Athens City Council members heard 17 ordinances ranging from sewer payment rate increases to Athens’ participation in an Earth Hour event at Monday’s meeting.
Councilwoman Chris Knisely, D-at large, introduced an ordinance to increase sewer rates in order for the city to work towards paying off a $19 million loan. The loan finances changes that will be made to the Athens Wastewater Treatment Plant.
By the end of the 20-year loan period, residents will be paying approximately $11 per month more than they currently pay, she said. The percentage rate increase will fluctuate from a 1 percent increase to a 5 percent increase over the loan period.
“We really do need to do this increase,” Knisely said. “This will take us through the next generation of needing to take care of the water. It is essential.”
In addition to this overhaul of the plant, the city is focusing on other energy-efficient causes.
According to the Earth Hour website, www.earthhour.org, the first Earth Hour event was celebrated in 2007. Now, six years later, Athens will be taking part in the Seventh Earth Hour campaign.
Council unanimously passed a resolution to support Earth Hour, which Councilwoman Chris Fahl, D-4th Ward, said will bring to light the threat of climate change.
Starting at 8:30 p.m. on March 23, businesses and residents will be asked to turn off all lights to conserve energy for one hour.
The goal of participating is to encourage people to take global measures and prevent potential harm of construction, Fahl said.
“(Earth Day) is a way of identifying that the city is concerned about global climate change along with all the other work that the city has done,” she said.
In addition to Earth Hour, Knisely said that there are other opportunities for cities to get involved, including a competition for earning the designation of an “Earth Hour City.”
However, this isn’t something that Council can do with one resolution. The city would need a committed staff and it would probably take a year to complete the application form, she said.
“I think it would be a great idea if the city looked at some of those measures that we could be doing,” Knisely said.
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