ATHENS, Ohio — During its regular meeting Monday, Athens City Council voted to refinance $4.9 million in city swimming pool bonds to achieve a lower interest rate.
In the past, city Auditor Kathy Hecht said the city has saved as much as $350,000 through bond refinancing, which is available at the 10-year mark of project payments.
Ordinance 111-25 had been set for first reading, but council voted to suspend the rules and approve the measure without the usual second and third readings.
Bond financing of the $7.3 million city pool began after voters approved an increase of one-tenth of 1% to the city’s income tax in November 2016. The annual debt service on the 30-year bond term is currently about $550,000 per year. Completion of refinancing should happen by December, Hecht said.
“Anything that we save is worthwhile,” Hecht said.
Mayor Steve Patterson agreed, crediting Hecht and the city’s bond counsel from Baird Financial for close tracking of opportunities to save the city money through lowered interest.
Council member Alan Swank, 4th Ward, asked Hecht if refinancing meant the pool bond debt would be paid off sooner. Hecht said refinancing will result in a new amortization schedule. Currently, pool debt is scheduled to be paid back in full by December 2035, she said.
The council’s Finance and Personnel Committee met before the council’s regular session Monday night to consider the refinancing.
City-owned homes sales require separate ordinances
The council tabled Ordinance 80-25 and postponed the scheduled third reading because the sale of two city-owned single-family homes — 25 Central Ave. and 458 Richland Ave. — will require two separate ordinances. The city wants to sell the properties to the Athens Metropolitan Housing Authority, which already manages the two occupied rentals.
The city purchased the Central Avenue property for affordable housing purposes using city Community Development Block Grant funds. Those CDBG funds must be placed back into the city’s CDBG account so the property can be sold to AMHA at its appraised value. According to the Athens County Auditor, the Central Venue property is valued at $121,360.
The Richland Avenue property, appraised by the county at $144,160, was purchased using city funds.
Swank has previously expressed concerns that the two homes were being sold for an amount significantly less — close to $60,000 — than their combined fair market value as estimated on real estate websites such as Zillow. He also expressed concern that if the homes are sold to AMHA, they will no longer be subject to property taxes, of which a small percentage goes to the city.
Other council members, such as Jessica Thomas, At-Large, said that selling the homes to AMHA, rather than to private buyers, would keep their rents affordable for current tenants who might be displaced otherwise.
During third readings, the council also:
- Unanimously adopted new code-related fees through Ordinance 86-25. Fees range from fines for garbage violations to water to new city parking garage rates. The fines-and-fees ordinance also establishes rates for construction-related items Uptown, such as contractor bags placed over parking meters; weekly rates for dumpsters; moving pods and construction trailers; and a daily rate for temporary closures of any street, alley or sidewalk. Next year, the city will return to a lift-gate and ticket system for the parking garage to replace coin meters.
- Adopted Ordinance 89-25 that authorizes the mayor to execute a combined participation agreement in the new National Opioid Settlement. The settlement involves drug manufacturers Alvogen, Amneal, Apotex and Hikma. Patterson said once the city receives its share of settlement funds, the city may use the funds towards opioid education for children and support people recovering from substance use disorders.
- Adopted Ordinance 90-25 that authorizes the city service-safety director to advertise and accept the highest bid to enter into a lease agreement for the former fire station headquarters on Columbus Road. Patterson said two entities have shown interest in leasing the property. Last year, the property served as a warming station during the winter months. The city has not yet announced warming station plans for the winter.
- Adopted Ordinance 94-25 pertaining to rental units; establishing a requirement of a designated local emergency contact and an additional fee of $25 per unit for rental units whose owners reside 50 miles or more outside the city.
Ordinances on second reading
The council heard second reading of Ordinance 85-25 that would require temporary obstructions to sidewalks or streets, such as dumpsters and moving trailers, to first receive permission from the service-safety director.
Ordinance 85-25 also requires the same permission for temporary closure of streets, alleys and sidewalks. Language includes, “Sidewalks closed for extended periods must be appropriately barricaded and signed; alternative passageways may be required.”
The council also heard second reading of Ordinance 96-25, which commits $10,000 in city general fund revenue next year to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library of Ohio. The library sends mailed books each month to all children from birth through age 5 whose parents sign up for the program.
Ordinances on first reading
The council saw the following ordinances on first reading:
- Ordinance 100-25, to authorize the service-safety director to enter into a pre-annexation agreement with Athens County Commissioners for the city to annex, approximately within one year, the Athens County Children Services property at 18 Stonybrook Drive. Related Ordinance 101-25 authorizes advertising, accepting bids and entering into a contract for construction of a new, larger water line along Jacobs Street from Graham to Stonybrook. An appropriation of $380,000 from the city’s Water Fund is authorized to cover the project cost. Swank said the city’s annexation of the property will mean up to 100 of children services employees will be subject to the city’s income tax.
- Ordinance 103-25, to create an unoccupied and vacant property registration for the city, in order to track properties and the structures on them that have long sustained non-use and/or been substantively abandoned. Council members said the registry is long overdue, with Swank stating there are seven or eight properties on East State Street alone that would fall within the ordinance. It establishes registration fees and penalties for non-compliance. The ordinance would apply to residential, commercial and industrial properties. A related ordinance establishes a residential fee of $300 and a commercial and industrial fee of $600 for properties registered within the first year, which increases each year the property is not registered.
- Ordinance 106-25 would establish a “Do Not Knock” registration program through the Northeast Ohio Public Energy Council, and would apply to commercial businesses. City residents who sign up for the no-knock policy would receive a sticker they can place on their front doors.
- Ordinance 109-25 would appropriate $20,000 from the water administration fund to cover payments to Le-Ax Water, as part of a Kershaw Greene Annexation Agreement. It would also appropriate $100,000 from the sewer plant fund to cover increased electricity costs. Patterson said the increased costs resulted primarily from heavy downpours earlier this year that required the wastewater treatment plant to run its blower motors harder and for longer periods than normal.
- Ordinance 110-25 to establish a cybersecurity policy and thereby meet requirements of Ohio House Bill 96, which mandates political subdivisions to set and adopt standards safeguarding against cybersecurity breaches and ransomware attacks. The safeguards must be in place by Jan. 1, 2026. Highlights of the agreement spell out policy on firewall protection, antivirus, multi-factor authentication and staff training.
Due for first reading, the council suspended the rules and adopted Ordinance 102-25 that annexed about 1.2 acres of Theater Lane alongside Columbus Road, so that the Hugh White Honda dealership can expand and receive city services such as water, sewer, police and fire. The suspended rules allowed the proposed annexation to meet a requirement of being acted upon within a 20-day window.
1. There will be a celebration at a new “pocket park” before the Athens Community Center Oct. 14 in celebration of its 25th anniversary. A related sculpture will be unveiled. Last week, workers from Joshua Tree Landscaping constructed the park’s circular foundation.
2. A sign inviting the public to the “pocket park” unveiling ceremony Oct. 14 outside the Athens Community Center informs them of the time, beginning at 5:30 p.m. A sculpture will be unveiled, with the park to also feature approximately 350 bricks bearing family names that helped finance the project dedicated to the community center’s 25th anniversary. Photos by Larry Di Giovanni.
Due to Columbus Day/Indigenous Peoples Day, Athens City Council’s next regular meeting will be Tuesday, Oct. 14, at Athens City Hall, Council Chambers, third floor, 8 E. Washington St. Meetings are also streamed online. Regular sessions are on the first and third Mondays of the month; committee meetings are on the second and fourth Mondays.
