Athens council hears pre-annexation plan from county children’s services ahead of building project

Athens County Children’s Services told the City Council Planning and Development Committee on Monday that it is pursuing a pre-annexation agreement to bring its new campus into the city so the project can access larger water service lines. The agency’s executive director, Otis Crockman, said construction on the roughly 28,800-square-foot building has begun and that a larger sprinkler line on Jacobs Road is a key reason to seek annexation.

The proposal matters because the city will ultimately provide drinking and firefighting water service to the site if the annexation proceeds. Mayor Patterson described the measure as a political-subdivision annexation and said council will petition the county board of commissioners in November 2026 for final annexation. "This is a different type of…