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The Athens City Council met in regular session Tuesday night at the Athens Municipal Building. Athens Mayor Steven Sherlin and Council member Frances Witt-McMahan were absent due to illness. Vice Mayor Larry Eaton, and Council members Jordan Curtis and Dick Pelley were present and that constituted a quorum. However, any votes taken would have to be 3-0 or the measure would not pass. A large number of citizens addressed the council on several issues including: Pickleball Courts and the Library Board. A motion was made to accept the bid to renovate the Ingleside school tennis courts and add 10 pickleball courts at that location. The measure failed to get the 3 votes to pass. Council members did pass a measure to provide up to $30,000 to the Athens City Schools to help pay for renovating the old tennis courts at the Athens City Middle School and turn them into pickleball courts. Council members stated that they would revisit the pickleball court issue at Ingleside school when all 5 council members could vote on the measure. Vice Mayor Eaton read aloud a statement from former City Attorney Stephen Hatchett that exonerated himself and Mayor Steven Sherlin from any violations of Tennessee law and US Supreme Court decisions involving their actions as private citizens when they asked the staff of the E.G. Fisher Library to remove books from being displayed during LGBTQ+ “Pride Month” that contained graphic sexual content. Hatchett’s statement is available to the public. Also on the agenda was the appointment of a person to serve on the Library Board after the resignation of Craig Hardin. A called meeting of the council will be held this evening at 6 p.m. to review applicants and possibly take a vote on a new member of the board.

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