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Council passes temporary appropriations ordinance; area resident questions health insurance increases

Lead Summary
By
Brandy Chandler-brandychandler@gmail.com
The Hillsboro City Council passed the annual temporary appropriations ordinance during their regular session Monday, which appropriated funds for "current expenses and other expenditures" to get the city through the first part of 2011. 
The annual legislation was introduced by Hillsboro City Auditor Gary Lewis. 
"We are working the budgets as tightly as we can," Lewis said. "This ordinance is designed to carry us through the first two months of the year. The numbers were derived from historical date showing expenditures for those months and this should allow ample time to finalize a permanent budget."
Lewis reported to council in early 2010 that the city could face a deficit by the end of 2011 if cuts in spending were not made, or revenues were not increased. In November, Lewis told The Highland County Press that 7-10 percent may need to be cut in order to balance the 2011 budget. 
Council voted to waive the three-reading rule and passed the ordinance 6-0. Council member David Shoemaker did not vote, as he was acting as president pro temp in the absence of council president Lee Koogler, who was ill. 
According to the ordinance, the city "appropriated from the general fund the sum of $975,000 (and) there there be appropriated from contingencies for the purposes not otherwise provided for, to be expended in accordance with the provisions (of the Ohio Revised Code) the sum of $25,000."
The temporary ordinance listed the total general fund at $1 million and appropriated the following:
• Street CM and R, $125,000
• State highway, $3,000
• Municipal court computer, $10,000
• Police pension, $30,000
• Fire pension, $47,000
• Recreation, $10,000
• Revolving loan, $50,000
• Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), $0
• Rehab, $50,000
• Life squad improvement, $0
• Municipal motor vehicle, $3,000
• Indigent driver, $3,000
• Law enforcement and education, $0
• Law enforcement trust, $0
• Victim's rights, $4,000
• Municipal court special projects, $15,000
• Housing revolving loan, $3,000
• General bond retirement, $25,000
• Tax increment, $15,000
• Water revenue, $250,000
• Guaranteed deposit trust, $5,000
• Rural development, $0
• Water debt retirement, $25,000
• Water improvement, $25,000
• Sewer revenue, $250,000
• Sewer replacement, $0
• Wastewater improvement, $250,000
• Sewer debt retirement, $25,000
• Unclaimed monies trust, $1,000 
Total appropriations were listed at $2,224,000. Lewis said that in wrapping up year-end business for the city, he did not anticipate needing a special meeting, but asked that council members keep Tuesday, Dec. 28 open in the event a need should arise. 
Citizen questions insurance increases
During citizens comments, Hillsboro resident Ron Bryant addressed council on several matters, but in particular regarding a 19-percent increase for employee health insurance that council approved in November. 
"At the last meeting, and you've just got to help me out in understanding, there was a 19-percen increase on the insurance," Bryant said. "Did we put that bid out with the 19-percent increase and see if anyone would bid in on that to try to cut that in half?"
Hillsboro Safety and Service Director Ralph Holt said that the city did put the insurance out for bids. 
"If the only bid you got was a 19-percent increase, did we submit that bid back out to see if anyone would bid on that to cut that in half?" Bryant asked. 
Council's finance committee chairperson Peter Pence said that the problem was, "We did try to bid it out and all the carriers declined to bid."
"At the original bid?" Bryant asked. 
"Yes ... One thing a lot of people don't understand is that you may have one insurance agent but they have access to multiple carriers," Pence said. "I talked to several. The only one that would bid it was our current carrier, and that's because they have to. Other agencies bid it out and they all were trying to get bids from the same people and they all said, based on the health of the group, they did not want to bid it. It's frustrating."
Bryant said he had been thinking about the matter since the last council meeting. 
"You know, if you have a 19 percent increase which is ... hey, they deserve the best, they put their lives on the line for my family, your families," Bryant said. "But I didn't know if maybe we took that 19-percent increase, that number, and sent it back out, and said, 'Hey, this is what we got, can you bid on it?' and just use it, like as a little tool."
The city of Greenfield had a similar issue in November when an initial figure showed the city could have a 44-percent increase to their health insurance. The city looked at other brokers and plans and contacted individual agents, and are working toward a plan they anticipate having in place in January at a reduced 15.4 percent increase. 
Holt reiterated that only one bid came back when the city put the insurance out for bid. 
Mayor discusses auction decision, EMS runs
Hillsboro Mayor Dick Zink told council during his report that he wanted to "clear up some information that appeared in an article that appeared in a local publication not too long ago relating to the items that we sold for $740 out of the old city building." 
