This is a synopsis of discussions and agenda items on which the Athens City Council acted Monday.



Discussions

• The council heard a report by Fire Chief Danny Southard about his efforts to secure an Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (stimulus funds) to fund construction of a new Fire Station No. 3 off Roy Long Road. Southard said he learned at a Southeastern Firefighters Association conference that the government has $210 million available in grant funds and expects some 10,000 applications. Under the program, fire departments could possibly qualify for $5 million per project and a maximum of $15 million per department. He said scoring for the funds is computerized and takes into consideration several criteria, one of which is local unemployment. Southard said that the fact that Athens has relatively low unemployment might work against the community in scoring. He said he is applying for $1 million to build the new station.

• The council asked Public Works Director James Rich and Street Department Manager Larry Elkins to come up with a proposal to present to the council for a street sweeper/vacuum machine.

• Council President Ronnie Marks asked the council to consider increasing the seat belt violation fine from $10 up to $25, the maximum the state allows. He said police have ticketed 694 motorists since Jan. 1 for no seat belt. He also cited a state study of U.S. 72 wrecks in which 33 people have died over the last decade that said 67 percent of those people were not wearing a seat belt. Marks said it would not be a revenue measure but rather an incentive to buckle up.

• Recycling Director Bill Wojciechowski told the council that he is proposing installing large collection bins at each recreational area throughout the city to which he would attach basketball hoops as incentive to youngsters to pick up trash to try to hit the hoop. He said he is seeking grant funding for that project.

• Councilman Jimmy Gill asked for a meeting to study the reorganization of city departments to take each employee individually for pay raises without having to change classifications throughout the department. All departments have been reorganized but the fire and police.



Agenda items

The council approved:

• A request for rezoning from Steve Bauer and Tim Coffman for a piece of land on the southwest quadrant of the Hine and Brownsferry Street intersection to B-2-1 for duplex housing. The measure passed on a 4-to-1 vote with Gill voting against it. Several residents showed up to oppose the rezoning, as they had two weeks ago when Councilman Harold Wales introduced the request on the recommendation of the Athens Planning Commission. Residents feel that the area would be too congested. But Marks told them contiguous property carries that zoning so it is legal to grant the request.

• Reappointing Chris Paysinger, Scott Smith, Jerry Bradford, Wayne Kuykendall and Cherry Anne Ward to the Historic Preservation Commission.

• Appointing Milton Looney and Jerry Barksdale to the Historic Preservation Commission.

• Budgeted travel expenses for the Gas Department for $2,267; and a cash advance for $300.

• Budgeted travel expenses for the Electric Department of $870, and $251.

• Resolution to continuing paying Electric Department expenses pending passage of the 2010 fiscal budget.

• Purchase of a tractor for the Water Department for $18,000 from low bidder Four C’s Landscaping.

• Purchase of a lowboy trailer for Public Works for $21,900 from low bidder Better Built Trailers Inc.

• Purchase of a backhoe loader for Public Works for $74,900 from low bidder Warrior Tractor.

• Purchase of a hydraulic excavator for Public Works for $131,835 from low bidder Power Equipment Inc.

• Purchase of a Ditch Witch for the Gas Department for $36,216 from low bidder Ditch Witch of Alabaster.

• Set a public hearing for comments on improvements to the Athens Sanitary Sewer through the State Revolving Fund Loan Program for 5:30 p.m. Aug. 10.