Hillsboro City Council OKs long-discussed sewer rate increase

Months of discussion, questions and revisions led to Hillsboro City Council members approving a sewer rate increase for the city with no further comments at their Tuesday, Nov. 10 meeting.

The meeting was held two days early this month due to a scheduling conflict.

As previously reported, the city is seeking funding for the first of what will be multiple phases of a sanitary sewer project to address the city’s I&I (inflow and infiltration) issues. Council members previously approved a 10-percent rate increase in May. 

Following a presentation, a committee meeting, two previous legislation readings and a special meeting to discuss the proposed increase, auditor Dawson Barreras issued an apology and asked council to “consider the revised rate schedule in place of the one previously presented” Oct. 15. 

Barreras said the errors were due to him using “the sewer fund's budgeted revenues and expenditures rather than its year-to-date actual figures” in the model prepared by Waterworth. As a result, the percentage increases are now projected to be in the single digits for the next five years, instead of as much as 20 percent next year as previously recommended. Overall, minimum rates would increase by under $10 in the next five years, instead of by close to $24 by 2031 as previously proposed.

The revised legislation outlines the proposed increases as being “6% in 2027, 5% in 2028, 5% in 2029, 5% in 2030 and 5% in 2031.”

The current minimum monthly sewer charge is $34.18. Under the legislation approved Tuesday — which passed by a 6-0 vote — the minimum rates are proposed as follows (but subject to change based on annual review): 

• $36.23 in 2027 (original legislation was $41.02);
• $38.04 in 2028 (original legislation was $47.17);
• $39.94 in 2029 (original legislation was $52.24); 
• $41.94 in 2030 (original legislation was $55.90); and
• $44.04 in 2031 and thereafter unless amended by council (original legislation was $58.13).

In other legislation, council heard the first reading of an ordinance establishing parking time limits for municipal parking lots in the city.

“The city now owns and maintains several municipal parking lots within the incorporated area of the city,” safety and service director Shawn Adkins said. “It has been recommended that a time limit be established for motor vehicles utilizing these municipal parking lots.” 

As proposed, there would be a 24-hour limit for any vehicle in any city-owned parking areas, with violators being towed. 

An ordinance to amend the zoning table under Ordinance 155.072(H) to add electronic games of skill was also introduced. 

That ordinance outlines permitted uses within zoning districts. Zoning and annexation committee chair Dan Baucher said that the current ordinance “does not contemplate the existing electronic gaming parlors.

“The code says if it's not listed on the table of use, it should not be permitted,” Baucher said. “The committee met to make gaming parlors able to exist in zoning E with a conditional use and not permitted in all other districts.” 

Adkins said in his report that the Hillsboro Planning Commission also made the same recommendation. The “E” zoning is the industrial district. 
 
A resolution to amend the 2025 version of the City of Hillsboro Policy and Procedure Manual to update the definition of a part-time employee had its first reading. 

Acting civil service and employee relations committee chair Mary Stanforth reported on an Oct. 26 meeting “to discuss a change in the wording of the current employment categories so that our policy will be
in compliance with the ORC,” which the committee recommended be submitted to full council for consideration.

If approved, the manual would state that “the City provides major medical insurance” for full-time employees as well as “part-time employees averaging at least (30) hours of service per week during a calendar month, or at least (130) hours of service during the calendar month.”
An ordinance authorizing and directing the safety and service director, or his designee, to advertise for bids to lease for agricultural use approximately 95 acres of land owned by the city was passed as an emergency after suspending the three-reading rule. 

“This is so we can put out the new ground that we just purchased for farmers, and I would prefer to be as an emergency,” Adkins said. “The farmers that have contacted us would like to purchase their fertilizing seed before the end of this year.”
 
 An ordinance to amend the residential fee schedule adopted in accordance with Ordinance No. 2026-26 was approved as an emergency as well, following suspension of the three-reading rule. 

In September, the ordinance to repeal and replace the residential fee schedule and commercial fee schedule passed by a 7-0 vote on its third reading. The legislation was recommended by the street and safety committee “so the city can come closer to breaking even,” as chair Adam Wilkin said “the city lost nearly $41,000” last year based on the current fee schedule. 
“When we adopted the new residential fee schedule, we excluded the re-roof permit by accident,” Adkins said. We would just need this put back in so we don't hold anything up on these permits.”

The legislation passed Tuesday includes a minimum re-roof permit fee of $208, plus (square feet times .044). 

Also approved as an emergency was a resolution to authorize and direct the safety and service director to enter into an agreement with the Highland County Commissioners to provide for indigent defendant counsel in the courts. Adkins said the standard annual resolution was inadvertently missed in January, when it is typically passed. 

Also on Tuesday, council approved an ordinance making supplemental appropriations in the amount of $22,562.48 for the repair and replacement of the traffic signal pole at West Main Street and Elm Street.

“This is just a check we received from a trucking company's insurance company where they struck a traffic pole in the middle of town, and this is just to put those funds back into our budget,” Barreras said.  

Council also heard the second reading of an ordinance to review a petition to close an alley traveling north and south from South Street to the alley parallel to South Street and lying between 225 South Street and 226 South Street, as well as an ordinance to review a petition to close an alley traveling east and west from Johnson Street to the alley parallel to Johnson Street and lying between 360 Johnson Street and 406 Johnson Street.

