NELSONVILLE, Ohio — Nelsonville City Council discussed code enforcement on vacant properties and the allocation of several funds from the auditor’s report at Monday night’s meeting.
City Auditor Taylor Sappington began the meeting by sharing the auditor and treasurer’s report for September 2024. As of Sept. 30, the city of Nelsonville’s revenue has surpassed its expenses, with unspent funds totaling to $6,929,264.72.
“I got the question tonight from [the] council vice president, ‘Can the council change these funds or close them out when they’re not being used?’ And the answer is yes. In fact, that would be quite helpful,” Sappington said.
Sappington encouraged the public to support the tax levy that would renew funding for street repairs in Nelsonville.
Sue Powell, a Nelsonville resident and former city auditor, addressed council members Monday by discussing Issue 23, a citizen ballot initiative to abolish the city charter, ahead of election day next Tuesday, Nov. 5.
“People are still trying to compare us to Athens and Logan. [You] can’t do that … They’re different entities completely,” Powell said. “They’re a different size, they’re a different makeup, they get more revenue … They’ve never had a reason, I guess, to go to charter.”
Council President Gregg Clement also addressed public criticism of code enforcement, or lack thereof, on vacant properties in city limits.
“We are looking into these issues. We’re trying to figure out how to expand the code enforcement office,” Clement said. “It’s a question of finding the money to do so.”
Clement said there is a “misconception that council isn’t doing anything” to address these issues.
In other business Monday night, council approved the Athens-Hocking Solid Waste District’s new management plan.
Nelsonville City Council meets every other Monday of each month, at Nelsonville City Council Chambers, 211 Lake Hope Dr. Its next regular meeting will be Nov. 11 at 7 p.m. Meetings are livestreamed on YouTube. Find more at cityofnelsonville.com.
Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly spelled Gregg Clement’s last name. We apologize for this error.
