Chillicothe Council Copes with Price Increases, Mayor Mentions Appointments

Chillicothe Council voted to cope with price increases Monday night.

Council passed on first reading an ordinance to appropriate $95,000 for "supply chain surcharges on capital items" from the 2020 and 2021 budgets.

Auditor Krystal Spetnagel said those items are two trash trucks, police cruisers, one dump truck...and leeway for additional expenses.

She said they had the price quotes locked down, but the vendors had leeway for increased prices of raw materials. She said some of the price quotes are a year old.

Spetnagel said the city is struggling to get a replacement dump truck, and the trash trucks are needed now. She agrees that at least the city can soon say 'the check is in the mail.'

Mayor Luke Feeney said he had gotten into a habit of just listing his appointees for council, and expecting them to ratify them without further explanation. He said he will do better after council in a split vote failed to accept his recent appointments to the Ross County Health District.

Council also got a little praise from the audience for reconsidering the nominations, though they did not take any action on them.

Kevin Coleman reports on local government and culture