Highland County Press Publisher and Editor Rory Ryan published a column, "One man's trash, another taxpayer's treasure," on Nov. 16. In the column, Ryan wrote, "(I)n a recent public-private property transaction between the city of Hillsboro and a local entrepreneur, suffice it to say that one man’s trash is another taxpayer’s treasure. In this particular transaction, a local taxpayer found a small bit of treasure after purchasing the contents of the former Hillsboro safety building for a reported $740, according to the city auditor. By his own admission, the buyer recouped his $740 expenses by selling just one item of the many stored in the uptown building along High Street and Gov. Trimble (or Foraker?) Place. That particular item brought roughly $3,000 ...  If memory serves, when the Hillsboro City Schools vacated its former school buildings, public auctions were held and the schools enjoyed a bit of much-needed revenue without going to the taxpayers. The county sheriff held an auction of items confiscated by his department this past August. If it works for the state, the county and for the schools, why not the city – which reportedly could use the money?"
Zink said, "The article stated we should have held an auction. Well, the truth of the matter is we contacted the same auctioneer that did our 2008 auction down at the old city barn. He came and looked at the things that was in there and he said by the time he did the advertising and his costs, we wouldn't have anything left. So we contacted another auctioneer and he said he wasn't interested. So we did make an attempt to auction those items off."
Zink said that the item "at the center of the article" was an EMS cot, which had been reportedly resold for $3,000, had been purchased with funds from the annual EMS equipment/training grant.
"This cot was no longer in service due to age and lack of certification due to possible damage caused by a patient that exceeded weight limits," Zink said. "The cost of re-certification and upgrades would not have been economical. The replacement cot fell under the current EMS equipment/training grant and had higher weight limits and better overall design." 
Zink then reported figures from EMS runs in the city and the area townships. 
"I have a report on the EMS services from Med 3000, which is the billing company for the city," Zink said. "This report showed a total of 624 city resident calls for a 10-month period of Jan. 20 to Nov. 20 of this year. The number of calls outside the city limits for the same period was 789. This is a difference of 165 more calls to non-city residents."
Zink said that a problem the city has is the billing vs. collections for EMS runs. 
"Non-residents outside the city were billed $672,701 for EMS services in this time frame," Zink said. "Total collections were $242,007. That puts the city out $430,693 in the red for this service.      
In other business:
• During the safety and service director's report, Holt reported that Brad Roades has approached the city stating he is interested in purchasing the property behind 111 Moore Road and the old railroad right of way that the city owns in that location. Holt requested the matter be put into committee because, "We're going to need surveying and we're going to need what the property is worth before we can sell it." Shoemaker put it into the zoning and annexation committee for further review. 
• Council voted to go into executive session, at the request of Holt, to discuss "contractual issues." Council met for just under one hour before voting to return to regular session. No votes or discussions followed the executive session.  
• Council voted 5-0 to accept a recommendation from the Hillsboro Planning Commission to annex the property at 8341 U.S. 62 North into the city. The request had been made by property owner Steve Edison with real estate agent and city council member Peter Pence. A hearing on the matter was held prior to the council meeting. Pence abstained from voting on the matter due to a conflict of interest. 
• Council's street and safety committee met prior to the council meeting and discussed a complaint from an area resident regarding the intersection of U.S. 62 North and Harry Sauner Road. According to committee chairperson Brian Waller, the resident claimed that her vehicle had nearly been struck by a semi truck while sitting at the intersection. Waller said that he viewed the intersection, as had other council and administration members. Waller said that there did not appear to be a way to lengthen or widen the lanes. Committee member Rod Daniels made a motion to to repaint the lines at the intersection, weather-permiting, and keeping the complaint in mind in any future development of the area. The committee voted 3-0, and made the recommendation to council. 
• Hillsboro resident Bob Lambert addressed council, saying that the Hillsboro Uptown Business Association Christmas Parade held Nov. 27 had been a great success, and he thanked the mayor's office and police department for the work they did in preparing for the parade. 
Lambert also told council about the Hillsboro Inhabitants group on facebook, which has nearly 300 people, and that  "We just get together and do good things for our city and for each other." Their current project is a bike drive for area children to receive as Christmas presents. 
"We're not asking for any help, we just wanted to let you know what's going on, and we're keeping Hillsboro a great place to live," Lambert said, and received a round of applause from audience members. 
• During the report of the community enhancement committee, chairperson Mary Brown Turner reported that landscaping work had been completed at Samaritan Outreach Services, and that she felt a "miracle" had occurred on Johnson Street when a family, after suffering a fire in their home, decided to remodel and refurbish the structure. Council member Bonnie Parr asked Turner regarding the status of an agenda item in the committee, pertaining to a request from Dawnel Newhouse regarding collecting funds for charitable area organizations for Christmas. Newhouse made the request during the November committee meeting and Koogler had asked Turner to look into it. Zink said he was under the impression Newhouse needed a response before the end of November. Turner said this was the first she had heard of the matter and that she would look into it. 
