Monday evening, Chillicothe Council covered a few committee meetings on their off-night...again, in a new 'socially distanced' format. Instead of being broadcast on the two local cable channels like last session, city government convened in live video on the city's Facebook page.
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Mayor Luke Feeney explained why he wants the city to declare a state of emergency, like the county commissioners already have. It would allow quick action by the mayor if needed, by suspending some rules...but council could still provide restraint.
One example was to purchase a computer to facilitate a city employee working online, but council could call back the purchase if they needed to.
Feeney also mentioned that Auditor Kristal Spetnagel had tried to make a forecast for the city based on the Great Recession of 2008 and 2009...but the Coronavirus crisis is still uncharted territory.
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Safety Services chair Tara Gillum covered several issues.
Gillum said she had done much research into low-speed vehicles, and most standards required basic motor vehicle features including safety belts, and drivers must be legal and usually stay under 35 miles an hour.
She had also greatly researched livestock in the city, reporting that one standard was 100 pounds of livestock required two acres, and the nuisance officer would investigate complaints. But the consensus was that 4-H projects were the main issue, and maybe just a clarification of the 70-year-old ordinance focusing on stockyards would resolve the issue.
The consensus on building a new west side fire station was that the issue should be revisited in two months, after the current uncertainty might be better resolved...instead of having a building that might not be staffed.
The Law Director requested rental of another tarabyte a month to store police bodycam videos as evidence.
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Parks & Rec chair Ceil Corcoran brought up a request to slope part of the old railroad bed along the floodwall so it could be mowed instead of sprayed, for $5,000.
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Finance chair Courtney Lewis addressed two housekeeping issues, including about $42,000 for Transit that should be mostly reimbursed by a grant, soon.
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Watch the 1:18 video on the city's Facebook page.
Council meets in regular session 7pm next Monday, April 13th, and should be broadcast on Horizon 2 and Spectrum 1021.