City Council - Regular Meeting

Good evening and welcome to Athens City Council. Today is Tuesday, September 8th and we have one Finance and Personnel Committee meeting before we proceed to regular session and we'll have everyone stay at the dais since we'll just have that one committee meeting and I will turn things over to the Chair of Finance and Personnel, Jessica Thomas.

Thank you. So tonight we just have one item on the Finance and Personnel Committee. I've sent out notes previously just explaining what we're talking about tonight. If you recall from last committee and what's up for first reading tonight was some addressing of the medical fund with what the early retirement buyouts and how that needed to get shifted around. So in looking at all that, they need to make some more, the auditor's office is asking to make more changes addressing the medical fund. They're all referenced in the ordinance medical fund two. that will be named obviously later. But basically the medical fund, this time last year we've had to address by moving money out of funds, out of the general fund into the medical fund to support rising costs of prescriptions, care, and general medical costs for the city's insurance. So in looking at this last year, if you look back on the ordinances that I referenced, We had to move over $750,000 from the general fund to bolster that for the end of the year. This year, while they were looking to see how much would be needed, they went through all of the budgets, looked through to see what was available in existing appropriated funds, and found that they could transfer most of it over from previously appropriated funds that were not going to be needed to last through the end of the year, that there was an excess in some of the various departments. If you go through that list that was sent, you can see where they're all coming from. Basically, $611 is coming from various previously appropriated funds in the general fund, and then another $300 plus coming from various other funds throughout the city. So what you'll have is a million dollar transfer into the medical fund to get us through the end of the year. And thankfully, none of that is going to be new appropriations that go directly to the medical fund. In that same ordinance, there are some other appropriations that are going to be used to cover Wages in a few departments that while they are going through looking at medical fund costs They notice that there's a few departments that need bolsters for their wages for the end of the year So there's another two hundred and fifty thousand dollars that will be transferred To various departments and that's in the first section of the appropriation that you'll see but that is the basics of what we were talking about for this appropriation and For that I'm gonna move next to the auditor for any additional comments. I

Not too many additional comments. That basically sums it up. Again, when we looked at doing this this year, last year we just did a bulk $750,000 general fund of medical. This year when we talked about that, the deputy auditor said I have a different idea. She said let's go through a lot of these different account lines, the personnel lines, and find where every year we have access in wages in certain areas. And as opposed to just letting that sit there the rest of the year, her suggestion was to do what we're doing here. And it's a long ordinance, but what it does is it basically moves the money from those lines where we know the money's not going to be, well, we're not going to say we don't, but we feel fairly confident that the money's not going to be needed for the rest of the year. So instead of just letting it sit there, let's basically repurpose those appropriations and move them into the medical fund. It's a long drawn out ordinance, but the reason it's that way is because this is just sort of the way it needs to go, is to take that money. When you look at it, what we're doing is we're reducing the, I'm going to use my office as an example. If you look in section two, auditor 101, 102, this $30,769 was money that we had in our personnel lines. We did the math for the rest of the year. We determined this money is just going to sit there. We're over by that much. So instead of leaving it in that personnel line, let's move it to the transfer line. That's what Section 2 does. And then Section 3 takes it from the transfer line into the medical fund. And we basically did this for all these different lines that you're seeing on here. Again, it's kind of a long ordinance. The reason we did it this way, Clerk Walker helped us with this. This is a perfect roadmap for us that when we do actually make the changes in the system, if we go line by line and follow this, we know we're getting it right. If the stated auditor comes in later and says, we'd like to see this, we have a nice roadmap for them to follow that they can see all of our changes right here in this ordinance. So it is long, but that's why we did it that way. But again, we kind of thought that was a better approach as opposed to just saying let's just take straight $750,000 out of the general fund right from the start if we worked with money that we had already appropriated. So I hope that makes sense to everybody. If not, just feel free to ask questions.

I have to go to the public first. Next we'll go to the public if anyone has any questions on this particular ordinance or discussion. All right, and seeing none there, do we have any questions from the members of the committee? Member Claude Felder.

Two questions, Mr. Auditor. First, could you give us a total amount of all of these, and I guess the ones for the medical fund? And secondly, have you gotten any pushback from any of the departments about this affecting their carry forward?