• Waller and Parr were re-appointed to serve on the Volunteer Fire Fighters' Dependents Funds Board. 
• Council voted to waive the three-reading rule and passed a resolution 6-0 to authorize the mayor to enter into an agreement with Highland County to provide counsel to indigent defendants. 
• Council voted 6-0 to pass a resolution to amend previously approved transfers, incluindg $16,000 from the general fund to the street fund, and -$65,000 from the water revenue fund to the rural development water reserve fund. 
• Council voted 6-0 to increase appropriations in various funds as follows: general fund, $24,500; street fund, $16,000; municipal court special projects, $5,000; wastewater improvement, $300,000.  
• Council voted 6-0 to increase appropriations in the general fund in general street lighting in the amount of $16,000. Lewis told council that "We missed the appropriations estimate in this account primarily because of the installation of some additional lights that I was not aware of."
The next meeting of the Hillsboro City Council is scheduled for Jan. 10 at 7 p.m. at the Hillsboro fire station. 
The Hillsboro City Council passed the annual temporary appropriations ordinance during their regular session Monday, which appropriated funds for "current expenses and other expenditures" to get the city through the first part of 2011. 
The annual legislation was introduced by Hillsboro City Auditor Gary Lewis. 
"We are working the budgets as tightly as we can," Lewis said. "This ordinance is designed to carry us through the first two months of the year. The numbers were derived from historical date showing expenditures for those months and this should allow ample time to finalize a permanent budget."
Lewis reported to council in early 2010 that the city could face a deficit by the end of 2011 if cuts in spending were not made, or revenues were not increased. In November, Lewis told The Highland County Press that 7-10 percent may need to be cut in order to balance the 2011 budget. 
Council voted to waive the three-reading rule and passed the ordinance 6-0. Council member David Shoemaker did not vote, as he was acting as president pro temp in the absence of council president Lee Koogler, who was ill. 
According to the ordinance, the city "appropriated from the general fund the sum of $975,000 (and) there there be appropriated from contingencies for the purposes not otherwise provided for, to be expended in accordance with the provisions (of the Ohio Revised Code) the sum of $25,000."
The temporary ordinance listed the total general fund at $1 million and appropriated the following:
• Street CM and R, $125,000
• State highway, $3,000
• Municipal court computer, $10,000
• Police pension, $30,000
• Fire pension, $47,000
• Recreation, $10,000
• Revolving loan, $50,000
• Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), $0
• Rehab, $50,000
• Life squad improvement, $0
• Municipal motor vehicle, $3,000
• Indigent driver, $3,000
• Law enforcement and education, $0
• Law enforcement trust, $0
• Victim's rights, $4,000
• Municipal court special projects, $15,000
• Housing revolving loan, $3,000
• General bond retirement, $25,000
• Tax increment, $15,000
• Water revenue, $250,000
• Guaranteed deposit trust, $5,000
• Rural development, $0
• Water debt retirement, $25,000
• Water improvement, $25,000
• Sewer revenue, $250,000
• Sewer replacement, $0
• Wastewater improvement, $250,000
• Sewer debt retirement, $25,000
• Unclaimed monies trust, $1,000 

Total appropriations were listed at $2,224,000. Lewis said that in wrapping up year-end business for the city, he did not anticipate needing a special meeting, but asked that council members keep Tuesday, Dec. 28 open in the event a need should arise. 

Citizen questions insurance increases

During citizens comments, Hillsboro resident Ron Bryant addressed council on several matters, but in particular regarding a 19-percent increase for employee health insurance that council approved in November. 
"At the last meeting, and you've just got to help me out in understanding, there was a 19-percen increase on the insurance," Bryant said. "Did we put that bid out with the 19-percent increase and see if anyone would bid in on that to try to cut that in half?"
Hillsboro Safety and Service Director Ralph Holt said that the city did put the insurance out for bids. 
"If the only bid you got was a 19-percent increase, did we submit that bid back out to see if anyone would bid on that to cut that in half?" Bryant asked. 
Council's finance committee chairperson Peter Pence said that the problem was, "We did try to bid it out and all the carriers declined to bid."
"At the original bid?" Bryant asked. 
"Yes ... One thing a lot of people don't understand is that you may have one insurance agent but they have access to multiple carriers," Pence said. "I talked to several. The only one that would bid it was our current carrier, and that's because they have to. Other agencies bid it out and they all were trying to get bids from the same people and they all said, based on the health of the group, they did not want to bid it. It's frustrating."
