Athens City Council met Monday to discuss a resolution and hold committee meetings. The special session during this meeting was for the council to discuss a sewage expansion plan near Stagecoach Road.
Councilman Alan Swank, D-4th Ward, said he had some concerns about the funding for this project.
“So no, this is not the appropriations … although the rough (figure) is thought to be about $500 million, which is about $1 million under estimate, which is great news,” Andy Stone, Athens city safety service director, said.
After passing this resolution, the council began committee meetings, starting with the Finance and Personnel committee.
The Finance and Personnel committee first heard from Jessie Powers, executive director of the Outdoor Recreation Council of Appalachia, to hear the organization’s annual report.
The committee discussed the appropriation of $15,000 to the general fund. These funds will be used for an initiative created by the Athens City-County Health Department called Age-Friendly Athens.
“Age-Friendly Athens County is a program sponsored by AARP in which the city and county of Athens in conjunction with many folks at Ohio University, have been working to improve our community,” Councilman Sam Crowl, D-3rd Ward, said.
Committees then moved on to the City and Safety Services Committee, where they discussed the effective date for banning single-use plastic bags.
Swank proposed Jan. 1, 2024, to give businesses time to adjust and clear out old plastic bag inventory.
