Chillicothe — Council is now working on a different angle on the homeless issue. After pushing back against resistance to updating city code against camping on public land, they are now considering a five-year plan on how to work on the unhoused.
Lisa Bennett led a brief committee meeting before Monday’s council session where they considered a draft mission statement. Hear her read it in the below interview video. (Sorry about the sound quality.)
When I asked her if this was a response to pressure against the ordinance – implying it was a conciliatory gesture – she said no.
Bennett said council wanted this before they started on the ordinance. It’s still in committee, and she said they want to take their time to get the five-year timeline right, before council starts reading the resolution on the way to passage.
She said her Community Affairs committee meetings have usually been on Mondays, but they will probably pick another day, along with maybe a bigger place without stairs – like the Main Library Annex. Bennett said the meetings are announced ahead of time.
Apparently a moderate audience remained from the committee meeting for the council session, and local homeless advocate Linda Hoover chatted with Bennett after the council session.
You can see a video of the less-than-three-minute committee meeting in “Chillicothe City Trackers” on Facebook, though even that audio is not the best.
Council had debated the “Anti-Camping” ordinance / Chapter 555 update through the first quarter of this year, to sometimes noisy packed audiences in council chambers. Council passed it, Mayor Luke Feeney vetoed it, and then on May 12th council overrode the veto.
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