No, no. Because again, basically, at the end of the year, where we're taking the money from in the personnel lines, at the end of the year, normally what the deputy auditor would do would say, well, in our case, would say you have $30,000 that was appropriated there. she would have reduced that down to zero. So again, this wouldn't affect the carryover part. This is money that all of you already appropriated last year at the end of the year in that annual budgeting ordinance. We've just determined that some of the personnel lines, we had plenty of money in there that we can reduce those down and instead shift that money into the medical fund instead. What was your other question?

How much is it total going from the departments into the medical?

At the end of the day, we're going to move a full million dollars into the medical fund.

From existing allocated funds. From all the existing- There's a- City accounts. There's a- Yeah. An attachment on your email.

Section three, if you look at section three of the ordinance when it's there, that basically spells it all out.

Okay, thank you. Any other questions? Member Wood?

Yeah, thank you. You answered part one of mine there, which is helpful about what we normally do. I assume, my follow-up question is, I assume that we have these extra balances for a reason, that we know that there's going to be carryover or that we have padding allocated, as you said. What do we do should there be an emergency? Previous years we've had issues with the medical fund getting hit and had to reappropriate. What happens if there is a an issue arises later and we don't have the funds needed in these lines. So again, oh, so like if we take too much? Is that what you're asking, sort of? Or we don't have what we need should there be some other item arise, yeah.

I'll come back to you again and say, hey, we need to reappropriate some new funds. One thing that we will do is we're going to revisit this the beginning of November. And just make sure that our math is good and that we're on track with everything that we've done here. We just wanted to get ahead of it this year is the gist of it. Last year, I don't think we passed this until October. We would really like to pass this, actually probably tonight if you guys would agree to do it. But we would like to definitely get this large ordinance done in September for sure. Because again, we just want to stay ahead of this thing. Medical fund, as you guys well know, is the one area that we just can't predict 100%. We can do our best, but there's no predicting that somebody might get injured, or get injured is the word I guess I'm looking for. But we could get sick or have a medical emergency, and then before you know it, you've got some bills. So it's just the one area that's a little bit harder to predict, and obviously we know medical costs just have not gone down over the last year, unfortunately.

Do we have any additional questions from members of the committee? And do we have any issues or does anyone have any objection to moving this forward out of committee?

All right.

That ends finance and personnel.

Thank you, Member Thomas. We'll now begin regular session at 7.09 PM. We'll begin with a call to order and establishing quorum. We have five of seven council members here this evening, and we do have a quorum. The next item of business is to approve the agenda. May I have a motion to do so? So moved. Can I have a second?

Second.

Oh, Member Thomas.

I need to move to amend the agenda. Oh, to amend.

Okay. A motion to amend from Member Thomas. Do we have a second? Second. And Member Thomas, can you give us an explanation for your intention?

I would like to move to amend the agenda to add ordinance 0-86-26, just what we previously discussed.

Any discussion from council members? All right. I would like to have a motion to adopt, to accept the agenda as amended. So moved. Can I have a second? Second. All in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed say nay. All right. The agenda has been amended and we'll move on to communications. Do we have any communications from council members? Member Sherwood.

Yeah, I want to briefly acknowledge the passing of Dolly Parton on August 25th and one part of her extraordinary legacy that has a direct connection to Athens. Inspired by her father, who could not read or write, Dolly created the Imagination Library, which sends an age-appropriate book every month to children from birth to age five at no cost to their families. Athens County has participated in the program since 2020, and the City of Athens has been a financial supporter for several years now, helping make those books available to children and families in our community. It's a wonderful example of how one person's generosity and imagination can grow into something that reaches children all over the world. I'm grateful that Athens has been part of carrying that legacy forward, and Dolly, we'll miss you.

Thank you, Member Isherwood. Additional communications? Member Wood.

Just want to recognize efforts from folks in the near north side neighborhood. John and some other volunteers. blanked on his last name, coordinated the building of the stairs, effort to help rebuild those stairs on the far side of the hill. Went over there and did some drilling. Had a guest appearance by Steve, working on the saw. He's not here for me to compliment his woodworking skills, but he was there as well. It was a good day. I think there will probably be a second one. But it was great to have folks come together and help rebuild those stairs, so.

