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Threats of city government shut-down loom over Dayton

Dayton City Commissioners fail to pass the proposed 2023 city budget. They are still working through several details.
Kathryn Mobley
/
WYSO
Dayton City Commissioners fail to pass the proposed 2023 city budget. They are still working through several details.

Dayton City Commissioners fail to pass 2023 city budget.

Conflicts are brewing between Dayton’s five-member Commission. As a result, they still have not passed a 2023 budget.

Commissioners Darryl Fairchild and Shenise Turner-Sloss say they can not vote in favor of the 190-million-dollar proposed budget because their concerns have not been addressed. They want more funding for, “Neighborhood development, especially with a focus of moving unproductive properties to productivity, advance the mayor’s program around youth, reduction of litter, bulk pick-up,” summarized Commissioner Fairchild.

During Wednesday evening’s public meeting, both noted over the past two months, each of them have emailed their specific questions to City Manager Shelley Dickstein and to their colleagues on the commission. However, both claim they have gotten no response. 

Meanwhile, Mayor Jeffery Mims accuses the pair of playing Russian roulette with Dayton’s more than 140,000 residents. He also claims a delay in passing the budget could shut down the city beginning January 1, 2023.

“It would put us in a situation where we can not pay our bills, we can’t pay our employees, we can not provide them with health insurance and critical services to our residents especially to those who are most vulnerable," Mims said.

Commissioners Chris Shaw and Matt Joseph both say they are in favor of the current city budget.

In order for the 2023 budget to go into effect on January 1, four Dayton City Commissioners must approve it. If only three commissioners approve the budget, then there will be a two-to-three week delay before the city is authorized to spend money. Mims says the commissioners are working now to sort through their differences.

Kathryn Mobley is an award-winning broadcast journalist, crafting stories for more than 30 years. She’s reported and produced for TV, NPR affiliate and for the web. Mobley also contributes to several area community groups. She sings tenor with World House Choir (Yellow Springs), she’s a board member of the Beavercreek Community Theatre and volunteers with two community television operations, DATV (Dayton) and MVCC (Centerville).

Email: kmobley@wyso.org
Cell phone: (937) 952-9924