debbie Walker, our wonderful clerk had kind of cautioned me that you guys are too busy to have too long a discussion by me.

0:41

So I'm going to try to make this brief.

0:44

Anyway, uh for those of you who don't know me, I'm Sylvie Spielness, and um I was a researcher, program evaluator, and associate professor in the Department of Social Work, and I taught policy, particularly in and including housing policy, so this issue is very important to me.

1:00

I was on City Council as mentioned, and I am chairing this subcommittee.

1:05

So let me get started.

1:06

What I'm going to do today is give you an overview of where we're at now.

1:11

It is not an appropriate place to discuss results because things are too preliminary.

1:18

Uh if you kind of get little nuggets and pieces, it could be misinterpreted, and we want to put it all together before we uh give you something substantive.

1:27

So uh just to refer to the resolution to remind you, uh it's a resolution in support of establishing an ad hoc one here affordable housing commission subcommittee under the uh neighborhood revitalization committee to review rental code inspection processes to enhance efficient and effective code compliance and rental unit safety.

1:46

And just to give you uh an understanding of what we're trying to do here, we're trying to create a model safe rental community that works well for the code office, renters, the university, landlords, and for the overall economic health and well-being of all Athenians.

Unassigned speaker

2:04

Okay,

Speaker 2

2:05

I want to start off by saying how much we appreciate Tom Pyle's cooperation and some of the things that he has done to make some changes.

2:13

He has been revising the inspection reports, making them much easier, more transparent, and better to interpret and analyze.

2:21

Great.

2:22

He's also changing some other systems, and he hired a fourth code officer.

2:26

Thank you very much.

2:26

We needed that.

2:27

I also want to emphasize that as part of this process, uh we are continuing to speak with him about what's going on and what his thoughts are.

2:38

We are concerned about making sure that anything we do propose is vetted by him so that we don't have some hare-brained ideas coming through without them being viable and reasonable and fundable.

2:52

Okay, so just to give you a sense of where we're at, these are our other RIPS members.

2:57

The appointed members are Matt Hall, our city representative, our captain of uh the fire department, Jim Kaufman, Ohio University representative, and Alan Swink here as our City Council representative, our elected members, Rick Wasserman, who represents landlords, Katie Bushel, our recent one that you approved, is our tenant representative, and uh Caitlin McDaniel is our renter advocate.

3:22

Uh Jennifer Woody Collins is our researcher program evaluator.

3:26

So we have a great, really stellar team to work on this.

3:29

Thank you.

3:30

So I thought it would be relevant to discuss all the other folks that are involved with this.

3:35

We have literally dozens of people who have stepped up as a volunteer or someone interested, or that we reached out to and were interested in talking to us.

3:44

So uh we talked to, for example, the Athens Public Health Department, they inspect houses.

3:51

Uh we talked to the Athens Municipal Housing Authority, we talked to HAPCAP, we talked to legal aid, we talked to local historians and landlords, uh attorneys off-campus housing, and we're gonna be talking more to them.

4:04

The Ohio Student Senate and the Ohio Student Senate uh president has come to our meetings, and he has established uh right from the get-go, an Ohio Student Renters Association.

4:17

And they are coordinating with us, and notably Katie, our new member, is uh the board chair of that new committee.

4:25

So she's our liaison with that, which is absolutely wonderful.

4:29

We're talking to other cities code offices, professionals, and IT and AI professionals, along with just interested folks who want to talk with us.

4:37

Okay, housing context.

4:39

So I'm gonna give you some of the things that we are looking at.

4:43

Uh we're reviewing housing crisis issues, the lack of housing, particularly rentals, the affordability and housing statistics, the fact that we don't have enough, etc.

Unassigned speaker

4:54

We're looking at the history of housing, particularly here in Athens, demographics and our growth and possibilities.

Speaker 2

5:01

We are looking at legal issues, of course, federal law, Ohio Revised Code, Local Ordances, and relevant case law.

5:09

We also are looking at potential area rental housing.

5:12

Is there what can we do at the ridges?

5:15

As you know, there's going to be some somewhere in the neighborhood of 720 to 750 housing units.

5:20

Of course, those won't won't be rentals, but it will add housing and potentially open up some rentals for people who move from rentals into regular housing.

5:29

Then low-income tax credit housing.

5:31

We have some that are opening up, as you know, in the plains and just outside the city, and potentially in the ridges as well.

