Athens City Council met Monday evening and failed to pass an ordinance regarding a highway project that would have required the city to purchase residential property for its use.
The ordinance, which was introduced by all members of Council, detailed two areas of residential property the city believed necessary to legally obtain for the construction of an access road from Herrold Avenue to West State Street.
The ordinance also outlined another area of the property it looked to access temporarily in building the road. The contractor would have access to that portion of the property for a year following its entry date, according to the ordinance.
The city wanted to purchase the property for $64,310 through a process known as eminent domain, which allows a city to seize private property for public use.
“Safety for the area is my top concern,” Councilman Sam Crowl, D-3rd Ward, said. “I do believe that this connector road will make that a safer area, and I do believe that first responders services will be able to access the West side more easily.”
Despite the ordinance detailing the specifics of the project, it would have only authorized the city to file a court action and petition to take the property, Lisa Eliason, the city law director, said.
Councilman Alan Swank, D-4th Ward, said he had no intentions of voting for the ordinance Monday and disagreed with the placement of the road.
“We're going to put a city street and between those two houses … young couple, children playing in the yard, and I'm driving down the street and they're 15 feet away,” Swank said. “Are we going to put up huge fences to protect this? I don't think so.”
The ordinance was introduced as a “one-reading resolution” and failed to pass in a four to three vote against its implementation.
Athens Mayor Steve Patterson said he and the safety director will look into other alternatives to see what other routes could be used for the project.
Funding for the project comes from the Ohio Department of Transportation, or ODOT, and the Appalachian Regional Commission, or ARC, Patterson said. The city and Council have until mid-March to determine an alternative solution.
“If we don't come up with an alternative quickly, then we'd have to return that money to ARC and it's going to make it extremely challenging to … ask again in the future for money for a different project,” Patterson said.
Council also passed an ordinance that authorized a one-time $1,000 retention payment for Athens Police Department officers, lieutenants and communication officers. The money will have to be repaid to the city if those officials leave for a reason other than retirement or disability, according to the ordinance.
Councilman Ben Ziff, D-At Large, was the only member to vote against the ordinance, citing the monetary value as reason why. Ziff does not think Athens could afford the amount of money that may be required to retain those officers, he said.
“Based on the pay that they already receive, I don't view $1,000 as an actual effective retention tool … to me it feels like a $1,000 bonus,” Ziff said. “There's no way we can afford to give them a $20,000 retention payment.”
Council also passed a motion to amend the ordinance that would extend the mask mandate. Instead of extending the mandate to May 31, Council is going to reintroduce the ordinance to extend the mandate to March 31.
News Editor
