Council members approve budget, fire contract extension

Hillsboro City Council members approved the 2015 budget, renewed the city's contract with the Paint Creek Joint EMS/Fire District for an additional three years and heard from the mayor regarding a proposed "meth house" ordinance to consider in 2015 during their December meeting.

The 2015 expense budget, as proposed at November's meeting, was considered with two changes noted by the city as follows:

"The Street Budget has been increased from $816,000 to $894,000. This is the result of the method of payment of the grant from ODNR. Instead of sending funds for the pedestrian bridge, we will pay for the improvements first and we will then be reimbursed by ODNR. The increase in expenditures will be offset on the revenue side by the reimbursements.

"The Police Pension Fund has been increased from $166,000 to $167,000. Some changes in payroll have caused this minor change in the pension fund."

At the recommendation of the finance committee, council members passed the ordinance by a 7-0 vote.

In the safety and service director's report, Todd Wilkin presented council members with a resolution to extend the city's current contract with the Paint Creek Joint EMS/Fire District for an additional three years.

"You may be wondering why three years," Wilkin said. "That is the maximum length of time allowed by law.

"I do want to say on record that I do appreciate all the efforts and commitment by Paint Creek over the last year."

Wilkin thanked Chief Bradley George and the "great group of men and women" for their service to the city over the past year. Council members approved the resolution by a 7-0 vote.

Hillsboro Mayor Drew Hastings presented council members with "some meth house legislation" for council committees to begin considering.

Hastings said that he wanted council to begin looking into the ordinance, which he said would be "fairly controversial," moving in 2015.

"What it is does is it puts the onus on the landlord to vet tenants more," Hastings said. "Who are you renting to? Because if we go in and bust it for a meth lab, and this has happened maybe a number of times on the property, we have a right to seal your place and say 'this is an environmentally contaminated place.'"

Hastings said that Chillicothe has enacted similar legislation.

"We have, obviously, problems here in this city," Hastings said. "This is one way to deal with our meth house issues."

Council president Lee Koogler placed the proposed legislation in committee with Justin Harsha, chair of the street and safety committee.

(For the full text of the proposed ordinance's first draft, see sidebar.)

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Both Hastings and Wilkin thanked city employees for their service in 2014 in their respective reports.

In addition to his thanks to the Paint Creek Joint EMS/Fire Department, Wilkin thanked "all of the employees for the city for a great year" and praised Bob Creamer, Randy Barr and Todd Whited, who "had to overcome situations that they inherited and have done an outstanding job" in the past year.

Hastings also thanked council members for "a really fruitful year."

"I appreciate having all of you guys here, and I think we've all worked well as a team," Hastings said.

Hastings encouraged council members to attend the plaza committee meeting this Wednesday from 7-9 p.m. at the Highland County Administration Building to discuss the proposed plaza at Governor Trimble Place.

"Bear in mind, the plaza committee that is in place is merely there for the look and design of a plaza and has absolutely nothing to do with funding, parking, logistics or anything else," Hastings said. "I think if there's going to be a plaza, how it will look is up to your input."

Wilkin reported that the city has received bids for employee health insurance and will be facing a two-percent premium increase, but that it "offers more to the employees as well."

Wilkin also informed council members that the Masonic lodge is renovating the sidewalk adjacent to their building on the Beech Street side that would "reduce the width of the sidewalk," which "will add seven additional parking spots by turning the parking from parallel to diagonal parking."

In addition to the fire contract renewal, council members also approved two other resolutions presented by Wilkin, each by a 7-0 vote:

• A resolution to enter into an agreement with Highland County Commissioners to provide legal counsel to indigent persons charged with serious offenses and loss of liberty offenses in the municipal court.

• A resolution authorizing the mayor to prepare and submit an application to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for grant funding to identify and mitigate brownfields located in the city of Hillsboro.

At council member Ann Morris' request, Wilkin explained that a brownfields is a "building site or a commercial site where past use has contaminated the ground. It could be lead, asbestos, oil [or] petroleum."

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Council members and city administration debated a request by Kevin Barreras for a variance to allow the installation of a 199-foot Verizon cell tower on his property. Prior to Monday's council meeting, a public meeting was held to discuss the request.

Council member Bill Alexander asked Hastings for the city's opinion.

"We have legislation in place regarding cell towers," Hastings said. "I don't like to keep hearing 'variance, variance, variance,' because there's a reason why we put things in place. Ultimately, it's up to you, but I think ultimately we are trying to get away from the practice of variance and kind of standardize things in the city."

Council members passed an emergency ordinance in a special meeting in March "to regulate antennas and cellular telephone towers" after discussion of building a large tower in a Hillsboro neighborhood.

"Apparently when we passed our ordinance back in the first of the year, there was a reason that it was brought to council," council member Dick Donley said.

"I think the concern was with a cell tower going up in the middle of a residential neighborhood," Koogler said.

"I agree with what the mayor says," Donley said. "We knew cell towers were an issue at that time."

Donley said that "we have an ordinance in place … that we need to stay with."

Harsha said that the previous ordinance was aimed at a neighborhood in the city, while Barreras' property is "on the edge of Hillsboro" with a different cell tower nearby.

"I don't know that if you vote this down, if the applicant has other places that they can then go nearby in the county to do this same kind of tower," Hastings said. "It's been determined there's a need for one. I'm on the fence. I understand Justin's position on this."

