[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6337430,"mediaKeyId","2273132-48f14789ffb938d730b3c98e4179ee78","parentId",2273132,"title","Athens City Council approves zoning, contracts, purchases and salary ordinance; safe‑room lease conditioned on grant funding","audioSeconds",2451,"startMs",759000,"endMs",3210000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2273132-48f14789ffb938d730b3c98e4179ee78&start=759&end=3210","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2273132-48f14789ffb938d730b3c98e4179ee78/thumbnail_759000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6337430/Athens-City/Limestone-County/Alabama/Athens-City-Council-approves-zoning-contracts-purchases-and-salary-ordinance-saferoom-lease-conditioned-on-grant-funding","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6337430-7281a08b8b81417b2b2131fb59ac548e/orig.mp4?Expires=1775497018&Signature=DhxUaF7LohcKOFNuK-f1SVE6PUfk5KlC9RItjmaDwhQ6uphmtplie82XBLe4h1PiDNX2ktYuv9Kk5YFJu7f6Isdl9TAD~tFBb3qUFcRAv92LL6nk9-MI~c363AFa4xaHe9jc3TtkZQ2laf0~j09Bh0qlPscK-yoE5XHhQMZSCZVRQhGKeNem6gVXat94DjitwOiD-1Ea~CTVt5uOQL4Fd0QjX6fQp3rMWzK1B1BtaACwr5i6tXO-PSfVxv6cEl6RKMkb1GG-CYBYvqb1oEdJ3s2JrctE4ZHWYGagFnCSmz5xqICNUgZ77TmswD80hGhpaX20XglIA7wphnoHvi-kRQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Athens City, AL","date","2025-02-11T11:29:30Z","article","The Athens City Council approved a package of ordinances and resolutions at its meeting, including a zoning change for a small parcel, contract awards for public works, purchases for city buildings and equipment, and an ordinance setting mayor and council salaries. The council also approved a 30‑year lease to site a community safe room on county‑leased land, but the lease is expressly conditioned on receipt of grant funding.

Votes at a glance

- Zoning ordinance: Council approved zoning approximately 0.76 acre owned by Haney LTD as EST (estate/residential and agricultural). Vote: 4 yeas, 0 nays. The property was described as about 900 feet northwest of the western terminus of Lehi Lane; the planning commission recommended approval and staff reported no objections.

- North Hill Industrial Park contract amendment (due‑diligence extension): Council authorized the mayor to extend the purchaser’s due‑diligence period in the contract until July 2025 and to amend the contract as necessary. Vote: 4 yeas, 0 nays. The action responds to a buyer’s request for additional time to complete environmental due diligence.

- Consent calendar (items A–F): Approved 4 yeas, 0 nays. Items included: travel/education expenses for fire department personnel; travel/education expenses for cemetery/parks & recreation personnel; a restaurant retail alcohol license for Crackle LLC d/b/a Eggs Up Grill (22083 U.S. Highway 72 East); purchase of a vehicle for the building inspection department; purchase of seven MSA G1 SCBA air packs and 14 MSA 45‑830‑minute bottles from Sunbelt Fire for the fire department; and purchase of one John Deere Gator TX model 2025 tractor for the cemetery/parks & rec department.

- Community safe room lease and project: Council approved a resolution authorizing the mayor to lease property from the Limestone County Commission for development of a community safe room on Ninth Avenue. The lease term is 30 years and is conditioned on receipt of grant funding; the city may terminate the lease if grant funding is not received. Vote: 4 yeas, 0 nays.

- Taylor Electric hourly rate acceptance: Council accepted the hourly rate proposal from Taylor Electric for 2025 transmission and distribution improvements (as‑needed hourly work and storm response). Vote: 4 yeas, 0 nays. Staff said the work is paid primarily from aid‑in‑construction receipts and sets rates for outside crews used when city crews cannot keep up with workload or during storms.

- Brawley Boulevard roadway extension contract award: Council authorized the city engineer to award the Brawley Boulevard roadway extension contract to Grayson Carter & Son for $1,132,569, to be funded from 2024 general obligation warrants. Vote to suspend rules and award: 4 yeas, 0 nays.

- Network infrastructure for 105 West Green Street (former PNC building): Two items approved by council to ready the building: (1) purchase and installation of network drops from DJHAV Inc., $14,435, funded from the capital infrastructure fund; (2) network switches and wireless access points from C Spire Business, $17,921.77, procured through the North Alabama Cooperative Purchasing Association and funded from the capital infrastructure fund. Both items passed 4 yeas, 0 nays.

- Salary ordinance: Council adopted an ordinance fixing the mayor’s annual salary at $7,500 per month ($90,000 per year) and council members at $1,400 per month, effective at the first council meeting in November 2025. The ordinance also authorizes medical benefits for the mayor equivalent to those normally accruing to full‑time city employees, as allowed by law. Vote (suspension and adoption): 4 yeas, 0 nays.

- Travel expense for Councilwoman Dana Henry: Council approved travel expenses for Councilwoman Dana Henry to attend the Alabama League of Municipalities meeting; recorded outcome was 3 ayes and 1 abstention (roll call showed the measure carried with one abstention; the transcript did not map individual roll‑call names to the abstention explicitly).

