ATHENS, Ohio — Athens City Council will revive a defunct city commission to conduct a five-year review of a comprehensive plan passed in 2020.
Council member Micah McCarey, At-Large, introduced review of the Athens 2040 Comprehensive Plan at the Jan. 27 council committees meeting.
The council will reinstate the Athens City Comprehensive Plan Review Advisory Commission to review the plan, which was adopted on Dec. 14, 2020. The commission was established in 2006, with seven members serving three-year terms.
The body comprises two representatives of neighborhood associations, one person from the business community, one member from Ohio University, and three members who are qualified electors of the city.
The plan details a vision of the city in 2040 in economic development and transportation and accessibility, bike pedestrian, environment and sustainability, design, art and history; character and culture, housing and neighborhoods, and town-gown relations.
The five-year review is essential to maintaining and updating the comprehensive plan to ensure that Athens maintains its strong support of diversity, equity and inclusion goals, McCarey said. The plan states that “Athens is a welcoming, forward-thinking, and diverse community that celebrates its eclectic college town roots while growing sustainability.”
McCarey acknowledged that some of the plan’s nine diversity and inclusion are broad, such as, “Create policies, plans, practices, programs, and services that support diversity and inclusion.”
Some goals, however, are specific enough to have their progress tracked, McCarey said, like “Plan and advertise sober events hosted by the city.” The overall goal is to have a welcoming city that does not discriminate on any basis, while stating its “opposition to all forms of bigotry, prejudice, and racial injustice” — as council took on in passing a related resolution, R-06-23, on Aug. 21, 2023.
“The idea is to have the city grow in population while growing toward embracing all peoples so as to create an intersectional democracy,” McCarey said. Everyone living in the city needs to be represented so that Athens truly represents its demographics and population.
Mayor Steve Patterson said the comprehensive plan intends to “reflect the aspirations of a municipality,” which can always be updated. New City Planner Meghan Jennings will examine the comprehensive plan this year, he said.
McCarey noted that housing insecurity and mental health are “just two topics not currently mentioned in our Athens 2040 Comprehensive Plan.”
Patterson said that despite what is happening on a national scale, the city continues its dedication toward racial equity and combatting racism. He pointed to the city’s work with the Athens County Racial Equity Coalition and its hiring of its Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility coordinator, Lacey Rogers, who also works on advancing the city’s goals.
Council member Alan Swank said the city should take notice of Ohio Senate Bill 1, which aims to ban all DEI initiatives at state colleges and universities.
Also Monday:
- The finance and personnel committee briefly discussed a forthcoming amendment that will authorize one of the city’s diversion program coordinator salaries into pay band four at $22 hourly and pay retroactive to the beginning of the year. Another ordinance forthcoming will be to increase a general fund probation officer position from one-half of a position to one full-time position.
- The transportation committee outlined continued need to participate in the state’s cooperative purchasing program for road salt.
- The city and safety services committee discussed purchase of softening salt for water treatment.
Athens City Council’s next regular meeting will be at 7 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 2, in Athens City Hall, Council Chambers, third floor, 8 E. Washington St. Meetings are also available online. Regular sessions are on the first and third Mondays of the month; committee meetings are on the second and fourth Mondays.
Correction: A previous version of this story included a misspelling of the city planner’s name. We regret the error.
