Athens City Council will discuss two ordinances Monday that would move the city’s plan for installing smart parking meters forward.
One ordinance would authorize the Athens city service-safety director to purchase the new meters. Another ordinance would allow for $450,000 in notes to be issued. The notes would be used to sell bonds that would help pay for the new parking meters. The new meters are projected to cost about $460,000, according to a previous Post report.
The city hopes to purchase 526 new meters. Athens Mayor Steve Patterson said that the cost of those meters would be paid off in three to four years. Money will also be saved due to the decision for the city to borrow money and purchase the meters rather than sublease them. The new meters would not be a financial burden to the city, Patterson said. The cost for maintaining meters in Athens would remain about the same.
Ordinances for organizing an uptown art event on August 17 will also be discussed. The ordinances include suspending city code for noise violations, suspending code for vending, and closing a portion of Union Street between Court Street and and Congress that day.
An ordinance about purchasing police body cameras and tasers will be introduced after the discussion at last week’s meeting. The ordinance would allow the city to enter a five year contract for purchasing both body-worn cameras and tasers for the Athens Police Department.
APD Police Chief, Tom Pyle, requested the purchase of 20 body-worn cameras for officers. The purchase could be made through the same company Athens gets its police tasers from. The contract for that purchase would cost the city about $44,000. That amount is already incorporated into the year’s budget.
Council will also discuss ordinances about the Brick Criterium and several agreements with the Ohio Department of Transportation.
