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A state appeals court this week ordered the Athens Municipal Water Authority (AMWA) and City of Athens to mediation in their lawsuit.
The 12th Court of Appeals order defines mediation as “a mandatory, non-binding settlement conference conducted with the assistance of a mediator.”
The Court of Appeals got the case after attorneys for the City of Athens appealed a decision on jurisdiction by Visiting Judge Joe Clayton at a Jan. 13 hearing.
The Court appointed Andy Tindel of Tyler as the mediator in the case, but the two sides have the option of agreeing on a different mediator.
Officials from both AMWA and the City have said they are happy with the court-ordered mediation.
When asked to comment on the mediation, AMWA Executive Director Wylie Pirkle said, “We are very glad and hopeful that we will get the chance to resolve this and begin a new era of cooperation for the citizens of Athens.”
Athens Mayor Jerry Don Vaught said mediation “is what we wanted from the very beginning,” pointing out that the City was making arrangements for mediation when AMWA filed its lawsuit.