5:40

We are also looking at available buildable land and possible buildings that could be used.

5:45

Okay, best practices.

5:47

Jim Kaufman asked if he could kind of lead the way on looking at best practices, and he has a couple of interns who are helping him, looking at things like what are comparable communities doing, what do professional organizations recommend, what are industry standards.

6:02

So there's a lot of potential there for making sure that we're doing what's best and really being a model.

6:09

Okay.

6:10

Dr.

6:11

Jennifer Collins is our researcher, as I mentioned, and she has led the charge on our surveys and our focus groups.

6:18

We have developed a survey, as I think you all know, and has gone out to tenants and landlords.

6:24

I've spoken about this before.

6:26

Um we are, and I'll talk more about that in a minute.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Personnel Matters█████████████████████████25%
Fiscal Sustainability█████████████████17%
Engineering And Infrastructure███████████████15%
Affordable Housing███████7%
Community Engagement███████7%
Economic Development███████7%
Cannabis Regulation███████7%
Budget Equity Analysis██████6%
Procedural████4%
Summary of Proceedings

Athens City Council Committees Meeting: October 26, 2026

The Athens City Council held committee meetings on Monday, October 26, 2026, covering updates from the Rental Code Inspection Process Subcommittee, a solid waste contract extension, a resolution on political campaigns, non-union pay and benefits, staffing, health insurance, the 2027 budget, a new neighborhood corridor overlay zone, and liquor permit requests. All items were moved to full council for future action.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Mary Abel (8 Strathorn Avenue) asked about the total cost of the non-union pay and benefits package. She noted the budget would need a line item for expectations and asked if the income tax increase funded the package. The administration responded that costs come from multiple funds and that a precise total for fringe benefits is difficult to predict because usage varies.
  • Keith Chapman (Yukula Drive) spoke against the C2 liquor permit for Athens Community Drive-Through, citing neighborhood concerns about proximity to a community center/playground and the site's condition (standing water, dirt, equipment). He requested a public hearing.
  • Linda Lavelle (via request read by Council) also requested a hearing on the Athens Community Drive-Through permit, echoing safety and neighborhood impact concerns.

