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Council committee discusses reconstituting comprehensive plan review advisory commission
Summary
The Planning & Development Committee reviewed Ordinance 09306 (2006) that establishes the Comprehensive Plan Review Advisory Commission, discussed composition, recruitment, timeline and budget, and agreed to continue the discussion at the committee’s next meeting in April.
The Planning and Development Committee revisited the ordinance that created the Athens Comprehensive Plan Review Advisory Commission and discussed how to reconstitute the body for a new plan update.
Council member Swank read from Ordinance 09306, explaining that the ordinance establishes a commission composed of seven appointed members plus four ex officio members (the mayor or designee, a council planning‑committee member, the city planner and the county planner) for a total of 11. The commission is charged with overseeing performance measurement for the city’s comprehensive plan and holding open meetings.
Mayor Patterson and city planner Megan Jennings were described as administration contacts; Jennings was identified as the likely point person for coordinating the update. Patterson said the administration envisions beginning the commission late summer or early fall, with a hopeful completion in 2026 but cautioned that producing a finished plan in time to influence the 2026 budget was unlikely. Council member Micah McCarrie urged a faster start so the plan could better inform budget priorities, while member Thomas suggested increasing neighborhood representation on the commission.
The committee discussed recruitment and selection processes, whether to amend the 2006 ordinance to change composition (for example, adding neighborhood representatives), and whether the committee should require specific procedural changes or leave process to the commission. Former planner Paul Logue and the “Essence of Athens” document were cited as prior inputs used in earlier planning work. Jeff Reisner, speaking as a member of the Athens Municipal Arts Commission, urged that arts commissioners and other boards be intentionally included in the update.
Budget history for previous plan work was discussed: the transcript records a $250,000 external planning contract referenced for the earlier plan (circa 2003), a later $50,000 budget request, and an account that about $20,000 was spent in a more recent update through in‑house planner work and Ohio University interns. The committee did not adopt new ordinance language or a formal budget on March 24.
Council members agreed to continue the discussion at the committee’s next regularly scheduled meeting in April and to prepare concrete proposals for recruitment, timeline and potential budget items.
