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Council moves to fast-track wastewater loan application, asks members for May 12 special session
Summary
Athens City Council read an ordinance authorizing application for a Water Pollution Control Loan Fund loan for Project No. 330 and sought a special May 12 session so the loan application can meet the EPAdeadline of May 15; council designated sewer fees as the loan repayment source.
Athens City Council on May 5 read an ordinance authorizing the service-safety director to apply for a Water Pollution Control Loan Fund (WPCLF) loan to pay for planning, design and/or construction of wastewater improvements tied to Project No. 330 and asked council members to hold a special session on May 12 so the application can be approved before the May 15 deadline.
The ordinance updates prior authorizations and requires that loan repayment come from the sewer fund. Council member Reisner, who read the ordinance, said: "Section 2, the dedicated source of the loan repayment will be the sewer fund derived from sewer fees." The ordinance also includes an emergency clause intended to accelerate the timeline.
Why it matters: the Ohio WPCLF requires a local legislative authorization and a designated repayment source before an application can be processed. Council members agreed the May 15 application timeline made swift action necessary; President Crowell asked whether at least three members would support a special session on May 12 to enable a second reading and final vote. Several members said they would support holding the special session.
The ordinance as read references prior council actions (ordinance 144-19 and 09-24) that previously authorized related work on Project No. 330. The measure does not specify a loan amount in the text read to council; the ordinance names the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency and Ohio Water Development Authority as the agencies that would process and administer the loan if approved.
Next steps: council will attempt to convene a special session on May 12 to approve the ordinance at second reading and, if necessary, vote to suspend rules so the application can be filed by the May 15 deadline. No final loan authorization vote was recorded at the May 5 meeting.
The councildiscussion placed the choice of repayment squarely with the sewer fund; the ordinance reads that the dedicated source will be "the sewer fund derived from sewer fees." Ending notes: council signaled urgency but did not adopt the loan agreement on May 5; members directed staff to prepare for the special session and the WPCLF application process.