Discussion and context

Most items were handled with brief staff summaries and roll‑call votes and required suspensions of the rules for immediate consideration. City staff explained the reason for the due‑diligence extension for the North Hill Industrial Park sale was to allow additional environmental review requested by the buyer. The safe‑room resolution included a specific funding contingency: the lease is conditioned on receipt of grant funding and allows termination if funding is not received. The Brawley Boulevard award included a specific contract amount and the funding source (2024 general obligation warrants). Purchases for the former PNC building were funded from the capital infrastructure fund and will be procured via cooperative purchasing where applicable.

Ending

Council concluded the business portion of the meeting after approving the agendas, minutes, and the items listed above. Several items, including the rebid of a previously protested electric construction package, were flagged for later return to the council when scheduling or procurement issues are resolved.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","City Council Work Session and Regular Meeting 2/10/2025","oneSentenceSummary","The council approved multiple ordinances and resolutions including zoning, contract awards, equipment purchases and a salary ordinance; a safe‑room lease was approved but is conditioned on grant funding.","taxTitle","Athens City, Limestone County, Alabama","taxId",65000,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6337434,"Athens City staff: smoke testing and pipe repairs cut wet‑weather flow and find no utility-owned lead service lines",389,301000,690000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2273132-48f14789ffb938d730b3c98e4179ee78&start=301&end=690","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2273132-48f14789ffb938d730b3c98e4179ee78/thumbnail_301000.jpg","/articles/6337434/Athens-City/Limestone-County/Alabama/Athens-City-staff-smoke-testing-and-pipe-repairs-cut-wetweather-flow-and-find-no-utility-owned-lead-service-lines","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6337434-7def281b4f4e6d60889ed5ce99b9f644/orig.mp4?Expires=1775497018&Signature=E7GuifHN~GDZLmn79IU0-iitSZlb37UYtlmfqsM~RGthGks6zEIvyFamX66~SRQ2HO5ziVs01LXHhyMLHDeJHS0lTtiQw4Fzc1Ptcgs9zHVI8kiX2~lD4ip4ph8TuCtNnsf56Sk7o6TPmcDjhhtNDoXy-7lU-jPQGeKP2iwPzztVzJQQ7VsRD4FrPX2ceoj~cbgNENHIgDcAjSMPY2c2hoP1nl3mrM5pweP7y2lHB1tlyfXpMZnqlFvZCzE9yGaXGwi3LTBpi3u5sf1goTW-dXYF8kN2~B2vT86kd6Go5ayqbGzcDqE3iLwRlZmeX5T~W2S~3HTXSK1to3jx5etWnQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","City staff updated the Athens City Council on the city’s wastewater collection smoke‑testing program and the EPA‑mandated lead service line inventory, saying the work has reduced peak wet‑weather flows and improved treatment‑plant operations.

A city water services staff member identified in the meeting as Dave said the treatment plant’s average dry‑weather flow is about 4.5 million gallons per day and that during significant rain events the system has surged to more than 20 million gallons per day. He credited inflow and infiltration — rainwater and groundwater entering the system through defects in pipes and manholes — for the increases and described the city’s detection and repair work.

Dave said the city started a smoke‑testing program in 2023 and has logged more than 1,600 defects on a mapping dashboard. He said crews have completed roughly 55% of remediation work, “about 880 defects,” and the city has installed 12 sewer flow monitors that cover roughly 72% of the system to track results.

Why it matters: reducing I&I (inflow and infiltration) lowers the risk of sanitary sewer overflows, shortens equipment run times at the wastewater treatment plant and helps keep the city within state and federal permit limits, staff said.

City staff presented comparative basin data from identical wet‑weather events in 2023 and 2024. Staff reported up to an 82% reduction in surcharge levels (the measured pipe surcharge during storms), up to a 25% decrease in velocity in some basins, and an overall 27% reduction in measured flow for the compared events. In one basin (identified in the presentation as Basin 1505), an ARPA‑funded repair effort produced about a 31% decrease in flows, staff said.

On lead service lines, the presenter said the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency required utilities to inventory service line materials beginning in 2021 and set an inventory submission deadline of Oct. 16 of the prior year. The city’s inventory was submitted on Sept. 19, the presenter said. According to that inventory, the utility found zero lead service lines on the utility‑owned portions of the system. The inventory did identify 509 privately owned galvanized service lines; the city said it has mailed the property owners notifications consistent with EPA guidance and is tracking outreach in the public dashboard.

The presenter said dashboards and maps showing defects, repairs and the lead‑service‑line inventory are available on the Water Department page of the City of Athens website.

Council questions and next steps: councilmembers briefly thanked staff and asked about future monitoring and repair plans; staff said monitoring will continue and that crews will prioritize additional repairs where the dashboards and monitors show the greatest wet‑weather impact. Staff also said addressing I&I helps the plant recover more quickly after storms and reduces maintenance needs for equipment.

Ending: staff said they will continue to report progress to the council and to keep the publicly accessible dashboards updated.","City staff told the council the city’s smoke‑testing and repairs have reduced inflow and infiltration into the wastewater system, easing strain on the treatment plant, and that the city’s EPA‑required lead service line inventory found no utility‑owned lead lines but identified 509 private galvanized lines.","actionData","errors"]

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Athens City Council approves zoning, contracts, purchases and salary ordinance; safe‑room lease conditioned on grant funding

Athens City staff: smoke testing and pipe repairs cut wet‑weather flow and find no utility-owned lead service lines