Also during Tuesday’s meeting:

• In the safety and service director’s report, Adkins discussed a major water main break that occurred on the north side of the city Oct. 27. Residents were asked to conserve water, while a boil advisory for parts of town continued until Oct. 30. 

“I’d like to thank Highland County Water. We had a pretty major water main break the other day,” Adkins said. “We almost lost both towers. I think we had like two feet left in the towers. I talked with Highland County Water. They let us turn on their line to feed us to keep us from going under. 

“The water main break itself cost the city a little over $51,000. It was almost $12,000 just in material to repair what happened. We have sent the company a bill for this. They pretty well rejected it as of this evening, so our law director is looking into that, and we'll see where it goes from there.”

In other discussion, Adkins said that “quite a bit of work” has taken place at the multimillion-dollar grant-funded Crossroads Park site recently.

“Sidewalks are being poured, paving’s being laid, metal roofs have been delivered,” Adkins said. “They started painting today.”

For the Rails to Trails project, Adkins said that it is paved minus “about 700 feet,” which will be completed next year.

“It will not be paved this year because we're still trying to dry it out,” he said. “We had a wet spot. The guys got tile put in, and it's drying out now.”

The proposed upgrades to the intersection of state Route 73 and Fenner Lane have gone out for bid for a second time, Adkins said. 

Adkins also thanked council clerk and city administrative assistant Megan Blackburn for her efforts to get the city’s Christmas lights display at the Highland County Fairgrounds, included in Ohio’s Holiday Lights Trail. He said that the city was notified Tuesday of their inclusion as one of 83 stops highlighted by Ohio Tourism (https://ohio.org/home/seasons/holidays/ohio-holiday-lights-trail). 

The community enhancement committee had recommended the city join the Holiday Lights Trail with the creation of a display at the Highland County Fairgrounds. In April, council members passed legislation to take the first steps toward the proposal, allowing for bids up to $150,000 for the purchase of equipment.

As noted by Adkins in July, Blackburn also set up the website, which can be accessed at hillsborowinterwonderland.com. 
 
For other city events, Adkins said Jeepers Creepers and Boofest “went off very successfully.” Adkins also reported that the city issued 19 building permits, including five commercial and 14 residential, in October, while Marriott Hotel developers have indicated they will have “plans for review sometime this month.”

• During the citizens’ comments portion of the meeting, council heard from a resident of the Vine Street neighborhood, as several individuals from the area were in attendance. She spoke about several car break-ins that have occurred, affecting her and others, over the past few months.

“We feel that the communication that we've had with the police department hasn't really been there,” she said. “The only time that I've had any communication was when I called for an update, and then I was told that there really wasn't an update on that.

“I found more of my belongings thrown underneath of a tree a couple weeks ago, and I called the police department to tell them. We made sure like not to touch anything because the first time that we found some of my stuff, we had touched everything and they weren't able to get fingerprints off of it. This time, we made sure we didn't touch anything, and I called — and I'm not sure who I spoke with at the time — but she just kind of said, ‘Well, it's been out in the weather, and there's nothing we can do,’ so we gathered our stuff and just took it home.”

The resident added that she and her neighbors are feeling “unsafe” and are “really frustrated because these things keep happening, and we haven't gotten any answers.”

Hillsboro Police Chief Eric Daniels asked the resident to call him at the office, as he said he was aware of the break-ins and ongoing investigation but not about the response of a dispatcher on her recovered times.

Stanforth, who lives in the same neighborhood, agreed that “the last two months have been very nerve-wracking.

“As she said, our neighborhood has been very solid and safe, but within the last two months or so, the entire street has been stricken with cars being broken into,” Stanforth said. “It’s just very unnerving, and I just want to say I support whatever we can do to remedy this problem.”

Council member Cody Mathews asked if the department has “increased patrols in the neighborhood.”

“What do you mean by ‘increased patrols?’” Daniels asked. “We run two officers per shift. We patrol throughout the city. We patrol. I mean, what is there to increase when you’ve got two officers per shift?”

• Finance committee chair Gary Lewis reported that his committee met Nov. 9 to begin discussing the 2027 budget. 

“The committee reviewed much of the items listed in the proposal; however, there were several items where information is not yet readily available,” Lewis said. “Namely, one of the big ones was the bid estimates for the street intersection improvement at North West Street and Fenner Road. As this information is not yet available until the bid opening on [Dec. 9], no recommendation was passed at this time.”

Lewis said the committee will be meeting again after the bid opening for further budget talks. A meeting is set for Dec. 9 at 2:30 p.m.

• Under new business, council member Logan Kelly asked if the street and safety committee could consider legislation on “restricting or totally doing away with” Flock cameras in the city.

“Before we put it in any committees, I will let everybody know that I've had an issue with Flock on the installation [for the city],” Adkins said. “I have requested them to pull all their cameras.”

He added that in his opinion, “they won't be back.”
 
In response to a question from Lewis, both Adkins and Daniels said that they cannot enforce placement on privately owned properties. 

• In October, council voted 6-0 to excuse the absence of council member Heith Brown through the February meeting, as Brown will be away “for the next five months in training, serving our country,” according to council president Tom Eichinger. Mayor Justin Harsha was also absent Tuesday.