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Mayor pledges Saturday bus service — if income tax increase passes
Athens Mayor Steve Patterson told Athens City Council Monday night that he would seek to restore Saturday bus services if voters adopt a 0.2% income tax increase on May 5.
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Mayor explains unilateral decision to remove Athens from ORCA
Steve Patterson told Athens City Council that the city should invest in its own amenities instead of the Baileys Trail System.
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City officials make case for income tax increase (Updated)
A proposed 0.2% levy increase on income tax will appear on the May 5 primary election ballot as Issue 1 for Athens city voters.
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Athens mayor resigns from outdoor rec council
Mayor Steve Patterson resigned immediately; the city will withdraw from the council of governments in late June.
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Athens adopts hiring freeze, gets more pushback on proposed utility fee
Athens City Council adopted a resolution asking the administration to freeze hiring to keep the city’s cash reserves stable.
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City proposes income tax increase for May 2026 ballot
Mayor Steve Patterson and Treasurer Josh Thomas proposed placing a proposed 0.2% income tax increase before voters in May 2026.
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Athens admin abandons proposed changes to Shade Tree Commission
City Service-Safety Director Andy Stone said he didn’t think the city had the votes to eliminate the commission’s regulatory authority.
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Athens admin looks to take authority away from Shade Tree Commission (Updated)
The city’s proposed changes would also substantially reduce the number of trees required at new development projects. Commission members have objected to the changes, saying they will benefit developers at the expense of the city’s urban canopy.
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ORCA dues, shared-use path questioned following income tax failure
Athens City Council member Alan Swank brought up the failure in discussions of the city’s support for ORCA and a project on Columbus Road.
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Athens mayor, council members clash over process for event street closures
At Monday’s Athens City Council committees meeting, Mayor Steve Patterson defended a proposal to make Athens City Council responsible for approving individual event applications, following complaints about difficulty with 2024 closure requests from an Uptown business owner.