Morris suggested a different property, while Verizon representatives in attendance said that it would be outside of their desired area.

Hastings asked if council would have moved forward with passing the legislation if this had been the original request rather than the residential neighborhood, and Donley asked if it would be "better to re-entertain the ordinance."

"I think we wanted some control," Koogler said. "I don't think we have to do anything to the ordinance, because the idea is to continue to give us control. If anybody else is seeking to bring anything in the future, we have control over the issue. We have no ordinance, we have no control.

"I don't think granting a variance or a waiver sets a precedent. It's just being practical, looking at a case-by-case basis."

Hastings then told council he would "soften my stance" on the issue.

"I would say based on what you said, we would not be opposed to it," Hastings said.

Wilkin told council members that the city received complaints from citizens when the tower was proposed at Hillsboro Elementary school, though it was "not our jurisdiction," but that there were also "positives presented."

"This cell tower has the potential to help with economic development," Wilkin said. "Businesses come to Hillsboro – can they get the data they need? Maybe they can't on the south side of town, and therefore they're not interested on the south side of town."

Hillsboro auditor Gary Lewis asked Koogler if the money Verizon would pay Barreras for the implementation of the tower was "taxable."

"That was going to be my question," Hastings said. "Would there be a financial benefit to having it in the city, versus us not granting the waiver and then moving it right over here and us getting no benefit and still having essentially the same skyline?"

Barreras told administrators that he would be paying taxes on the money from Verizon.

"One, it's not the lucrative deal you may think it is, but two, it will be miscellaneous income and I will pay income taxes on it," Barreras said.

Harsha made a motion to approve and adopt the legislation, which was approved by a 5-2 vote, with Claudia Klein and Tracy Aranyos voting no.

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Council members heard from five separate public requests at the meeting's outset. Newly appointed city economic development coordinator Kim Abbott introduced herself to council members.

Abbott told council members she grew up in Winchester and spent much of her career working in Cincinnati, where she retired as an "IT business consultant."

"As I thought about that, it was really, I think, good training for this job because I was kind of an interpreter, if you will, for the end user communicating with the programmers," Abbott said. "I think the number of the years spent doing that sort of thing is some good training for this, and I'm just really excited about the new position."

Abbott said the new economic development program "is going to run the gamut," with her first project an upcoming "tour of uptown residential space."

Abbott also told council members she is working with a potential owner of a micro-distillery in Hillsboro, then will work on the proposed skating rink brought before council by Hastings.

Council members also heard from Bob Lambert, executive director of the Highland County Visitors Bureau, on a request to look at the city's lodging tax.

"I'm not sure how much of the bed tax from the city went to the visitors bureau in the past, but at some point it was taken away and reduced to a half of a half of a percent," Lambert said.

Lambert said the bureau has a "two-prong approach," both to attract tourism and new businesses for the county and to encourage local residents to stay in the area by promoting existing businesses.

"The business rolls forward with every dollar that we spend," Lambert said. "The more we let our story be told, the more people we're going to have come visit. We all know, there are enough people in this room who came here to visit and then moved here.

"We want to continue that effort. We want to partner with the city, the county, business development, government to make sure we keep growing. We're doing it slowly, but we want to keep it going."

Koogler told Lambert he would place the matter with the finance committee.

Council then considered three separate request for variances for signage. Bill Meyer spoke to council members on behalf of Taco Bell for a variance on signage at the restaurant. Meyer told council members that the signs would be consistent with "what's required" for the corporation and would be similar to the previous signs. Council members voted 7-0 to grant a variance for Taco Bell.

Greg Abbott also appeared before council on behalf of Highland Tire to request an additional sign for the business. Council members voted 7-0 to allow the variance.

Council members also voted 7-0 to approve a variance for Hillsboro City Schools for a digital sign, a follow-up from a previously approved request. Ann Morris, property maintenance and restoration committee chair, told council members that her committee had met with Hillsboro school board members and administrators to discuss changes to the signage plans from the prior variance approved by council. The committee voted unanimously to move forward with the request.

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Council members also passed six resolutions presented by Lewis, each by a 7-0 vote:

• A resolution to increase transfers from the General Fund to the General Bond Retirement Fund by $2,000 for the purpose of covering a shortfall from payment of the Street Improvement Bond.

• A resolution to increase appropriations in the General Bond Retirement Fund by $7,000.

• A resolution to increase appropriations in the Water Debt Retirement Fund by $19,000.

• A resolution to increase transfers from the Water Revenue Fund to the Water Debt Retirement Fund by $19,000.

• A resolution to increase appropriations in the General Fund and to advance funds from the General Fund to other funds as needed.

• A resolution for the transfer of various funds for fiscal year 2015: from General Fund, $1,025,000, to Street Fund in the amount of $575,000, Police Pension in the amount of $137,000 and General Bond Retirement in the amount of $250,000; from Water Revenue Fund, $410,000, to Water Replacement in the amount of $15,000, Water Debt Retirement in the amount of $390,000 and Water Improvement in the amount of $5,000; and from Sewer Revenue Fund, $965,512, to Sewer Replacement in the amount of $15,000, Sewer Improvement in the amount of $119,000 and to Sewer Debt Retirement in the amount of $831,512.

Council members adjourned to enter into executive session "to discuss ongoing legal matters in association with the wastewater treatment plant," according to Wilkin.