Athens City Council unanimously approves ‘safe haven’ resolution

ATHENS, Ohio — Before a packed audience of mostly Ohio University students who spilled out into the hallway, Athens City Council unanimously approved a resolution on Monday declaring the city to be a “safe haven for transgender and non-binary individuals seeking gender-affirming healthcare.”

Council member Michael Wood, 3rd Ward, introduced the resolution at the Monday, Feb. 27 council committee meeting. Ohio University’s chapter of the Young Democratic Socialists of America drafted the resolution, with support from the ACLU of Ohio. 

“I want to thank the groups that put this resolution together, and did a ton of homework and leg work on this; working with other community folks, reaching out to professionals and building a coalition,” Wood said.

Although the resolution was towards the end of the March 3 agenda, council members agreed to discuss it first so the community could speak on it without delay. 

Wood read the resolution in its entirety and said that the council has a track record of “strong, bold” resolutions that affirm the city’s commitment to diversity and inclusion, while offering protections to individuals within different groups. “I think this is a great continuation of that tradition,” Wood said. 

Several members of the public spoke in support of the resolution before it went up for a vote.

Indigo Steiner, a freshman studying social studies education at Ohio University, said Athens “was radically different in so many respects” compared to Steiner’s hometown of Logan. 

“Moving to Athens and subsequently getting access to gender-affirming has drastically changed my life for the better,” said Steiner, who self-describes as transgender. “My self-confidence, my quality of life has dramatically increased.”

Spencer Stein, a second-year student at the Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, alongside several colleagues, wore their white lab coats. Gender-affirming healthcare is all about support of clients, which may include medical, surgical, mental health, and non-medical services centered around individual needs, Stein told the council. 

“I am standing before you today, not only as a medical student desperate to ensure fair and equitable access to healthcare, but as a transgender person seeking to be more than just another statistic,” Stein said.

Noting the high rates of suicidal ideation and attempts and self-injury among the transgender population, Stein said that studies by multiple organizations — including the National Institutes of Health, the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Medical Colleges — all determined that gender-affirming care saves lives.

“Each one of us has sought gender-affirming care in one form or another, and we all have our own history of being denied that care,” Stein said. “We are seeking a place where we do not have to enter a doctor’s office with fear or apprehension, but instead confidence that we will be respected as human beings.”

The resolution also asks the city administration to “adopt policies to further the city’s role as a gender-affirming healthcare safe haven,” including advocating for decriminalization of gender-affirming care and against prosecution or penalties for providing and seeking such care. 

Additionally, the resolution asks the administration to “promote efforts that prioritize addressing current and potential threats to the safety and rights of the LGBTQIA+ residents of the city of Athens.”

Ohio lawmakers have passed several anti-trans measures, including last year’s ban on gender-affirming healthcare for minors and trans girls’ participation in sports. Last week, Gov. Mike DeWine signed a bill that requires transgender people to use the bathroom of the sex they were assigned at birth.

The council also unanimously passed a second resolution in favor of keeping municipal bonds exempt from federal tax. 

Municipal bonds are used to finance public infrastructure projects such as the city’s community center, widening of the East State Street corridor, upgrading the wastewater treatment plant, and more recently, building the city pool and new fire station headquarters on Stimson Avenue.

Mayor Steve Patterson noted that other municipalities are also feeling compelled to draft such language to keep municipal bonds exempt from federal taxes. Without the exemption, the price of public projects in the city would increase by as much as 20%, he said. During the council committees meeting on Thursday, Feb. 27, city Treasurer Josh Thomas said without the exemption, some projects would become impossible for the city. 

The city pays between 3% and 5% interest on its municipal bonds, he noted; this year’s interest on bonds is projected to be $756,156. If bonds were subject to federal tax, he said, the city would have to pay an additional $453,000 this year alone. 

Tax-exempt municipal bonds have been used since the 1800s, and were incorporated into the tax code in 1913. According to the resolution, every dollar financed by a municipal bond saves $2.11.

Competition for affordable housing funds

In his remarks, Patterson informed the council that two developers are competing for financing through the Ohio Housing Finance Agency. Both projects would create one- to three-bedroom units of affordable housing within a half-mile of the city. Residents of the projects would earn between 30% and 80% of median area income.

