CHILLICOTHE — Chillicothe City Council approved a slate of emergency spending measures Monday night, Oct. 12, while Mayor Luke Feeney told members the city is reviewing whether to keep its police surveillance camera system.
The largest discussion item was not a vote at all. Feeney said the administration is re-examining its policies for the Flock license-plate cameras the city bought in early 2025, looking at how the equipment has been used and when the current contract expires before deciding whether to seek funding for another year. No decision to end the system was announced.
On spending, council approved an emergency appropriation of $22,300 to cover hauling costs from a sewer lift station failure earlier this year, after the city’s insurance carrier denied coverage the administration had expected. Council also shifted $40,000 that had been set aside for a vacant engineering leadership post into money for outside engineering contracts, saying the city has struggled to recruit a qualified engineer, and approved about $61,000 in state grant funding that supports social work services tied to the police department.
The meeting also revisited a possible data center at the former paper mill site. Legislation tied to the idea remains pending with the city’s law director, and residents again raised questions about water, power and noise, while others pointed to assessments suggesting the site’s existing industrial infrastructure could limit effects on city utilities. Council took no vote on the proposal.
Chillicothe City Schools officials also used the meeting to outline a proposed 0.75% earned income tax levy, telling council the district could exhaust its cash reserves by the end of the 2029-30 school year without new revenue. The district is holding an in-person town hall on the levy on Tuesday, Oct. 13, with more sessions planned later this month.