Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Paving Levy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Chillicothe mayor outlines $17.5M street backlog as city prepares to retake paving levy to voters
Summary
At a Jan. review session, the mayor presented a Pavement Management Group report showing roughly $17.5 million in one‑time roadway needs, explained how levy dollars and grant matches are used, and warned that without the levy the city would rely on smaller state grants (about $250,000–$300,000 annually) and fall further behind.
Chillicothe City officials held a review session focused on a proposed street paving levy on Jan. 21, during which the mayor presented updated 2025 condition data and an interactive report from Pavement Management Group.
The mayor said the city originally placed a paving levy on the ballot in 2015 (two‑tenths of 1 percent), borrowed against future levy receipts to start work early and has since used that dedicated fund for annual paving, maintenance and matching grant obligations. "In 2015, city council put on, the ballot, a paving levy 2 tenths of 1%, passed in the spring of that year," he said.
The presentation included a spreadsheet of 11 years of paving data and a contractor report that scores pavement condition by segment. The mayor described standard treatments (mill‑and‑fill) and said some streets require full‑depth reconstruction when the sub‑base has failed. "When full depth repairs needed... it basically means that the sub base is faulty... You have to excavate, compact again," he said.
The report distinguishes roadways and alleys and shows that alleys account for a large share of failed segments. The mayor cited the consultant's point‑in‑time cost estimates, saying rehabilitation (worst‑condition work) was roughly $4 per square foot and that "if you did everything in one year, it would be $17,500,000 of roadway work." He said those figures are a snapshot, not adjusted for regional pricing or material updates.
Officials also reviewed a maintenance program begun in 2019 that includes rejuvenator applications and crack sealing to extend pavement life; that program was paused in 2020 and scaled back in 2025 when the levy did not go on the ballot. The mayor said maintenance helps stretch paving dollars by extending the life of recently paved streets.
On funding, the mayor described how fund 219 is used for paving and for matching on larger projects. He said the city's match for a state paving project last summer was $500,000 while the city typically receives about $100,000 annually from the state highway fund. He warned that without a successful levy the city would likely fall back on Ohio Public Works Commission and similar grants, which he estimated would allow roughly $250,000–$300,000 of paving a year: "So, you can anticipate a paving program of somewhere around $300,000 a year." He added that as levy‑related debt service falls off, more levy revenue will be available for direct paving work.
Council leadership indicated plans to place the levy on the March ballot and flagged the filing deadline: staff reported the city must file by approximately Feb. 4 to meet the primary calendar. The mayor said the 10‑year term the city used previously is likely again, though he expressed openness to a permanent levy.
The review session ended without a formal council vote on placing the levy on the ballot; council will consider the item at its regular meeting and staff will handle filings to meet the stated deadline.
