NELSONVILLE, Ohio — At its regular meeting at Hocking College on Monday, the statutory Nelsonville City Council adopted a resolution for a referendum on a storm water fee ordinance that the charter council passed last year.
The statutory council has repeatedly repealed ordinances passed by the charter city council that is operating in Nelsonville City Hall.
On Monday, the council passed Resolution 2373 on emergency reading to place the referendum on the upcoming general election ballot. The issue is, based on the Nelsonville charter council’s Ordinance 51-25, which it adopted Sept. 8, 2025. The ordinance established a $3 storm water fee to be collected monthly from all city water customer accounts.
Resolution 2373 allows the statutory council clerk to provide a copy of the resolution to the Athens County Board of Elections. The resolution must be filed with the Athens County Board of Elections by Aug. 5 for the referendum to make the Nov. 3 general election ballot.
The statutory council previously tried to put the storm water fee on the 2025 general election ballot. The Nelsonville city charter requires referendum petitions to be filed within 30 days of the passage of the ordinance or resolution in question. However, the petition filed Oct. 5, 2025, missed the deadline for the 2025 general election ballot — hence the second attempt via Resolution 2373.
Also on Monday, the statutory council heard a presentation from speaker Lynn Garbo, who wants to create a “pocket park” commemorating Nelsonville founder Daniel Nelson.
Garbo wants the city to buy part of the front of the lot of the Athens County Community Cares Resource Center, located at 10 W. Washington St. in Nelsonville. Garbo said the city should then build a small park with a stage and historical information about Daniel Nelson.
In discussion, council member Jessica Hollenbaugh asked Garbo what she would like from the statutory council, since it does not have access to any of the city’s finances. Garbo replied by asking for a vote that would declare their support for the proposal.
However, council member Sue Powell said the city shouldn’t promise anything “when the financial situation with the city right now is very poor, very poor.”
“Even if it’s $50,000 or $25,000, I could not support,” Powell said. “I don’t think our community would because we don’t have a pool. Every dime that we can put together or grants is gonna have to be for that pool.”
Ordinances
As in its previous meetings, the statutory council introduced ordinances to repeal ordinances passed by the charter council. Each of the ordinances states that the other council “is not a legal city council which can transact business of the City,” and that decisions may only be made by the “elected city council.”
Ordinance 30-26 passed on emergency to repeal the charter council’s Ordinance 63-26, which appointed the law firm O’Connor, Haseley and Wilhelm as city attorney.
Ordinance 31-26 passed on emergency to repeal the charter council’s Ordinance 51-26, which fixed an error that resulted in two ordinances being numbered “46-26.”
The statutory council’s next meeting is 7 p.m. Monday, Aug. 3, at The Lodge at Hocking College, 15770 SR 691.
The other council meets every other Monday of each month, at Nelsonville City Council Chambers, 211 Lake Hope Drive. Its next regular meeting will be at 7 p.m. Monday, Aug. 10.
