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Residents press council on transparency, Howmet accountability and energy policy during public comment
Summary
Residents used the July 28 public-comment period to press Chillicothe officials for direct engagement with Howmet and the Ohio EPA, to debate wind and solar reliability, and to request clearer reporting after executive sessions.
Several residents used the July 28 Chillicothe City Council public-comment period to raise issues ranging from gravel‑street enforcement to environmental oversight, energy policy and transparency about executive sessions.
Accountability and EPA contact information
- Heidi Carter (182 Edgen Drive) commended police officers assigned near Bridal Street and singled out Officer Gaye and Officer Wright for their efforts addressing intersection blocking. - Tana Seidress (415 Lundbeck Road) asked whether Mayor Feeney could provide contact information for Ohio EPA staff; she said she had questions about environmental matters and requested the mayor’s assistance obtaining EPA contacts. - Jamie Brown urged the council to use its authority to bring Howmet before the council if possible, saying, "Whatever folks in this room can do to bring multinational corporations to, speak to you directly, I'm gonna advocate that you do that." Brown also argued climate change is real and encouraged elected officials to act on the scientific consensus.
Energy and grid reliability
Public commenter Alan Davis presented detailed data arguing that solar and wind are intermittent and questioned their reliability for the grid, citing capacity-factor charts and regional insolation differences. In response, Jamie Brown urged support for renewable deployment and storage innovation, saying daytime solar production can be stored for later use and that a PJM Interconnection report did not single out solar as the cause of grid unreliability.
Executive session transparency
- John Thacker asked why a facilities‑committee executive session had been held without a public report and said members of the public had been left waiting. He requested that council provide more information when business occurs in executive session. President Shoemaker replied that executive sessions are governed by the Ohio Revised Code and that no actions can be taken during executive session, and that any final actions would occur in open session.
Why it matters
The comments reflect several ongoing community concerns: direct engagement with large industrial operators (Howmet), access to regulatory contacts for environmental questions, debate over energy strategy and grid reliability, and expectations for transparency when council uses executive session authority.
What council said it would do
- Mayor Feeney said he posts office hours on the city website and on Facebook and that he would continue to provide updates on EPA matters. - President Shoemaker reaffirmed that executive session actions must be taken in open session in accordance with state law.