Thank you, Member Wood. Mayor Patterson has provided us with two proclamations that his office has issued. The first being for Welcome Week. Welcoming Week is September 10th through 19th, as recognized by the city of Athens. And I won't read the full thing, but it says, whereas by embracing our differences and recognizing our shared humanity, we can strengthen relationships, build trust, and create a more inclusive and welcoming Athens for everyone. So we want to encourage all residents to participate in activities that promote inclusion, belonging, understanding, and community connection. The second proclamation from Mayor Patterson is in recognition of National Hispanic Heritage Month, which begins September 15th and will last through October 15th. In the city of Athens, says the mayor, I encourage all Athens residents, neighbors, and community members to join in celebrating this month by participating in local cultural programs, supporting Hispanic-owned businesses, and honoring the vital role Hispanic Americans play in our past, present, and future. Do we have any additional communications from council members? Other elected officials, law director, auditor, treasurer? All right. Seeing no additional communications, we'll now move on to Our one reading resolution, Resolution 0626, a resolution promoting respectful interactions and shared responsibility in Athens, introduced by all members of Council. This was previously discussed through Committee of the Whole. It's essentially a diplomatic gesture to bring together folks from across our communities with a shared purpose and understanding that it's very important for elected officials and leaders in different sectors to role model respectful interactions, to keep things Honest and respectful will help us improve our communication not only in City Hall but throughout our communities. And I'll open things for comments from council members. Member Thomas.

I have a letter from the Athens Community Relations Commission supporting the resolution. I'll just read the first paragraph. On behalf of the Community Relations Commission, we write in support of the draft resolution promoting respectful interactions and shared responsibility in Athens. The CRC is committed to maintaining harmony, fairness, dignity, and equal treatment for all community members. Further recognizes that positive community relations are built through how residents, institutions, and community partners engage with one another across similarities and differences.

Thank you, Member Thomas. And do we have any other comments on this resolution from members of council? Then I will check with other elected officials. And members of the public, if you wouldn't mind, there's a sign in sheet at the podium. We'd love to have you just introduce yourself. Let us know if you are representing yourself or an organization. And if you could let us know your address, that would be great. Each member of the public speaking will have three minutes, and you'll see a timer turn green, then yellow, then red at the end. Thank you.

Thank you, President McCarrick. I'm Todd Grace, Athens County Municipal Court Judge, and I just wanted to come in and express appreciation for this resolution. This is something that I think is very important. It's important for all of us in these types of positions to be deliberate about this, and I appreciate that deliberate nature of this resolution. This is something that we work on a lot in municipal court. We see people at low points in their lives and trying to make sure that they feel respected is an important thing that my staff and I make a daily priority. I appreciate that you're doing the same. Thank you all for making this resolution.

Thank you, Judge Grace.

Thank you, President McCary. Chad Springer, Athens City School District Superintendent. I just stand before you tonight in strong support of the resolution. As a community, our values shouldn't stop at the classroom door or at the edge of our own driveways. They need to reflect what we are actively teaching the next generation. In our local school district, our students live by a framework rooted in positive behavior interventions and supports. Be safe, be kind, and be respectful. While all three pillars matter, kindness is the engine that drives the rest. Kindness isn't just a passive feeling. It's an active choice to lead with empathy, to listen, and to treat others with grace. When we practice kindness daily, respect naturally follows. You cannot genuinely respect someone without first choosing to treat them kindly. Being kind establishes the foundation. It compels us to look beyond differences, de-escalate tension, and seek common ground. Being respectful is the bridge where every perspective and individual in our city is genuinely valued. Being safe is the ultimate destination, ensuring every resident feels secure and protected in our public spaces and forums. By passing this resolution, you send a powerful message to our youth. Kindness isn't just an elementary school lesson, but the civic strategy that creates a respected community. Let's lead by example and show our children that a culture of respect starts with everyday acts of kindness. I urge you to vote in favor of the resolution. Thank you.

