Council will not consider fire district contract during special session

The Hillsboro City Council will hold its previously scheduled special meeting Wednesday evening, however they will not consider prepared legislation that was scheduled to be presented regarding contracting for emergency services with the Paint Creek Joint EMS and Fire District.

However, there is a timeline for council to consider the matter before the city's budget situation becomes "critical."

Hillsboro Council President Lee Koogler said that he was informed by deputy law director Laura Curliss Monday afternoon that the legislation needs further review and will not be presented for its first reading on Wednesday.

"That item has been removed from the agenda," Koogler told The Highland County Press on Tuesday. "Council received an initial draft form, but the final form is not ready and finished for a first reading. Therefore, at this time, any first reading of the proposed legislation will not occur until the July 9 council meeting."

Koogler said that, "The assistant law director, it is my understanding, is working on the final draft, and it is being looked out by counsel in-house," as well as counsel previously contracted by the city.

Hillsboro Mayor Drew Hastings had previously said the law firm Blaugrund, Herbert, Kessler, Miller, Myers, Postalakis, Inc. had been working on matters relating to the fire department since February.

Koogler said it was his understanding that firm is "reviewing the proposed legislation," but he could not specify what elements of the contract were under review.

"The bottom line is, once the legislation was proposed to council, it was done within the time frame prescribed," Koogler said. "But I am being told the current legislation, as proposed, needed amended, and there has been a request to withdraw it."

The meeting will be held Wednesday, June 27 at 6 p.m. in the Hillsboro Municipal Courtroom at the Highland County Justice Center.
 
It had previously been reported the purpose of the meeting would be:
1. An ordinance abolishing the fire department, laying off fire department employees and authorizing the mayor to contract for services with Paint Creek Joint EMS and Fire District.

2. Executive session to consider the following: 

a. Contract negotiations
. Security issues.

With the withdrawal of the legislation, Koogler said that Wednesday evening, "council will have a special meeting. Council will immediately go into executive session to discuss contract negotiations, as well a safety and security issues. No official action will be taken."

There is no anticipated debate regarding the issue, and no time set aside for the public to address the city.

"It is hard to debate something that has not been presented to us in its final form," Koogler said. "We still don't fully know what is being presented. I think it would be my position to say that any discussion would likely take place during the July 9 council meeting."

Koogler said that citizens are always welcome at meetings, but anyone who wants to publicly address the city on the matter may have to wait until the next regularly scheduled meeting. 

"I welcome members of the community to continue contacting council or the administration, as things continue to develop. But as far as setting the time aside Wednesday night for questions and answers, as the final draft form of the legislation is not prepared and council cannot speak fully and intelligently about it without seeing a final draft, it would be my intention to postpone any such debate until the council meeting on July 9," Koogler said.

While Koogler has said that if the legislation is officially presented for council's consideration it will receive three readings, there is a timeline to resolve the matter before the city's budget situation becomes "critical."

"Issues will become critical for the city in the fourth financial quarter of the year, therefore decisions need to be made in advance of that quarter," Koogler said. "The reason I say it would be critical, the loss of Paint and Hamer Townships [which contracted with other area fire districts for emergency services earlier this year] have left, essentially, a hole in the city's budget at this point from what was passed at the beginning of the year. Unless changes are made, we will have some issues that will have to be addressed at this time, if not sooner."