Wilmington Charter Hosts Mt. Healthy

A grassroots group of community members met at the Murphy Theatre on February 10, 2026 from 7pm to 8pm for a public town hall meeting to learn from the City of Mt. Healthy, Ohio, about what it might look like for Wilmington become a charter city.

The City of Mt. Healthy, Ohio, is located in Hamilton County and has a population of about 6,996 according to the 2020 census. Guest speakers from Mt. Healthy were Mayor Jenni Moody, Councilman Joseph Roetting, and Councilwoman Peggy Rissel.

Meeting Agenda

1. Introduce Attendees

2. Review Charter Proposal

3. Guest Speaker: Jenni Moody, Mayor for the City of Mt. Healthy, Ohio

   1. PERSONAL: Tell us about your background and why you got into politics?

   2. CITY: Tell us about Mt. Healthy. Where it is located, its population, does it lean more Conservative or Liberal, what are the major industries, what are some charming things about its history or community, what are some challenges (past or present), and what are some current or future projects that people are excited about?

   3. CHARTER: When did Mt. Healthy become a charter city? Why not stay Statutory? What were the challenges of becoming a charter? What were the most contentious issues that had to be resolved?

   4. PLAN: Explain how Mt. Healthy’s Council-Mayor-Administrator plan works, why it was chosen, pros and cons. Would a Council-Manager plan create more stability, and why? What would Mt. Healthy be like without a charter?

   5. DETAILS:

      1. PARTISANSHIP: We’ve been looking at non-partisan city councils to consider liberal voters (and not have unnecessary primaries for conservatives), but would it be wiser to start with a partisan city council to start, and make a provision to vote on a non-partisan city council later on?

      2. LAW DIRECTOR: Statutory Cities have to elect a Law Director from within city limits. This has caused lots of issues for many reasons. Some city managers appoint a Law Director, or their city councils appoint a Law Director, thoughts?

      3. BUILDING INSPECTOR: Wilmington currently does not have our own building inspector, and we have to contract through Warren County. Has Mt. Healthy had troubles finding a building inspector, or concerned about future issues?

   6. CLOSING THOUGHT: What would you say to a voter in Wilmington who is skeptical about becoming a charter city?

4. Open Questions

5. Next Meeting Time