Thank you very much. We have anyone else who'd like to speak from the public on this? Now is a time to approach the podium. I'll just mention from section From one of the whereases in the resolution that Ohio University's Make Respect Visible initiative also encourages learning across differences, broader understanding, inclusion of all voices, and productive, respectful dialogue. So I've appreciated the input and confirmation from the Office of the President and Division of Student Affairs that that remains one of Ohio University's commitments. And lastly, I'll read section five. The Mayor and Council of the City of Athens encourage continued collaboration among the City of Athens, Athens City Schools, Ohio University, boards and commissions, community organizers, residents, students, workers, and families to strengthen belonging, respectful dialogue, and to share responsibility throughout Athens. With that said, I would entertain a motion to adopt this resolution. So moved.

Second.

We have a motion and a second. Any discussion? All right. All in favor for adopting Resolution 0626 say aye.

Aye.

Any opposed say nay. Resolution 0626 has passed unanimously. We'll now move on to ordinances for third reading. Ordinance 76-26 is an ordinance amending the 2026 Appropriation Ordinance 120-25 introduced by Councilmember Thomas.

Thank you. This is an ordinance appropriating additional funds in the amounts of $5,593.56 to General Fund Police 101-207. for insurance proceeds for cruiser repair, $3,800 to General Fund Fire, $101,208 awarded grant funds for CPR mannequins and AED trainers for city staff, $50,000 to General Fund Lands and Building, $101,112 for street light electricity, and $55,000 to Internal Service IT Fund, $865,647 to cover IT costs through the year end and increasing the total appropriations by set amounts, We've discussed these in committee and I had two readings. And I would move that we adopt 76-26. Second.

We have a motion and a second. Any discussion? From members of council, from elected officials, members of the public? All right. All in favor of adopting Ordinance 76-26, say aye. Aye. Any opposed, say nay. Ordinance 76-26 has passed unanimously. Next, we have Ordinance 79-26, an ordinance granting a special right-of-way use permit at 144 Grosvenor Street to Richuparna and Dabasi Basu owners to extend an existing front porch into the city right-of-way, introduced by Councilmember Swank and read tonight by Member Paul Isherwood.

Yeah, Member Swank asked, who can't be with us tonight, asked me to tackle this issue. This is, as we may remember from the previous two readings, is exactly what it is. This is allowing an awning to jut into the right-of-way at 144 Grosvenor Street. I think we all... That came out of committee pretty strongly. I don't think there's much chance to be said that, but so I move that we adopt ordinance 0-79-26. Second. We have a motion and a second.

Any discussion from council members? Other, oh, yeah, member Wood.

I mean, somebody has to say on behalf of Allen as well, that they went down to the code office, they read the things, and they did it the right way. So, I think you missed part of the message that Allen would make sure to have in there. That's all.

Yeah, we do appreciate folks following instructions. Member Claude Filder.

And in the spirit of what Allen might say, I will share that, like Allen, I also went to Grosvenor Street and looked at this property, and I don't see how Letting the people at this residence extend their awning by this amount is going to negatively impact anyone else. It looks fine.

Thank you. I believe I checked with other elected officials in the public. Do we have any concerns or folks who wanted to speak on this item? Okay. And have we had the motion in second? All right. Then all in favor of approving Ordinance 76-26, nope, sorry, 79-26, please say aye. Aye. Any opposed, say nay. Ordinance 79-26 has passed unanimously. Our last ordinance for third reading tonight is Ordinance 80-26, an ordinance amending Ordinance 110-25, updating the cybersecurity policy for the City of Athens, introduced by all members of council. This is, I'll speak to this, this is a recommendation from the state of Ohio to make sure that our cyber security policies are addressing all the things that they need to. So this was originally discussed in committee and now it's up for third reading. I would take a motion to adopt 8026.

So moved.

Do we have a second?

Second.

Any discussion from council members? Other elected officials? Members of the audience? Seeing none, all in favor of adopting Ordinance 80-26, say aye. Aye. Any opposed, say nay. Ordinance 80-26 has been passed unanimously. Moving on to ordinances for second reading, Ordinance 82-26 is an ordinance amending Athens City Code Title VII, Traffic Chapter 7.09, penalties, sections 7.09.99 P, Q, and R introduced by all members of council. Member Palmes.

