NELSONVILLE, Ohio — Facing pressure from a court order, Nelsonville City Council on Monday night approved an ordinance to put a citizen initiative to abolish the city charter on the Nov. 5 ballot.
If the ballot issue passes, Nelsonville would return to a statutory form of government with an elected mayor, instead of a city manager hired by Nelsonville City Council.
The ordinance, passed on emergency first reading, states that the Athens County Court of Common Pleas ordered the Nelsonville City Council to follow its charter — specifically a portion that outlines how voters and the council from Nelsonville may pursue ballot initiatives. The city has argued for months that its charter should not govern an electoral process, despite a charter article outlining initiative procedures within the city.
The ordinance states that the city will comply with the court order with “no further comment on whether the petition initiative is proper in form or substance such that it is proper to appear on the November 5th, 2024 ballot.”
The matter now goes to the Athens County Board of Elections, which has scheduled a special meeting at 2:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 26, to discuss the issue.
In other business Monday night, council discussed the burn ban recently imposed by the state fire marshal as a result of catastrophic drought conditions in the region.
Nelsonville Division of Fire Chief Harry Barber III told the council that conditions are severe, stressing that the community needs more information about do’s and dont’s of the burn ban — especially after recent rains.
“There’s a misconception…right now that we had some rain … so we’re good,” Barber said. “The problem with the rain is, the rain is going to hit the leaves, the leaves are going to fall off the trees — that water’s going to evaporate from the leaves, these [leaves] will be as dry.”
“Sometimes with sunlight they’re drier than they were before,” he explained. “It could rain for hours and hours and hours we’re still going to have [a] dire situation,” he said.
The drought — which Barber said are the worst he’s seen in his 24 years of service – requires people to think about all the ways a fire can start. He said that those in “hot work,” like welding, should contact his office.
The fire department has already responded to incidents involving cigarettes that were not put out properly, as well as sparks from metal under a car, Barber noted. No citations or warnings have been issued.
The department will continue efforts to install smoke alarms throughout the community, Barber said, through an ongoing partnership with the American Red Cross.
Nelsonville City Council meets every other Monday of each month, at Nelsonville City Council Chambers, 211 Lake Hope Drive. Its next regular meeting will be Oct. 14 at 7 p.m. Meetings are livestreamed on YouTube. Find more at cityofnelsonville.com.