Discussion Items

  • Rental Code Inspection Process Subcommittee (RIPS) Update: Sylvie Spielness, former councilmember and subcommittee chair, presented a progress report. She emphasized no results yet to avoid misinterpretation. Key activities included: revising inspection reports with Code Director Tom Pyle, hiring a fourth code officer, conducting a landlord/tenant survey and focus groups, and partnering with Ohio University research methods and communications students. The subcommittee is studying best practices, legal issues, housing context (e.g., potential 720–750 units at The Ridges, LIHTC housing, available buildable land). Spielness requested an extension of the subcommittee’s deadline from December 2026 to February 2027 to incorporate additional data. The request will be considered via an ordinance amendment.
  • Solid Waste Contract Extension: Director Stone requested council authority to extend the Rumpke contract for two additional years (through June 30, 2029) at the same rates, with no increase. The original 3.5-year contract expires June 30, 2027. Stone cited stable service and inflation pressures. Councilmembers debated: Member Swink supported the extension, noting no rate increase despite diesel prices; Member Clodfelter asked if the Athens-Hocking Solid Waste District could bid, but the mayor and Stone explained that entity has dissolved or changed. Member Wood expressed reluctance to extend without opening bids. The item was moved to regular session without objection.
  • Resolution: Respect in Political Campaigns: Councilmember Swink introduced a resolution condemning the exploitation of childhood sexual abuse for political gain and reaffirming commitments to civility, equity, and responsible discourse. The mayor read a statement criticizing a political ad targeting Amy Acton. Councilmembers Clodfelter and Wood debated potential perceptions of partisanship, but the resolution was moved to first reading.
  • Non-Union Pay and Benefits: Director Lucas presented a comprehensive compensation study comparing non-union increases (12–17.75% since 2022) to CPI (21.9%) and union raises (19–24%). He proposed a multi-tiered cost-of-living adjustment based on market comparisons and experience, with an average adjustment tied to pay grade gaps. Total compensation cost is $333,000, allocated across funds. The fringe benefits package includes a spousal opt-out program (existing employees) and spousal carve-out (new hires), increases in educational incentives (e.g., associate’s degree from $250 to $750/year, bachelor’s to $1,500), certification/licensure pay (up to $2,080/year), a professional development stipend (up to $1,000/year), cell phone allowance increase ($40 to $50/month), sick leave conversion (1:1 up to 960 hours for timely retirement), additional personal day (2 to 3), supervisory pay differentials, plus-pay for acting department heads (over 40 consecutive hours), and a voluntary wellness incentive ($1,000 stipend for completing physical and mental health activities). Estimated fringe benefit costs: $30,000–$70,000 annually. The item was moved forward.
  • Staffing Ordinance Changes: Director Lucas proposed minor adjustments: reallocating Arts, Parks and Recreation custodians between funds, adding a second meter reader (sunset when automated system is complete), and retitling several seasonal/part-time positions at Arts, Parks and Recreation (e.g., new titles: Kids Crew Facilitator, Playmaker, Welcome Desk Attendant, etc.). The item was moved forward.
  • Third Party Administrator (TPA) Renewal: Director Stone compared the city's self-insured model (using EBSC as TPA) to two hypothetical fully insured plans (Anthem and United Healthcare). The self-insured expected cost for 2027 is $6.01 million, while fully insured would be $7.32–$8.33 million. The TPA administrative fee is $91,000 (up from $86,000). Reinsurance premiums are expected to increase from $653,000 to $775,000. The city has no “lasers” (high-cost individuals) in 2027. Stone recommended renewing the self-insured model. Council agreed and moved the item forward.
  • 2027 Budget: The administration presented the proposed budget, which totals $6.7 million less than the 2026 budget. Key changes include: decreases in the auditor’s budget (anticipated tax refunds not included), increased police costs (union raises and health care), decreased fire costs (end of FEMA grant for three positions), and increased capital outlay for roof projects. The budget maintains the same tax mix (2% income tax, medical fund allocation). The auditor’s office estimated revenue of about $20 million for the general fund (excluding grants). The medical fund will be funded at $29,500 per employee, with a goal to build a six-month reserve. The budget was moved to regular session.
  • Appropriation Adjustments and Then-and-Now: A $10,000 reallocation within the police department (capital outlay to vehicle leasing) and a $3,093.48 then-and-now certificate for firefighter air tank pressurization checks (vendor change from Polini to Crystal Beverages) were approved. Additionally, an appropriation of $150,000 for AEP electric costs at the sewer plant was added (lost from a prior appropriations ordinance).
  • Neighborhood Corridor Overlay Zone: Council discussed Title 53, which establishes development standards for neighborhood corridors to promote pedestrian orientation and small business. Member Swink raised concerns about restrictions (e.g., 1,500 sq. ft. limit for welding, no drive-throughs, parking in back, 8-ft sidewalks, blank wall limits) and potential variance requests. Other members (Thomas, Isherwood, Almeida) defended the overlay as well-vetted, noting grandfathering, public input over two years, and its use as a template for future corridor overlay zones. The item was moved to first reading.
  • Liquor Permit Requests: Two C2 permits were discussed:
    • Family Dollar (East Carpenter Street) – Council tabled to next week to research whether they already hold a permit and to check proximity to a church across the street.
    • Athens Community Drive-Through (750 East State Street) – Currently holds a C1 (beer) and seeks a C2 (wine/spirits). Councilmember Swink and public comments noted concerns about neighborhood impact, safety, and the site’s condition. Council voted to request a hearing for this permit, as well as for Family Dollar, given capacity limits (one C2 per 1,000 residents; current count may be 27 vs. 23,000 population).
  • City Fiber Network Amendment: Councilmember Isherwood introduced a $25,000 change order to complete a fiber connection to Fire Station No. 2 on Richland Avenue. A missing conduit section was identified. The item was moved forward.

Key Outcomes

  • RIPS Extension: The subcommittee’s deadline extension to February 2027 will be considered via an ordinance amendment at full council.
  • Solid Waste Contract: Item moved to regular session; next step will be a vote on extending Rumpke’s contract.
  • Resolution on Political Campaigns: Moved to first reading for regular session.
  • Non-Union Pay & Benefits, Staffing Ordinance, TPA Renewal, 2027 Budget: All moved to regular session for first readings and subsequent votes.
  • Appropriations and Then-and-Now: Approved for submission to full council.
  • Neighborhood Corridor Overlay Zone: Moved to first reading for regular session.
  • Liquor Permits: Both items will have hearings requested; council expects further information on the Family Dollar application.
  • Fiber Network Amendment: Moved to regular session for approval.