I just want to comment because I'm sure people are going to hear the title and be curious that the only change in this for the second reading is extending the time period in which you can pay your fine to 14 days from 5. But everything else, the fees have been dropped or the change to fees has been dropped. So just to make sure that's out into the interworld.

Thank You member Thomas any other updates or comments on ordinance 82-26 at this time okay ordinance for first reading ordinance 84-26 an ordinance amending the 2026 appropriation ordinance 120-25 introduced by councilmember Thomas thank you this is and we talked about this briefly last week in committee this is appropriating $30,000 to the sewer fund plant for a digital oxygen sensor and

And increasing the total appropriations by set amounts. This is the item that allows them to do the three readings required a day remotely without having to send someone physically to the plant. To do so, I would move that we adopt, or I'm sorry, we're just first reading. Do we have any questions from members of council? Auditor's office? And do we have any questions from the public? All right, 84-26 has been read for the first time.

Thank you, Member Thomas. Next for first reading, Ordinance 85-26, an ordinance amending the 2026 Appropriation Ordinance 120-25 and authorizing inter-fund transfers to the medical fund as part of the insurance funding costs associated with Ordinance 12-26, the city's 2026 Employee Retirement Incentive Program, introduced by Councilmember Thomas.

It does basically what the title says we spoke about this in committee last week This is just when we did the early retirement buyout all the funds were pulled from the medical fund when The original intent was that they would be pulled from the various departments that those people retired from And we also had to I believe Initiate the appropriations to be able to move them to the fund So this is there's a list of I think eight different retiree departments that are being moved over, nine, and including the internal service fund transfer of 157,000 that is correcting the bookkeeping that had gone into 865 instead of 866. That was all discussed in committee, so I will see do we have any questions from members of council?

Seeing none, it seems like ordinance 85-26 has been read for the first time. I think we have a comment from the auditor. Yes.

We would ask that you suspend tonight. This is, again, at this current time, the medical fund has seen a lot of action. And we would like to get these funds, again, this total ends up being 330 plus 100, about $487,000. We'd like to get that done tonight, because that way it gets the medical fund healthy again, essentially.

Thank you. We are low on attendance today, so the parliamentarian and law director is reminding us that we are not able to suspend the rules. Would we... I thought if we had everybody... We have six or seven.

We have five.

We only have five. Oh, I didn't realize... Oh, sorry, Megan.

Yeah, sorry, Megan. Never mind.

Not really bad. I didn't notice Megan was not here.

But would it be understood that the next available opportunity to do so? Absolutely.

So then I would ask... Mm-hm, so then I would ask that this ordinance be placed that we have a special session next week after committees to read this ordinance and the next one that Member Thomas is about to bring up.

All right, anything else on ordinance 85-26? Which has been read for the first time, but we weren't able to spin the rules. That's fine. Okay, then we'll go ahead and move on. Member Thomas?

All right, thank you. Move on to the next one here. We'll move on to 86-26 that we discussed earlier tonight so that we can get a first reading on this. An ordinance amending the 2026 appropriation ordinance 120-25 and authorizing inter-fund transfers. As you discussed a little while ago, the initial Section 1 has the appropriations that are the new appropriations that come to a total of $250,000 that will go towards wages in the various departments that look like they're going to need them. Section 2 is a Substantially long list of transfers and increasing and decreasing the funds, moving those monies that are deemed unnecessary for the rest of the year into the medical fund. I will not put all of us through the pain of reading the page and a half. Then Section 3, if you go down, authorizes to make the following inter-fund transfers from those funds to Medical Fund 866. I would ask if we have any questions from members or counsel. Anything else from the auditor's office?

Nothing. Just you guys have the document, so if you feel free to take the next week and read through it. If you have questions, bring them next week. That'd be great.

All right. And any questions from the public? All right. Seeing none, 86-26 has been read for the first time.

Thank you, Member Thomas. I believe that concludes our ordinances for first reading, allowing us to move into announcements and other business before we provide opportunities for the public to speak. If we do have members of the public to speak who'd like to sign in in advance, there's a sign-in sheet at the podium. Otherwise, you'll be able to do that when you have your three minutes apiece. And announcements and other business. First, we have a motion to accept the, may I have a motion to accept the July 2026 financial reports?

