Athens City Council members passed with a 7-2 vote a resolution supporting increased gun legislation following a national movement against gun violence.
Councilwoman Chris Fahl, D-4th Ward, said the resolution was created in support of young activists. The resolution included encouraging gun owners to use gun safes and locks.
It also called on state and federal representatives to pass legislation banning military grade weapons, raising the legal age to buy a gun to 21, funding Centers for Disease Control and Prevention research about gun violence and creating requirements for universal background checks.
Two city council members, Pat McGee, I-At Large, and Peter Kotses, D-At Large, opposed the resolution because it supported raising the minimum legal age to buy a gun. Councilman Kent Butler, D-1st Ward, also didn’t agree with raising the age but still voted for it.
“I believe citizens who are 18 should have the same rights as any other citizen whether it be to drink alcohol, to vote or to marry,” McGee said.
Additionally, city council passed two ordinances Monday that will allow the mayor to apply for grants through the Ohio Development Services that will fund a dewatering system and repairs to the Kimes Reservoir.
Athens Mayor Steve Patterson said the Community Development Block Grants are critical to infrastructure, especially for the reservoir, which provides water to the south part of the city.
“There’s not some level of impending danger or doom with this reservoir,” Patterson said. “This is allowing us to do some preventative maintenance on that particular structure.”
The grant would also pay for a dewatering system for the wastewater treatment facility. The facility processes 2.2 to 2.7 million gallons of waste a year, Butler said.
The sludge would be processed through the dewatering equipment to remove water from the waste. Removing the water from the waste reduces the amount of mass transported from the wastewater treatment facility.
“We’re very grateful for the federal funds,” Knisely said. “They’re also critical for us to be able to help maintain the infrastructure here in the city.”
