Athens City Council discussed changes to workers compensation claims billing, Ohio University's increased guest fee, and Sol's new location's liquor license.
Even some Athens City Council council members are concerned about Ohio University's Halloween guest fee.
Following the university's decision to raise the cost of having guests stay in dorm rooms during Halloween weekend from $35 to $50, Councilwoman Chris Fahl, D-4th Ward, raised the question of whether or not the city would receive 6 percent of the fee.
All transient guests staying in Athens must pay a 6 percent fee associated with staying in the city, Fahl said. This usually pertains to just guests at hotels or bed-and-breakfasts, but it may apply to the guests that students register to visit for the Athens Halloween Block Party.
“They raised that price for this year and they make a chunk of money from it,” Fahl said.
If the city does secure 6 percent of each guest fee paid, it would receive $3 of each $50 fee associated with guests staying with students on campus.
Athens Auditor Kathy Hecht said she was unsure whether or not the university paid the transient guest tax for guests that come to town for Halloween.
Bobcat Lane has officially started its six-month trial period to determine whether or not the new road should remain as a permanent fixture in Athens.
Councilman Steve Patterson, D-At Large, believes Athens residents and OU students are not abiding by the right-in, right-out stipulation for the road.
“My office is in Porter Hall and I observe people going left-in, left-out on a daily basis,” Patterson said. “You will be cited.”
Patterson called these violations a safety issue and reminded people •Ohio University and Athens Police Departments were monitoring the area.
Traffic counters were placed on Bobcat Lane and on Richland Avenue last week marking the beginning of the study, he said.
In addition, Sol Restaurant has officially applied for its new East State Street location’s liquor license. Despite previous contention over new liquor licenses, Risner believes city council will have no issues with the license being granted.
“The only way it would (be discussed) is if somebody objected,” Risner said. “I don’t think anyone will.”
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Hecht also presented on some of the problems moving forward with the city budget for 2016, the most concerning being a change in billing for workers’ compensation claims, she said. Workers' compensation is a form of financial assistance for those injured while employed.
“The workers’ (compensation) billing is the one that worries me the most,” Hecht said. “They are changing from retrospective to prospective billing.”
Hecht said previously the state would pay for workers’ compensation claims and would bill the city after the employees had been paid. The city often paid in the spring for the previous year’s collective amount.
Currently, the upcoming year’s projected amount will be due in early September of the year before any of the claims were actually awarded.
“We don’t really have any choice but to make these payments on this schedule,” Hecht said.
With the switch from retrospective to prospective billing, Hecht said, the city would be paying money to the state to cover the projected workers compensation claims for the next year.
Several council members said there is the potential for the city to pay too much into the state, including Councilman Jeff Risner, D-2nd Ward.
“Essentially we’re loaning the state money,” Risner said. “This is what this is.”
Hecht said in that situation the state would reconcile with Athens at a later date.
For next year, the city is estimating $200,000 to be paid out in workers’ compensation claims, but in previous years the amount has been up to $400,000. She said the amount projected could easily jump to $500,000 due to past claims.
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