So moved. Second.

We have a motion and a second. Any discussion by council? Other elected officials? Auditor? Treasurer? All right. Members of the public? This is. Okay, thanks. So all in favor of accepting the July 2026 financial reports say aye.

Aye.

Any opposed say nay. The financial reports for July 2026 have been accepted. Now may I have a motion to accept the June 2026 financial reports? So moved.

Second.

We have a motion and a second. Any discussion from council? Other elected officials? Members of the public? Seeing none, all in favor of accepting the June 2026 financial reports say aye.

Aye.

Any opposed say nay.

Do you mean the credit card transactions?

Credit card transactions, sorry. June 2026 credit card transactions. All in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed say nay. All right, the June 2026 credit card transactions have been accepted. And then finally, motion to approve appointments to the Community Relations Commission. Member Thomas, would you like me to read those or would you like to do so?

Either way.

Okay. We just have two new applicants for the Community Relations Commission, which Member Thomas mentioned earlier today, Laura Olbers and Eden True. Both have attended meetings recently. I've met them. They're eager to contribute to the goals of the Community Relations Commission. May I have a motion to accept these appointments?

So moved. Second.

We have a motion and a second. Any discussion by council members? Other elected officials? Members of the public? All in favor of accepting these two appointments to the Community Relations Commission, please say aye.

Aye.

Any opposed, say nay. The two appointments have been approved for the Community Relations Commission. Thank you very much. We'll now move on. Well, I'll check. Any other announcements or business from council members? All right, we're moving on to opportunities for citizens to speak on legislative items and city services not covered on the agenda. And if you would just, one at a time, take your turn at the podium, and you'll see a sign-in sheet reminding you to introduce yourself with your name, let us know where you live, and let us know if you're representing yourself or an organization, and you'll have three minutes.

Thank you. This statement is a little too long for three minutes, so I'm going to begin and Wherever you want, I'm going to finish. I'm Susan Riggie. I live on Stradsdown Road, but I'm here representing Mount Zion Black Cultural Center at 32 West Carpenter Street here in town. Thank you for the opportunity to speak. I'm going to jump right into our request. We ask that the city resolve the problem of the North Congress River. This river forms one runoff collects during heavy rain because there are no catch basins on the entire North Congress Street Hill, none. Floods have set back Mount Zion's construction twice this summer. The city knows it must upgrade infrastructure for climate change. This is an immediate problem and needs attention now. And just to clarify you, when I say there's none, there is one close to the corner after our property. So after the water comes down the hill and inundates us. Simone Zion sits at the bottom of three hills. We installed interior and exterior perimeter drains around the entire building, installed four sump pumps and two backup pumps, a system some thought was overbuilt. This summer showed that even this robust system cannot make up for deficiencies in the city's stormwater system. On June 18th, four feet of water infiltrated our newly renovated basement. We tore out wet drywall and electrical components and rebuilt. On August 11th, another 18 inches came in and two more inches later that week. On September 5th, we nearly had a fourth episode of flooding. Each time we watched the river careening down the street towards us. The damage is not confined to the basement. The first storm opened a subsidence at the southwest corner near the side of the old storm tunnel, six feet wide, 12 feet long, and four and a half feet deep at the deepest point. The second flood brought a new subsidence in our west yard and a new source of water at the northwest corner. The city searched for a break or unknown drain in the main tunnel that may have carried our gravel into the storm sewer. They found one 12-inch pipe that was already plugged. We subsequently excavated and found a six-inch clay pipe headed towards the tunnel, too clogged with gravel to scope. Logic says it may empty into the tunnel, and our contractor has plugged it so we can't lose any more gravel through that. So I just want to say that These concerns have been shared with Mr. Stone, Mr. Chicky, and the Department of Public Works.

Thank you so much. We'll continue on to the next speaker. Thank you. If you wouldn't mind signing in, introducing yourself. And thank you. If anyone does have statements that they would like to bring to the clerk, we'll add those to the record.

