Athens City Council meets once a week to discuss possible means of improvement for the city.
Council meets every Monday. It holds regular sessions at 7:30 p.m. on the first and third Monday of the month. It holds committee meetings at 7 p.m. on the second and fourth Monday of the month.
During a regular session, the seven councilmembers read proposed ordinances that, if passed after three readings, will become legislation once the mayor signs off on them.
Each week, an ordinance passes through one reading unless an emergency session is held and the vote is pushed forward to that night.
Possible ordinance ideas are discussed at committee meetings, but no formal documents are created for the purposes of passing an ordinance at those meetings.
Council has seven committees — Finance and Personnel Coordinators, Planning and Development, Safety Services, Transportation and Streets, Community Issues, Recreation and Environment and Utilities.
Council also has one president, Bill Bias, who oversees the entire council and keeps meetings running smoothly.
Each city council member is assigned to a separate committee.
Of the seven council members, four represent different wards within the city.
Kent Butler represents the first ward; Sherry Coon, the second; Nancy Bain, the third and Chris Fahl, the fourth.
The three remaining members represent the city at large. They are Jim Sands, Chris Knisely, and Elahu Gosney.
Several of the larger projects council implemented this past year include the $1.03 million fire ladder truck and the Richland Roundabout.
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