Meeting Transcript

Good morning and welcome to Athens City Council. Oh good evening. It is Monday, October 26th, and we're in committees this evening, beginning with the committee of the whole, and a wonderful update from our rental code inspection process subcommittee. And we have our former council members, Silvaeus Bilnez here to kick us off. I will turn things over to you for your 15-minute presentation. Thank you very much. And um I'm going to try to make this brief. I see that you have a lot of things on the agenda, and Debbie Walker, our wonderful clerk had kind of cautioned me that you guys are too busy to have too long a discussion by me. So I'm going to try to make this brief. Anyway, uh for those of you who don't know me, I'm Sylvie Spielness, and um I was a researcher, program evaluator, and associate professor in the Department of Social Work, and I taught policy, particularly in and including housing policy, so this issue is very important to me. I was on City Council as mentioned, and I am chairing this subcommittee. So let me get started. What I'm going to do today is give you an overview of where we're at now. It is not an appropriate place to discuss results because things are too preliminary. Uh if you kind of get little nuggets and pieces, it could be misinterpreted, and we want to put it all together before we uh give you something substantive. So uh just to refer to the resolution to remind you, uh it's a resolution in support of establishing an ad hoc one here affordable housing commission subcommittee under the uh neighborhood revitalization committee to review rental code inspection processes to enhance efficient and effective code compliance and rental unit safety. And just to give you uh an understanding of what we're trying to do here, we're trying to create a model safe rental community that works well for the code office, renters, the university, landlords, and for the overall economic health and well-being of all Athenians. Okay, I want to start off by saying how much we appreciate Tom Pyle's cooperation and some of the things that he has done to make some changes. He has been revising the inspection reports, making them much easier, more transparent, and better to interpret and analyze. Great. He's also changing some other systems, and he hired a fourth code officer. Thank you very much. We needed that. I also want to emphasize that as part of this process, uh we are continuing to speak with him about what's going on and what his thoughts are. We are concerned about making sure that anything we do propose is vetted by him so that we don't have some hare-brained ideas coming through without them being viable and reasonable and fundable. Okay, so just to give you a sense of where we're at, these are our other RIPS members. The appointed members are Matt Hall, our city representative, our captain of uh the fire department, Jim Kaufman, Ohio University representative, and Alan Swink here as our City Council representative, our elected members, Rick Wasserman, who represents landlords, Katie Bushel, our recent one that you approved, is our tenant representative, and uh Caitlin McDaniel is our renter advocate. Uh Jennifer Woody Collins is our researcher program evaluator. So we have a great, really stellar team to work on this. Thank you. So I thought it would be relevant to discuss all the other folks that are involved with this. We have literally dozens of people who have stepped up as a volunteer or someone interested, or that we reached out to and were interested in talking to us. So uh we talked to, for example, the Athens Public Health Department, they inspect houses. Uh we talked to the Athens Municipal Housing Authority, we talked to HAPCAP, we talked to legal aid, we talked to local historians and landlords, uh attorneys off-campus housing, and we're gonna be talking more to them. The Ohio Student Senate and the Ohio Student Senate uh president has come to our meetings, and he has established uh right from the get-go, an Ohio Student Renters Association. And they are coordinating with us, and notably Katie, our new member, is uh the board chair of that new committee. So she's our liaison with that, which is absolutely wonderful. We're talking to other cities code offices, professionals, and IT and AI professionals, along with just interested folks who want to talk with us. Okay, housing context. So I'm gonna give you some of the things that we are looking at. Uh we're reviewing housing crisis issues, the lack of housing, particularly rentals, the affordability and housing statistics, the fact that we don't have enough, etc. We're looking at the history of housing, particularly here in Athens, demographics and our growth and possibilities. We are looking at legal issues, of course, federal law, Ohio Revised Code, Local Ordances, and relevant case law. We also are looking at potential area rental housing. Is there what can we do at the ridges? As you know, there's going to be some somewhere in the neighborhood of 720 to 750 housing units. Of course, those won't won't be rentals, but it will add housing and potentially open up some rentals for people who move from rentals into regular housing. Then low-income tax credit housing. We have some that are opening up, as you know, in the plains and just outside the city, and potentially in the ridges as well.

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