Administration informs council of local union decertification

Hillsboro Mayor Drew Hastings opened his report at the March meeting of Hillsboro City Council by announcing the recent decertification of the local AFSCME (American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees) union.

The organization was one of three longtime public unions in the city, along with IAFF (International Association of Fire Fighters) and FOP (Fraternal Order of Police).

"We think it was a really positive thing," Hastings said. "This was not something that we were behind. It wasn't anything that we ever brought up or even thought of. For some reason, the employees felt that they were better off dealing directly with the administration than with the AFSCME union."

Hastings said the union's decertification is "more in keeping with the way we are as a small city."

"We've essentially gone from three unions to one in the last year," Hastings said. "I think that bodes better for communication, so I think that's a really good move."

In his report, safety and service director Todd Wilkin added that the union voted 12-2 to decertify their organization on Feb. 25.

"Ultimately, this will be a savings to the city of Hillsboro and ultimately to the citizens of Hillsboro," Wilkin said. "We would like to thank the employees for their vote of confidence towards the administration."

Wilkin also updated council on various CDBG projects for which the city will be applying, including "an additional curb and gutter project extending down High Street, some additional roads that need to be paved [and] demolition money to tear down a few structures in town."

Wilkin told council that the administration has entered a contract with Stantec to "map out water supply lines in Hillsboro."

"The map will be very similar to the map that we have currently for the sewer system," Wilkin said. "A few years ago, the city paid to have the sewer system mapped and identified which lines are deteriorated and which lines need to be replaced.

"This mapping of the water supply lines will also provide the city the same evidence to show us which lines need to be replaced now, and we can create a budget and a plan to get those fixed."

Wilkin added that this should help with the city's "inflow and infiltration issues."

"On Feb. 20, which is when we had our rain event and the snow was melting, we treated approximately 900,000 gallons of water at the water treatment plant, and on that day we treated 4.8 million gallons of water at the wastewater treatment plant," Wilkin said. "It just shows you how much infiltration we have into our deteriorating system."

Wilkin also announced that the wastewater treatment plant's superintendent, Brandon Leeth, resigned after being offered another position.

"The city would like to thank him for his 14 years of service," Wilkin said.

Wilkin said that Bob Creamer, a 25-year laborer at the plant, has been promoted to superintendent and that the city is looking for a new laborer to take his former position.

• • •

Justin Reno of Anna's Army addressed council regarding Anna's Army Day, which is typically held on the Highland County Courthouse lawn on the third Friday in April each year.

Reno said this year's event has been delayed until May 9 due to Good Friday falling on the third Friday in April this year.

Reno asked council for permission "to shut down Governor Trimble Place again this year" starting the evening before the event, to allow them time to set up.

"We also want to ask permission to see if it's possible that we can hang banners across the streets, up in the center of town," Reno said.

"Have you already spoken with the county commissioners as well about use of the courthouse lawn?" council president Lee Koogler asked.

Reno said that he had not met with commissioners yet, but that last year they had granted "half the lawn" and that their organization would ask for full use of the lawn.

Council voted unanimously to allow the event to take place uptown, "contingent upon" commissioners' approval, and Wilkin said he saw "no real issues" with the group's request for temporary signage.

• • •

The remainder of what Koogler joked was a "record" brief meeting was dedicated to standing committee reports.

• In the planning commission report, Hastings told council that the commission met Feb. 25 to discuss a requested change in zoning brought before the commission by Jim Baer for properties adjacent to Highland District Hospital. Dr. Sophela Mesina also requested a change in zoning for her now-vacant office building on North High Street. Hastings said that a public hearing is required before the commission can take action to change the zoning.

The commission also discussed a proposed cell phone tower being installed in a residential area in the city. Hastings said that the commission recommended emergency legislation preventing the tower from being installed in residential areas, which was passed by council in a special session last week.

• Property maintenance and restoration committee chair Ann Morris reported that her committee met twice since the last council meeting, with the first meeting held to discuss a recent request by Highland District Hospital for updated signage.

Morris said the hospital is proposing to have "some of the old hospital signs be removed and some additional signage will be installed." The committee voted unanimously to recommend that council approve the hospital's proposal.

Council members voted 7-0 Monday to approve the hospital's signage variance.

The committee's second meeting was a joint meeting with the street and safety committee to discuss uptown parking and the sidewalk and yard sale ordinances.

Morris said that the sidewalk ordinance may be changed "to regulate city-owned items on the sidewalk," including proposed additions to city sidewalks such as "benches and more flower containers."

Morris said the city is looking into adding parking lots to help with the lack of uptown parking spaces.

• Street and safety committee chair Justin Harsha added that the committees discussed a recent resolution requested by Emergency Management Agency "authorizing the mayor to sign the county-wide resolution authorizing the formation of the Highland County Emergency Management Agency," which council read for the first time at the February meeting.

The agency has existed since 1992, and the resolution was placed in committee at the February meeting after administrators and council members voiced concerns with unclear wording in the resolution.

Harsha said that Lyle answered "lots of questions and concerns" from council members and administrators, but that the issues with the resolution have not yet been resolved.

Harsha said a second meeting was held with an executive session for "security contract negotiations." No action was taken because the committee was still awaiting "new legislation from Jim Lyle … so we can't go forward until then."

Wilkin said that the city has received legislation from the EMA but that they "have not had the opportunity to review everything that's been submitted."

"I don't believe that new legislation was written, though," Wilkin said. "Our concern at this time is basically re-approving legislation that really doesn't fit the void that we have right now."

Koogler opted not to have council hear the second reading of the resolution, which was on the March agenda.

"I'm not going to continue to give this readings until we know exactly what it is we're going to look at and will be voting on," Koogler said. "I'm placing the item in committee, and it's going to be taken off the agenda in terms of readings until such time as we really know where we're at on this legislation."

• Tracy Aranyos, chair of the zoning and annexation committee, reported that the committee met to discuss a proposal by the East End Community Group to change the name of Baker Street to Curtis Lane.

East End Community Group member Bob Lambert brought the issue before council at the February meeting, requesting to change the name of the alley in honor of Imogene Curtis.

Aranyos said that the committee met and voted unanimously in a five-minute meeting in favor of the group's request.

Aranyos said that Hastings told the committee that the city would pay for a sign for each end of the street.

Koogler asked Hillsboro Law Director Fred Beery what the legal procedure would be to implement the street name change.

"It's published for four consecutive weeks, a public hearing is held and council votes on the legislation," Beery said. "Council has to make a specific finding that it would not be injurious to the public's health, safety and welfare."

Koogler said that council will work to schedule a hearing so they can vote on the proposal at the next council meeting.

• Council member Dick Donley concluded the meeting by wishing the Fairfield Lions boys basketball team good luck in their regional semifinal game set for Tuesday evening at the Ohio University Convocation Center.

"I'd like to congratulate them on their success so far, and as the City of Hillsboro is a near neighbor to them, we wish them the best of luck in their game tomorrow night," Donley said.

Council member Claudia Klein also thanked fellow council member Rebecca Wilkin at the conclusion of the meeting for organizing a tour of the sewer plant.