Council discusses budget, city services

by Sally Law
THE POST

Two Athens City Council committees met last night to discuss grant applications and budget appropriations.

The Athens City Council city services committee heard tourism grant application requests from local organizations.

The grant money is collected from a tax placed on the rental of Athens hotel and motel rooms. There is about $60,000 available, but $22,000 of that money already has been set aside for the city, said Councilwoman Nancy Bain, D-3rd Ward.

Among the organizations requesting grants were the Athens Historical Society, the Dairy Barn and the Athens Area Arts Alliance. Overall, organizations requested an average of about $2,000.

The city's portion of the grant money will go toward the Clean and Safe Halloween, Fourth of July, Bicentennial and City Beautification committees, according to council records.

"We'll probably fund most of our requests to some level, maybe some at total," Bain said. "We like to see (the organizations) get going and kind of be independent and get rolling, so I think you probably look for more money with the beginners and maintenance for the others."

The committee also discussed the installation of a new siphon chamber, located on a city right-of-way near the parking lot of the Stop-N-Cop Drive Thru, 362 Richland Ave.

A siphon chamber is a unit built in the ground with a feed tube. It uses suction to change the level of the sewer lines when the force of gravity is not strong enough, said Athens Mayor Ric Abel.

The project will cost about $130,000 and should be started by April 1, 2001, he said.

The finance and personnel committee also met last night to discuss the 2001 budgets for the transportation, street and recreation departments as well as the community center.

While discussing the center's budget, Council noted there has been a rise in community center memberships after people came to the center to vote in the presidential election last Tuesday. They were impressed with the facility, said Abel.

"(The recreation center) seems to be flawless," Council President Guy Philips said.