ATHENS, Ohio – At its regular meeting May 20, Athens City Council addressed three of the biggest matters it has faced so far this year: remaining a member of the Outdoor Recreation Council of Appalachia, joining a regional council of governments for solid waste, and building social cohesion in the face of divisive issues.
The council heard third reading of an ordinance authorizing Mayor Steve Patterson to pay the city’s 2024 membership fee in the Outdoor Recreation Council of Appalachia, which oversees development of the Baileys Trail System. The $90,000 fee would come from the city’s hotel tax.
Although Athens City Council ordinances typically receive three readings, the ORCA ordinance was amended at the May 20 meeting, so it did not receive a final vote.
The Athens County Commissioners did not renew the county’s membership when it came due in January. That jeopardized the city’s participation in ORCA because Athens originally made its membership contingent on the county’s. Losing both the county and the city of Athens would make ORCA’s future uncertain.
The ordinance authorizing Patterson to pay the fee despite the county’s withdrawal from ORCA membership was introduced at council’s April 18 meeting; Patterson said it was intended to “decouple” the city and county memberships.
However, City Auditor Kathy Hecht warned the city in an April 5 email that its unappropriated fund balance had fallen below the statutory minimum threshold. Hecht therefore advised the city to hold off on general fund expenses, meaning the city couldn’t pay its membership fee even if it passed the ordinance authorizing the payment.
At Monday night’s meeting, council member Alan Swank, 4th Ward, proposed an amendment to the ordinance to withhold payment of the fee until the city’s general fund balance reaches 9% of total appropriations. The balance is currently at 6% of total annual expenditures, according to Hecht.
“This gets very specific as to when we would pay [the membership fee],” said Swank, “This says we will pay it, this shows our support for the Baileys and it is very specific and consistent with bringing our general fund balance in compliance with our stated policy.”
Council member Jessica Thomas seconded Swank’s proposed amendment. Although council did not take a full vote, members expressed general support and Council President Sam Crowl pronounced the amendment passed. That sends the ordinance back to for another reading at council’s June 3 meeting.
Council member Michael Wood, 3rd Ward, asked Hecht if she knows when the balance will be at 9%.
“No. I can’t promise that we will,” responded Hecht. “Any extra money that we have, we appropriate for other city services that we need.” She projected that it would be at least July or August before the balance reached 9%.
Hecht told the council that the city “should take some very serious steps to keep us from falling below our policy” — including revisiting ORCA membership.
“This is a very large amount of money for us to be giving to something like this,” she said. “This is a whole employee, it’s more than we give the Economic Council and I think we should rethink this amount. However, we committed ourselves to this. This will be our fifth year but I think that’s a good time to rethink our commitment in light of the other things we are going through right now.”
The Independent reached out to Hecht to clarify some of her statements, but she did not respond in time for publication.
A COG in the recycling works
The council also heard the first reading of Ordinance 0-53-24, which authorizes Patterson to “take all steps necessary to join the Southeast Ohio Recycling Terminal (SORT) Council of Governments (COG); and to provide the annual dues payment.”
The Athens-Hocking Solid Waste District and the village of Amesville officially formed the COG — Ohio’s first COG for solid waste management — on May 16. The COG was formed with the intent to absorb Athens-Hocking Recycling Center, whose future became uncertain in December 2023, when the city of Athens switched its trash hauling contract from AHRC to Rumpke.
If the city joins and ultimately contracts with the COG, it will have to break its contract with Rumpke. Under the contract terms, the city would need to give Rumpke 60 days’ notice of its intent to withdraw.
Council members discussed with Crissa Cummings, AHRC’s executive director and secretary of the new COG, the cost of joining the COG and whether it would be possible to amend the city’s membership agreement in the future.
City Service-Safety Director Andrew Stone previously expressed concerns with the city’s membership, including that the city would have only one vote on the council, the same as other participating governments.
Council members agreed that they will consult Stone, who was absent, about their COG questions.
The ordinance will be heard on its second of three readings at the June 3 meeting.
Promoting social cohesion … and disinformation?
Council member Micah McCarey, At-Large, provided an update on the city’s partnership with Strong Cities Network, which describes itself as “a global network of cities dedicated to addressing all forms of hate, extremism and polarization.” It is a program of the Institute for Strategic Dialogue.
McCarey first suggested a partnership with Strong Cities when the council was debating its resolution calling for a ceasefire in Israel’s war on Gaza. McCarey suggested working with the network as a possible alternative to the resolution, as well as a general consultant, for similar issues the council may have to face in the future.
At Monday’s meeting, McCarey said the partnership is a two-year agreement to guide Athens in developing strategies for promoting social cohesion. A representative of Strong Cities spoke generally about the network’s mission.
During his comments, McCarey said he is glad to live in a place like Athens where “problematic behaviors” such as “violent protests” have not occurred. He noted “the trend of college campuses struggling with some of these issues, particularly around civility and nonviolent protests.”
That appeared to be a reference to protests on campuses around the country this spring in support of the Palestinian people. Many of the protesters called for their institutions to divest from Israel.
The number of protests grew after the president of Columbia University asked the New York Police Department to break up a protest encampment on the campus. A similar encampment at the University of California–Los Angeles turned violent when pro-Isreal protesters attacked it; the area was later cleared by campus and Los Angeles police officers who used flash-bang grenades and shot protesters with rubber bullets.
Although public officials, including President Joe Biden, have described the protests as violent, 97% of protests held between April 18 and May 3 were “overwhelmingly peaceful, with little serious violence and limited property damage,” Inside Higher Ed reported.
That includes a May 1 demonstration at Ohio University, where several hundred protesters briefly occupied Baker University Center before marching to the College Green. After some speeches, the protesters dispersed without incident.
Athens City Council’s next regular meeting will be at 7 p.m. Monday June 3, 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 stated that Athens would have to break its contract with Rumpke if it joins the COG for waste services; the city also has to contract with the COG to switch services.