One proposal, Avanelle Crossing, is a joint venture for 60 units south of Athens, at 6251 Avanelle Drive. Columbus-based Sunset Development & Investment LLC is partnering with Capstone Properties, a local company, on the project.   

Capstone president David Funk recently appeared before council to advocate for a local group of owners who could develop affordable housing in Athens and Athens County, and thereby keep the jobs and profit generated from such projects in Athens County.

The other project, from Spire Development Inc. of Columbus, called Blackburn Landing II at 6935 South Blackburn Road, proposes 79 units contained in a three-story “garden walk-up apartment building.” The company recently withdrew a proposed project on Pomeroy Road in the face of heavy opposition from south-side residents.

On Monday, Patterson said which of the two competing projects receives financing may come down to factors such as number of units offered. The project that does not receive funding this year can come back in the future, he said.

Emergency ordinances adopted

The council suspended the rules and added an emergency clause to Ordinance 0-08-25, which authorizes renovation of the Stimson Avenue bridge. The ordinance had gone back to first reading after council amended it at its Feb. 20 meeting to reflect new estimates on the cost of the work. 

City Service-Safety Director Andrew Stone notified city officials by email on Valentine’s Day that the lower of two bids for the construction part of the project was $5.2 million — 17% higher than estimated.

The project includes removing and replacing the deck and parapets, and repairing and rehabbing beams and abutments, as well as lighting work and a shared use path on its upstream side. 

The project is estimated to cost $6.3 million. Most of that amount is covered by a $4.5 million grant from Ohio Department of Transportation’s Small Cities program; the city’s share is $1.8 million, to be paid from Street Rehabilitation Fund 572.

The council also adopted Ordinance 0-24-25 on an emergency basis. The measure allows Patterson to lease the Mansfield House at 667 East State Street to the Athens County Convention and Visitors Bureau. The lease is month-to-month and retroactive to Thursday, Jan. 2, at a rate of $1,667 per month and/or $20,000 per year. The tenant pays for utilities and taxes. The city had a maintenance clause removed, as repairs to the former log cabin may be substantial, Patterson said previously. The bureau is moving into a new location on Stimson Avenue, and once that happens the city will seek a new “end user” for Mansfield House.

Other ordinances passed

Ordinances passed upon their third readings Monday included:

• Authorizing the service-safety director to advertise and accept bids for the annual purchase of water softening salt for the Water Treatment Plant, with the city authorized to spend up to $190,244 from Water Plant Fund 740.637;
• Two ordinances related to Ohio University’s International Street Fair, to be held April 5 in Uptown Athens; One closing East Union Street between Court Street and University Terrace from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., and the other to allow vending in designated areas during the street fair.

Ordinances heard on second reading

The council heard second reading of three ordinances related to a 35-acre property east of Cable Lane that is owned by Frander Properties LLC. The first accepts the Athens County Commissioners’ petition of annexation for the property; the second designates the property as Zone R-1, residential housing, and scheduled a public hearing for Monday, March 10; and the third authorizes a perpetual right-of-way easement with Frander Properties LLC. 

Also heard on second reading was an ordinance authorizing compensation for the recently promoted diversion program coordinator in municipal court, with compensation set at $19.89 to $22 hourly, retroactive to the start of the year.

Ordinances heard on first reading:

• Granting a special right-of-way use permit to a homeowner at 145 Grosvenor Street for construction of a wooden fence that crosses an unused city alleyway.
• Amending the appropriations ordinance by designating $200,000 from Street Fund 220 to close out the Dairy Lane/Stagecoach Sewer Expansion Project #317. The additional funds raise the cost of the overall project to $6.93 million.
• Authorizing a City Fiber Network, Project #347, at a total cost of $1.06 million and with construction of Phase 4 and design of Phase 5 set at $450,000. Funding involves $610,000 from ARPA Fund 286; $400,000 from Street Fund 220; and $50,000 from General Fund, Fire, 101.208. The conduit for the fiber optic network already exists along Court Street and will connect with traffic lights along Richland Avenue.
• Accepting a grant award of $7,337 from the Northeast Ohio Public Energy Council, which Patterson said will be used to purchase lawn maintenance equipment for the upkeep of two city-owned cemeteries.

Athens City Council’s next regular meeting will be at 7 p.m. on Monday, March 10, 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.