Chillicothe to Lay Off 36 City Employees

Joseph Sulzer, The mayor of Chillicothe, Ohio announced Thursday that he would have to lay off 36 city employees in the hopes of closing a half million dollar municipal budget gap. While some of the eliminated jobs are part time positions, 10 police and fire fighters were also laid off. Other affected departments are sanitation and city parks.

Even with the layoffs, Chillicothe, about 50 miles south of Columbus, will still face a $200,000 budget deficit. Matt Allen, the mayor’s Chief of Staff, blamed the deficit on decreased tax revenue and runaway health insurance costs, which have seen double-digit increases over the past several years.