ATHENS, Ohio — At its meeting on Tuesday, Athens City Council’s Finance Committee discussed a forthcoming annual resolution accepting the allocation of property tax revenue set by the Athens County Budget Commission.
The city’s share of 2027 county property tax revenue is estimated at around $1.24 million, a slight increase over the $1.11 million received last year, said City Auditor Josh Thomas.
The resolution will have its first reading at the city council’s next regular meeting, on Oct. 19.
Michael Wood, 3rd Ward, emphasized that the allocation is not a new tax, but rather the budget commission’s projection of property tax revenue for 2027.
Under Ohio law, counties may assess up to 10 mills of property tax without asking for voter approval, known as “inside mills.” The county budget commission — in Athens County comprising Auditor Jill Davidson, Treasurer Taylor Sappington, and Prosecutor Keller Blackburn — determines how that millage is split among townships, municipalities and school districts.
Finance Committee Chair Jessica Thomas, At Large, noted that most of the city of Athens lies within Athens Township, with other areas within Canaan Township. City property owners in Athens Township are assessed 2.6 inside mills, equal to $2.60 per $1,000 of assessed valuation. City properties in Canaan Township are assessed 2.4 inside mills, equal to $2.40 of $1,000 assessed valuation.
During past council meetings, Auditor Thomas has often said that the public misperceives how much county property tax revenue the city receives, which he said is relatively small compared to the entire amount collected.
The county total from the two townships is just over $503 million, he said. Last year, the city received $1.11 million of that, he said.
By contrast, the city’s income tax, which will be 2.15% starting in January 2027, will produce more than half of the city’s $21 million general fund revenue.
The city’s 2027 budget process will be the focus of many council deliberations in December.
In other business Monday, the Finance and Personnel committees:
- Discussed a forthcoming memorandum of understanding with two locals of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees that represent service workers and code enforcement employees. Council member Thomas said the MOU would create a “spousal carve-out” requiring that spouses of city employees accept their employer-offered healthcare coverage if it is available to them. It does not apply to children of city employees, she said. The change is necessary to take financial pressure off the city’s medical fund.
- Discussed a forthcoming MOU for parking enforcement officers represented by AFSCME #2403(1). Parking enforcement officers are sometimes asked to repair the new parking gates at the city parking garage that “falls outside of their job description and normal classification,” said council member Thomas. The MOU provides compensation to them for time spent on parking gate repairs. Josh Thomas said the agreement will be more cost-effective than having repairs made by the gate company in Columbus.
- Forwarded several appropriations to the council, including $45,000 to the water fund, maintenance, for a new tap at Mill Street Village and to replace concrete in multiple areas; $25,000 to the parking garage fund for elevator repairs; $30,000 to the sewer fund, stormwater, for emergency portable flood walls to be housed at Athens Fire Station #2, on Richland Avenue; $65,000 to the general fund for parking system maintenance contract fees; and $15,000 to the garbage fund for landfill gas monitoring and Ohio Environmental Protection Agency compliance. Five wells on the site of the former city landfill on Vore Ridge are monitored quarterly for methane gas, council member Thomas said.
Athens City Council’s next meeting will be at 7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 19 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.
