County will vote to end bus advertising contract

Athens-Clarke County is cutting short its contract with a local firm that sells advertising on Athens Transit buses because the program is making less money than officials expected.

The Athens-Clarke Commission is likely to vote tonight to opt out of a two-year contract with The Summit Agency on June 30, after just one year.

The deal guarantees the county at least $75,000 per year in revenue, with the county and the agency splitting anything over that amount. After seven months, the agency has sold only $33,000 worth of ads, Athens Transit Director Butch McDuffie said.

"At this point, it's not generating that much revenue," he said.

The economy and a restrictive policy on what types of ads Athens Transit will accept are responsible for the poor sales, McDuffie said.

The county does not accept alcohol-related, sexual, political or religious advertising.

Commissioners adopted the policy on Athens-Clarke Attorney Bill Berryman's recommendation to head off potential lawsuits if they turned down a controversial ad to avoid the appearance that the government is endorsing a religious or political message.

"It limits the clients (The Summit Agency) can sell to," McDuffie said.

Athens Transit turned down offers by Athens Christian School, Monsignor Donovan High School and Prince Avenue Christian School to buy ads because they are religious organizations, as well as an ad for a sexually transmitted disease vaccine, The Summit Agency President Laurie Rainey wrote in

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