Nuisance party ordinance also expected to be passed Monday night.
Since Mayor Paul Wiehl asked Athens Code office to start issuing hundreds of warnings to people with visible trash, Athens City Council members have been inundated with calls and complaints regarding the controversial Garbage and Rubbish Ordinance.
Their answer? Come to Monday night’s meeting to talk about it.
The ordinance will be up for a second reading at the 7 p.m. meeting.
After John Paszke, Director of Code Enforcement and City Development, pledged to finish its sweep of the city in search of trash cans in violation with the current garbage ordinance, over 400 residents received warnings regarding the visibility of their rubbish in a five-day period.
The proposed amendments to a current ordinance have sparked controversy and protest since Wiehl threatened to veto the legislation. Some Athens residents have been especially vocal on social media, with some residents comparing code enforcers to North Korean supreme leader Kim Jong-un.
Council clerk Debbie Walker said last Wednesday that residents who come to city council to speak about the Garbage and Rubbish Ordinance will be limited to only three minutes.
Though council already had a rule regarding a time limit for residents who chose to speak, enforcement has traditionally been lax.
Walker added that she doesn’t expect many people to come speak, and that the time limit was precautionary.
Amendments to the ordinance include the allowance of permits to be issued for those who cannot hide their trash from view, whether it be because they are disabled or their property doesn’t allow for it. They also more clearly define where trash must be hidden from.
Other items on the agenda include the third and final reading of the newly proposed fines for the city’s Nuisance Party Ordinance.
Council members previously wished to increase the fine for rambunctious and disruptive partying from $150 to $250 while keeping the fine a civil offense. After finding out that this didn’t comply with Ohio Revised Code, the fine remains at $150.
In previous council sessions, Law Director Pat Lang compared the newly revised penalties to a parking ticket.
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