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May 18, 2021
Page 4of 5

reading. Council Member Pelley moved in opposition to the proposed ordinance. He did not feel
they needed to hire a Project Manager. They need firefighters and police officers. City Hall does
not need to be renovated as long as there is a need for a fire hall and more room for the police
department. Council Member Witt-McMahan questioned Council Member Pelley’s comments
as he had an opportunity to bring up those issues at Study Session. While she was in agreement
with Council Member Pelley about the need for more firefighters and police, she felt this could
have been discussed then and inquired as to whether something had happened between the two
meetings to change his mind about the budget. She did not feel he was against the budget at
Study Session. Council Member Pelley chose not to respond. Council Member Witt-McMahan
stated she wished Council Member Pelley would tell the Council what his wish was so when they
vote on the budget again it will have 100% support of the Council. She felt that they all agreed
with the things Council Member Pelley mentioned and asked Council Member Pelley if he had a
solution. Council Member Pelley stated they could support the police and fire. Council Member
Witt-McMahan felt that could have been discussed at Study Session, Council Member Pelley
disagreed. Vice Mayor Lockmiller stated when he ran for office the school building project had
not yet been decided. He was 100% in favor of the project. At that time, the assumption was
they were going to have to raise the sales tax rate and increase property taxes by about $.20.
The citizens voted on and approved the sales tax increase. The City is now looking at an increase
of only $.08 for the school building project and five other projects. Even if the City had gone with
a $.20 increase, it would still have one of the lowest property tax rates in the state for a
municipality with a school system. Mayor Perkinson concluded the discussion by saying that the
five other capital projects cannot be done at one time, and they are in the plans to be done over
a span of time. While he believed the entire Council was interested in adding staff appropriately,
they are out of room in the Municipal Building and utilizing closet space for employees. They
want to have the space to handle the additional people they need, which will have to be done
over a period of time. Roll call vote:

AYES: Curtis, Witt-McMahan, Lockmiller, Perkinson
NAYS: Pelley

Mayor Perkinson disclosed for the record that his wife serves on the McMinn County Library
Board and this budget includes an increase in funding to that Board.

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REPORTS

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT QUARTERLY REPORT
Mr. Anthony Casteel, Community Development Director, presented the Building Permit
Quarterly Report for the City of Athens. The report was accepted as presented.
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FINANCE DEPARTMENT REPORT

Mr. Mike Keith, Finance Director, presented the Finance Department Report for the month of
April 2021. The report was accepted as presented.

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FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORT

Fire Chief Brandon Ainsworth presented the Fire Department Report for the month of April 2021.
The report was accepted as presented.

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POLICE DEPARTMENT REPORT

Police Chief Cliff Couch presented the Police Department Report for the month of April 2021. The
report was accepted as presented.