The City Services chair got some funds for important mowing in Chillicothe Council Monday evening. Aaron Hines saw two big spending ordinances pass on first reading.
$79,000 will replace old equipment needed for floodwall mowing, as the Army Corps of Engineers dictates. A tractor in use since 1974 finally died, and its bush hog mower also needed replacement.
The funds will also get the city a wood chipper and skid-steer attachment. Hines said council felt justified to spend the money quickly:
"We knew it was important to get ahead of the spring growing season. Another reason we felt that this was justifiable is we had saved almost half the money we had appropriated last year for a new street sweeper by purchasing a refurb model. This gave us the extra cushion to make this purchase."
So, look for a vintage tractor that needs a little work in the upcoming city auction.
Hines also saw almost $59,000 to go to the county...a little late. It's to pay for some improvements to the Law Enforcement Center that had not been paid for from 2015.
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Chillicothe Council also acted on some traffic controls Monday evening. Safety Services chair Joel Fleurima saw his ordinance pass to pay about $20,000 for six "driver feedback signs."
These are the typical speed-radar setups that show your speed, but Fleurima says they're smaller and not a trailer that needs to be towed.
Fleurima said getting six of them was at the recommendation of the mayor and service director, so they can coordinate multiple placements at the same time.
Adjacent legislation authorized traffic and signal changes around the two new school buildings, and the mayor said the speed signs can help retrain drivers when those changes are made.
Kevin Coleman regularly reports on Chillicothe & Circleville councils and local culture