Thursday evening, the new Chillicothe Council passed their new year's budget.
With only three incumbents remaining, a special council session was set as soon as possible so the six new members could start the year with the finances they will have to watch over.
Mayor Luke Feeney explained that it was about the same as the previous draft, with minimal changes from two weeks ago - mostly bookkeeping tweaks by the auditor.
Feeney said there's some disagreement over whether the old or new council should pass the year's budget - the old one oversees it and knows it better, but the tradition is to let the new one pass it for their term.
The budget is starting at about $50,000,000...but will get some tweaks as final numbers come in.
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As council started the new year, a repeat observer was there.
Pastor Terry Williams has been attending the last few months of council sessions, watching the transition. He observed that it is the largest turnover of council members in the last decade.
Williams was a key leader in the so-far failed effort to get a "nondiscrimination" ordinance passed over the last six years...with the city's effort slowing after it was thought the state might take action.
He criticized the inaction and noted that it was even taken out of committee to die recently. (It was end-of-year housecleaning.)
He also noted the racial makeup of the 2020 council, the first time in about 15 years no "person of color" was among the nine members - and that they need to be sure to represent all the community.
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Kevin Coleman regularly reports on Chillicothe & Circleville councils and local culture
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