Important decisions involving tax dollars — such as the approval of city construction projects, street fairs and rules that dictate when, where and how Ohio University students can party — all begin in one place: the Athens City Council chambers.
This past year, council extended health care benefits to domestic partners of city employees and their children, purchased an abandoned gas station and increased its members’ own pay by 1 percent starting in 2014.
Athens City Council members make $7,482 each year, and Jim Sands, the council’s president, makes more than $9,000. That’s more than city council members make in college towns similar to Athens in size, such as Oxford, Kent and Bowling Green, according to a previous Post article.
When in committee, council members discuss possible ordinance ideas and flush out any ordinance or resolution that doesn’t stand a shot at passing in regular session. They also take that time to address any council members’ questions.
If an ordinance moves from there, it gets read at three different regular sessions before council takes a vote — unless council declares that the ordinance has been introduced to address an emergency in the city.
Council meets every Monday night. Regular sessions are held the first and third Monday of the month at 7:30 p.m., and committee meetings are held on the second and fourth Monday of the month at 7 p.m. Meetings are open to the public and take place in the City Building at 8 E. Washington St.
Meetings can also be caught live on television on channel 15 in Athens, or you can read up on the agendas and minutes for meetings on the city website, www.ci.athens.oh.us (or you can catch our weekly recaps online and in print).
All City Council members are Democrats. Council’s four ward representatives will run unopposed in the General Election this November. Two incumbent at-large members, Chris Knisely and Steve Patterson, both Democrats, will face off against Independent Troy Gregorino, the booking manager of Donkey Coffee and Espresso, 17 1/2 W. Washington St., and Jennifer Cochran, a Democrat who is a massage therapist in town.
One at-large member, Democrat Elahu Gosney, decided not to run for re-election.
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