Yeah, Regis Saxton. I am treasurer of Mount Zion, finishing up remarks from Sue. The new water that's also beginning at the northwest corner comes from a broken pipe that's carrying rooftop water from houses on North Concord Street. It was not on the city maps that were shared with us. It is not on the 2017 map that was prepared by EMH&T. Our contractor does not recall it being marked when utilities were located. so they did not know how to protect it. That line and the six-inch line that Wolf Creek Construction found are now on the City GIS map and shared with us in 9-4 because we found it. Again, to sum up our request, we're asking for three things. To install catch basins uphill from Mount Zion, raise the curve thus confronting Mount Zion, which may not meet city standards. and repair the broken line at our northwest corner, which carries other properties water across ours. We would appreciate the city involving our architect and reviewing these plans to make sure that we're in agreement that these concerns have been addressed. As we've said at Mount Zion, we've taken our own measures, but really only the city can address this greater infrastructure problem. This council has acknowledged, of course, that we have a climate crisis, and we know that. The flooding over on Richland Avenue has been evidence of that. But there's another side of the city that also needs to be taken care of. So we ask that the council acknowledge that and the importance of Mount Zion to the cultural life of the city as we are in the strategic plan. And we just ask that you make these changes as soon as possible. Thank you.

Thank you. We have any additional speakers on this topic? Now would be a fantastic time to approach the podium. Looks like we might have two, one or two.

Good evening. My name is Ada Woodson-Adams, and I'm the president of the Mount Zion Black Cultural Center that my ABLE building chair, Sue Reedy, just spoke to you about, and my ABLE-abided treasurer, Regis Saxton, spoke to you about. But I'm here because One of the things that needs to be said is, and I think that you said it tonight with the first ordinance that you passed.

The Resolution on Respect?

Right. Yes. And I don't feel like the West End and Mount Zion is getting the same fair treatment as Richmond Avenue. Now, Richmond Avenue, they have their problems too and they need to be addressed. But when it came to Mount Zion, We were told that we have to pay for our own repair work, even if it's city pipes. We didn't dig down to 1900 and put in clay pipes and sewer lines, and we didn't put in the sewer lines that are now on the maps that you see. We all know that Athens sits on a body of water. People talk about the flood plain. A flood plain means that you're so many yards or distance from a river or a body of water. But Athens itself is a flood plain in itself. And so one of the things that we have to address, where is this water coming from and why isn't the city taking an interest in the area of Mount Zion as they rigorously took interest in Richardson Avenue? And I just don't think that the humanitarian thing is being done and I'm speaking on behalf of the people on the West End and in particularly Mount Zion. Thank you.

Thank you very much. Do we have any additional members of the public who would like to speak to the topic of Mount Zion and flooding in city infrastructure? We appreciate those of you who've come out with this important update and information. I appreciate that you've also been in touch with the mayor's administration. And although we don't have a response for you this evening, I do plan to follow up with them to make sure that they acknowledge the receipt of having heard this conversation and can respond to you with regard to the recommendations that you've made. Do we have anything further on this matter? Other members of the public would like to speak on topics that were not on the agenda. If you would approach the podium, there's a sign in sheet and after you've introduced yourself, I'll start your three minute time.

