Athens council approves several ordinances: sewer and fiber budget changes, grant acceptance; mayor announces property condemnations

Athens City Council on April 7 approved a set of ordinances that adjust funding for public works projects, accept a regional energy grant, and authorized a special right-of-way permit for a private fence. The mayor also reported two properties in the city moving toward condemnation and briefed council on flood-management and outreach plans for a proposed income tax increase.

Ordinances and appropriations: Council approved Ordinance 25-25, granting a seven-year special right-of-way use permit at 145 Grosvenor Street to allow a wooden fence that crosses an unused alleyway. Councilors described the alley as one that “goes to nowhere” and approved the measure without further amendment.

Council also approved amendments to project budgets: Ordinance 26-25 amended 2025 appropriations to close out Dairy Lane Stagecoach Sewer work, increasing project authorization by $200,000 to cover sidewalks, bike path repaving and construction engineering adjustments. Ordinance 27-25 increased funding for the city fiber network project by $450,000; councilors said the change covers installation between City Hall and key facilities including Richland Fire Station 2 and Canterbury and would affect signals and signage along the route.

Ordinance 28-25 authorized acceptance of Northeast Ohio Public Energy Council (NOPEC) Energized Community Grant funds for energy-savings or green-energy projects; council members said the city had used similar NOPEC grants in prior years.

Mayor’s report and other communications: Mayor Patterson told council the Hocking River is receding after recent high water and said the river’s high mark “maxed out at 20.4 feet” and was down to about 19.4 feet at the time of the meeting. The mayor announced that a property at 10 Joneswood is being condemned after the structure was observed sliding down a hill; he said the roadway on Joneswood will be closed to through traffic and that the city plans a temporary water line if needed to keep service to affected homes. The mayor also said 92 Grosvenor is going through condemnation as well, and both properties will have red placards posted.

On a different topic, the mayor reminded council and the public about two events on April 14 related to Issue 3, a proposed 0.3 percentage-point income tax increase: a League of Women Voters town hall (tentatively scheduled 5:30–6:30 p.m.) and a noon press conference; the mayor said the earlier press conference on the proposal is available on city social media and government-access channels.

Regional funding note: Council heard that Buckeye Hills Regional Council reported roughly $16.8 million in investments to Southeast Ohio through multiple programs in 2024, supporting projects with aggregate costs that totaled more than $97.9 million in the region.

Other first- and second-reading business: Council had updates or first readings on a range of capital projects, including a city streetscape beautification project, the Columbus Road lift station engineering, and the Stimpson Avenue bridge rehabilitation; several of those items were described as having clerical or funding adjustments to be addressed at later readings.

Votes at a glance: (items adopted during the meeting) - Ordinance 25-25 (special right of way at 145 Grosvenor Street) — approved (motion carried). - Ordinance 26-25 (amend 2025 appropriations — Dairy Lane/Stagecoach Sewer, project closeout/additional $200,000) — approved (motion carried). - Ordinance 27-25 (increase funding for city fiber network by $450,000) — approved (motion carried). - Ordinance 28-25 (accept NOPEC 2025 Energized Community Grant funds) — approved (motion carried). - Ordinance 29-25 (street-closure/event package, amended to add Boogie on the Bricks) — approved, recorded 3–1 in favor (see separate article for discussion). - Ordinance 30-25 (suspension of vending code for events, amended for Boogie on the Bricks) — approved (motion carried). - Ordinance 31-25 (suspension of noise code for event areas, amended for Boogie on the Bricks) — approved (motion carried).

What council directed next: For the capital projects with adjusted appropriations, council authorized the service & safety director and relevant staff to proceed with finalizing designs, advertise for bids where necessary, and coordinate construction engineering. For the condemned properties, the mayor indicated the city would post red placards and proceed with condemnation steps according to city procedures.

Ending: Council adjourned after a full agenda that combined routine approvals, grant acceptance and extended debate over event timing and public-safety coordination.