Citizen Involvement

Citizen involvement is vital to the success of local government. Athens offers its citizens many opportunities to participate in local government through citizen committees. If you would like to be considered for a committee appointment, please fill out our printable Committee Application Form and submit it to:

Office of the City Manager
815 North Jackson Street
Post Office Box 849
Athens, TN 37371-0849

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You will find below a complete listing of committees and a brief description of their function.

CITY OF ATHENS COMMITTEES

ATHENS HOUSING AUTHORITY - Meetings: Regular meetings are held on the second Wednesday of each month at 11:30 a.m. Qualifications: An authority shall consist of five (5) commissioners approved by the Mayor. AHA board members must reside within the corporate limits of the City of Athens; however, no commissioner may be a city official. The term of office shall be five (5) years. Purpose: To provide safe and sanitary housing as it may deem advisable.

ATHENS REGIONAL PLANNING COMMISSION - Meetings: Regular meetings are held on the first Monday of each month at 12:00 noon. Qualifications: The Planning Commission shall consist of seven members; two of these shall be the Mayor and a council member selected by the City Council; one member shall be the general manager of the Athens Utilities Board; and the other four members shall be appointed by the Mayor and must be residents of the City or its regional planning boundary. The terms of the four members appointed by the Mayor shall be for three (3) years each. Purpose: To enforce local and state regulations for regional planning, zoning, and development.

ATHENS UTILITIES BOARD - Meetings: Regular meetings are held on the fourth Tuesday at 5:00 p.m. Qualifications: The board shall consist of five (5) commissioners, one of which is a council member selected by the City Council for a two-year term. All other appointments shall be for a period of four (4) years. No person shall be eligible to the Office of commissioner unless he has been a resident of Athens for at least three (3) years and at least twenty-five (25) years of age. Purpose: To exercise independent control free from the jurisdiction of the City Council (except as expressly provided for in the Charter) over the management and operations of the utilities systems.

BOARD OF ADJUSTMENTS AND APPEALS - Meetings: This committee meets in called sessions, normally scheduled at noon through the week. Qualifications: The Board of Adjustments and Appeals shall consist of five members (one architect, one general contractor or engineer, and three members at large from the building industry) and two alternates, all being re residents of Athens. The board members shall be appointed by the Mayor for a four-year term. Continued absence of any member from meetings of the board shall, at the discretion of the chief appointing authority, render any such member liable to immediate removal from office. Purpose: Process whereby a property owner or a duly authorized agent may appeal from the decision of the Building Inspector to the Board of Adjustments and Appeals. Notice of appeal shall be in writing and filed within 90 days after the decision is rendered by the Building Inspector.

BOARD OF ZONING APPEALS - Meetings: This board meets in called sessions normally scheduled at noon through the week. Qualifications: The Board of Zoning Appeals shall consist of five members appointed by the Athens City Council, who shall be residents of the City or reside in the regional planning boundary. The membership shall consist of one designated member of the Planning Commission (the Mayor or a Council Member), one (1) appointed member of the Planning Commission, and three (3) members appointed at large. The board members shall be appointed to five-year terms. Purpose: A judicial board whose purpose is to hear appeals to decisions of the Building Inspector concerning matters of zoning or Building Code.

COUNCIL ADVISORY COMMITTEE - Meetings: Regular meetings are held on the third Monday @ 6 p.m. during the months of January, April, July, and October. Qualifications: This board consists of 26 members (each council member selects five representatives, along with the chairman of the Recreation Advisory Board), who shall be residents of the City of Athens. Purpose: to advise City Council on any matter relating to city government; to review all aspects of city government, listing both positive and negative; to review city organization, including departmental goals, needs assessments, Five Year Plan, etc.; list priorities on needs in city for Council's review; study and review any issue requested by Council; become an advocate for promoting initiatives implemented by the Council.

HEALTH AND EDUCATIONAL FACILITIES - Meetings: This board meets in called sessions. Qualifications: This board consists of seven members appointed by the City Council for a three-year term. Purpose: To authorize the incorporation in the several municipalities in this state of public corporations to acquire, own, lease, and dispose of properties to the end that such corporations may be able to promote the health and higher education of the people of this state and to vest such corporations with all powers that may be necessary to enable them to accomplish such purposes.

HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION - Meetings: Regular meetings are held on the 1st Tuesday of each month at 5:30 p.m. in the Athens Municipal Building located at 815 North Jackson Street. Qualifications: This commission, which was formed through the passage of Ordinance No. 943, consists of seven members as follows: representative of a local patriotic or historical organization, an architect, an Athens City Council member, and a current member of the Athens Regional Planning Commission. The remaining members to be appointed shall reside within the corporate boundaries of the City of Athens. Initial appointment terms shall be staggered, with reappointment to five year terms (maximum of two consecutive terms). Purpose: To preserve, promote, and develop the city's historic resources and to advise the City on the designation of Local Historic Overlay Districts and Local Conservation Overlay Districts and Local Landmarks and to perform such other functions as may be provided by law.

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS COMMITTEE- Meetings: This board meets on the third Tuesday of January, March, May, July, September and November. Qualifications: This committee shall consist of ten (10) members, with the membership being composed as follows: Representative of Athens City Council (Ex-officio Member); Representative of Tennessee Wesleyan College; Representative of Athens City Schools; Representative of McMinn County Schools; Representative of local industry; Representative of local business; Representative of cultural/arts community; Representative At Large (McMinn County resident); Representatives (2) At Large (City of Athens residents). Purpose: The purpose of the International Relations Committee shall be to facilitate and to provide guidance toward our relationships and appreciation of the international influence in our area.

KEEP MCMINN BEAUTIFUL- Meetings: This board meets on the first Tuesday of each month at 4:30 p.m. Qualifications: The Athens City Council appoints nine individuals residing within the municipal jurisdiction for a three-year term, with the Mayor being designated as a member of this board; McMinn County Commission appoints nine individuals, with the County Executive filling one slot; City of Etowah appoints three members along with its mayor; City of Calhoun appoints one member along with its mayor; City of Niota appoints one member along with its mayor; City of Englewood appoints one member along with its mayor; and ex-officio members include the president of both the Athens and Etowah chambers of commerce. Purpose: To promote and encourage beautification, educate residents to benefits of solid waste disposal by recycling.

LIBRARY COMMITTEE - Meetings: This committee meets on the fourth Monday of January, March, May, July, September, and November at 5:30 p.m. Qualifications: This board shall consist of seven members, four being appointed by the McMinn County Commission and three being appointed by the City Council in accordance with the County Library laws of the State of Tennessee. Members are subject to reappointment for not more than two succeeding terms, a term being three years. Any member absent from four consecutive meetings may be asked to resign. Purpose: To foster and promote library development in McMinn County. The libraries under the auspices of the board are Calhoun, E. G. Fisher, Englewood, Etowah, and Niota.

RECREATION ADVISORY BOARD - Meetings: Regular meetings are held on the third Thursday at 12:00 noon during the months of February, April, June, August, October, and December. Qualifications: City Council appoints seven members to fill a four-year appointment. Members must be residents of Athens and are required to attend all board meetings or, if absent, to give just and reasonable cause why absent, and to give notice to the board chairman and recreation director if known in advance that absence will be unavoidable. Members shall not serve more than two consecutive (four-year) terms. Purpose: The Advisory Board shall, in concert, with the Department of Recreation Director: 1.) develop and implement a broad and comprehensive recreation program for the city; 2.) interpret the recreation and parks services of the department to the community and interpret the needs and desires of the community to the department.

RETAIL AND TOURISM COMMITTEE - Meetings: To be determined. The Retail and Tourism Committee is established for the promotion and recruitment of small businesses and tourism to the city of Athens. It shall be comprised of ten (10) members appointed by the Athens City Council with membership being composed of: Executive Director Athens Area Chamber of Commerce, Director of Athens Area Council for the Arts, Director of McMinn Living Heritage Museum, Supervisor of Mayfield's Visitors Center, Chairperson of Downtown Business Association, and Business Owners/Business Managers from the Athens Plaza/Congress Parkway Area, I-75 Exits Area, and At Large Member of the Athens Business Community. 

TAX EQUALIZATION BOARD - Meetings: Meetings are scheduled through the County Tax Assessor's Office during the first two weeks of June each year during office hours. Qualifications: Appointee must be a resident of Athens and will serve for a term of two years. Purpose: Administer regulations to assure that the assessments of all properties within its jurisdiction confirm to laws of the state and rules and regulations of the State Board of Equalization.