Sure, I've already signed in. Good evening members of council and city officials. My name is Adam Lewis and I'm the owner of Taco John's on Richland Avenue. My business employs local residents, generates sales taxes that fund this city, and anchors an entryway into Athens. Yet, because I live just outside of city limits, I cannot vote in your elections. You hold the power to spend my tax dollars, but I hold zero power at the ballot box. That makes my presence at this podium tonight essential. I'm here because the city's execution of the Richland Avenue project is actively crippling local businesses, and leadership's response has been completely unacceptable. Over the past month, businesses along Richland Avenue, including Taco John's, Wendy's, and McDonald's, among others, have lost 40 to 50% of our revenue. This is not a minor inconvenience, it's an economic crisis. If the city of Athens suddenly lost half of its tax revenue overnight, this council chamber would be in full panic mode. At my restaurant alone, three employees have had to quit because traffic dried up and I didn't have the hours to give them to pay their rent. Real working people are losing their livelihoods and small business owners like myself are footing the bill for the city's poor planning. The city engineer publicly admitted that doing this during student move-in was meant to save the city money. Let's call it what it is. The city saved money on its own construction budget by transferring those costs directly onto the balance sheets of local businesses and the paychecks of our workers. The execution on this project has failed us in three distinct ways. First of all, zero advance notice. We received no warning until a sign appeared on the roundabout in Richland when the blockade dropped. You cannot choke off a primary commercial corridor without warning and expect businesses to survive. Number two, disastrous timing. Blasting apart Richland Avenue during OU move-in sent a message to thousands of incoming families that our corridor was closed for business. Number three, harmful public messaging. The city has actively posted advisories asking motorists to avoid the area while signs, even to this day, still read road closed with no mention of a detour. You didn't just restrict access, you actively instructed our customer base to stay away. Infrastructure work has to happen, but steamrolling local businesses is not acceptable governance. According to the messenger, the city consulted Ohio University, the school district, and HapCap before starting this project. Why was not a single business or resident in the affected area ever given a seat at the table? Moving forward, we demand three concrete actions. Number one, mandatory early engagement. Create a formal protocol requiring business owner input before project schedules and detours are finalized on future commercial work. Number two, direct written notice. Mandate an in-person written notification to every affected property owner weeks prior to any major road or utility work. And number three, immediate damage control. Replace these avoid the area signs with clear digital messaging at US 33 detour points stating Richland Avenue businesses are open and accessible. Use the city's public platforms to drive traffic back to our doors. I'm speaking tonight for the more than 100 workers along the Richland Avenue corridor who have been left behind by these decisions. We saw this exact pattern happen on Union Street and Stimson, and we saw businesses close forever because of it. We expect city leadership to stop treating local businesses as acceptable collateral damage, take responsibility for this failure, and act immediately to fix it. Thank you.

Thank you very much. If you wouldn't mind leaving your comments with us, we'd appreciate that as an opportunity to follow up. Sure. Thank you.

The email was also sent out, I believe it was last week. I sent it to Ms. Walker, so she should just forward that out. Okay. I believe you already have a copy. Thank you.

President McCary, can I just make one?

Remember Thomas?

I just want to comment just because I clarified that starting May 1st, the city was putting out road maps with all the street closures for the next however many months, stating that this would start in July and it got delayed. But there has been notice. I'm on a dairy barn board. We've watched these road closures. So it's obviously a very important intersection for us. But starting end of April, beginning of May, they've been out on the city social medias in various forms.

First time anybody from my restaurant, any of my employees heard anything about it was when that sign appeared on Richland. So whatever method it was used, it was ineffective.

We are in a time of multimedia where it's hard to find one route to get to everybody, but I just think it's fair to defend the...

people putting those notices up sure and that's why i recommend some written notice even anybody from city officials just dropping a flyer saying hey richland's going to be closed it would as simple as that if we would have known a month in advance we could have properly planned we could have done a lot of different things that would have helped brace the impact of this but to find out the week of we were caught with our hands tied behind our back and forced to respond

appreciate you clarifying that and although the administration is responsible for the implementation of the construction projects and getting our information out on the websites our government channel plays a role in sending out communication and I think council members as we become aware of construction projects that we've approved or authorized if we want to invite the administration to give more periodic updates about what they're doing to engage with community members who might be impacted those all might be options for us Thank you for taking the time to come this evening. Do we have other members of the public who'd like to speak on topics that haven't already been on the agenda? May I speak to that? I don't recall. Can we allow that?

One person speak.

Yes, different topics, so please just reintroduce yourself.

Yes. I want to thank you for your comments and I want to say that I don't believe it's appropriate for the city to expect businesses, parents, anybody to scan public media or scan the city website to find out when the hammer is going to fall in their neighborhood. I think you're absolutely right that business owners should be notified ahead of time. That's all.

Thank you. We appreciate all the comments this evening. Do we have anyone else from the public who'd like to speak on topics not already covered? Seeing none, I would accept a motion to adjourn. So moved. Do we have a second? Second. All in favor of adjourning, say aye. Aye. Any opposed, say nay. We are adjourned at 7.45 PM.

Thank you everyone. Thank you.