Bryant said he had been thinking about the matter since the last council meeting. 
"You know, if you have a 19 percent increase which is ... hey, they deserve the best, they put their lives on the line for my family, your families," Bryant said. "But I didn't know if maybe we took that 19-percent increase, that number, and sent it back out, and said, 'Hey, this is what we got, can you bid on it?' and just use it, like as a little tool."
The city of Greenfield had a similar issue in November when an initial figure showed the city could have a 44-percent increase to their health insurance. The city looked at other brokers and plans and contacted individual agents, and are working toward a plan they anticipate having in place in January at a reduced 15.4 percent increase. 
Holt reiterated that only one bid came back when the city put the insurance out for bid. 
Mayor discusses auction decision, EMS runs

Hillsboro Mayor Dick Zink told council during his report that he wanted to "clear up some information that appeared in an article that appeared in a local publication not too long ago relating to the items that we sold for $740 out of the old city building." 
Highland County Press Publisher and Editor Rory Ryan published a column, "One man's trash, another taxpayer's treasure," on Nov. 16. In the column, Ryan wrote, "(I)n a recent public-private property transaction between the city of Hillsboro and a local entrepreneur, suffice it to say that one man’s trash is another taxpayer’s treasure. In this particular transaction, a local taxpayer found a small bit of treasure after purchasing the contents of the former Hillsboro safety building for a reported $740, according to the city auditor. By his own admission, the buyer recouped his $740 expenses by selling just one item of the many stored in the uptown building along High Street and Gov. Trimble (or Foraker?) Place. That particular item brought roughly $3,000 ...  If memory serves, when the Hillsboro City Schools vacated its former school buildings, public auctions were held and the schools enjoyed a bit of much-needed revenue without going to the taxpayers. The county sheriff held an auction of items confiscated by his department this past August. If it works for the state, the county and for the schools, why not the city – which reportedly could use the money?"
Zink said, "The article stated we should have held an auction. Well, the truth of the matter is we contacted the same auctioneer that did our 2008 auction down at the old city barn. He came and looked at the things that was in there and he said by the time he did the advertising and his costs, we wouldn't have anything left. So we contacted another auctioneer and he said he wasn't interested. So we did make an attempt to auction those items off."
Zink said that the item "at the center of the article" was an EMS cot, which had been reportedly resold for $3,000, had been purchased with funds from the annual EMS equipment/training grant.
"This cot was no longer in service due to age and lack of certification due to possible damage caused by a patient that exceeded weight limits," Zink said. "The cost of re-certification and upgrades would not have been economical. The replacement cot fell under the current EMS equipment/training grant and had higher weight limits and better overall design." 
Zink then reported figures from EMS runs in the city and the area townships. 
"I have a report on the EMS services from Med 3000, which is the billing company for the city," Zink said. "This report showed a total of 624 city resident calls for a 10-month period of Jan. 20 to Nov. 20 of this year. The number of calls outside the city limits for the same period was 789. This is a difference of 165 more calls to non-city residents."
Zink said that a problem the city has is the billing vs. collections for EMS runs. 
"Non-residents outside the city were billed $672,701 for EMS services in this time frame," Zink said. "Total collections were $242,007. That puts the city out $430,693 in the red for this service.      

In other business:
• During the safety and service director's report, Holt reported that Brad Roades has approached the city stating he is interested in purchasing the property behind 111 Moore Road and the old railroad right of way that the city owns in that location. Holt requested the matter be put into committee because, "We're going to need surveying and we're going to need what the property is worth before we can sell it." Shoemaker put it into the zoning and annexation committee for further review. 
• Council voted to go into executive session, at the request of Holt, to discuss "contractual issues." Council met for just under one hour before voting to return to regular session. No votes or discussions followed the executive session.  
• Council voted 5-0 to accept a recommendation from the Hillsboro Planning Commission to annex the property at 8341 U.S. 62 North into the city. The request had been made by property owner Steve Edison with real estate agent and city council member Peter Pence. A hearing on the matter was held prior to the council meeting. Pence abstained from voting on the matter due to a conflict of interest. 
• Council's street and safety committee met prior to the council meeting and discussed a complaint from an area resident regarding the intersection of U.S. 62 North and Harry Sauner Road. According to committee chairperson Brian Waller, the resident claimed that her vehicle had nearly been struck by a semi truck while sitting at the intersection. Waller said that he viewed the intersection, as had other council and administration members. Waller said that there did not appear to be a way to lengthen or widen the lanes. Committee member Rod Daniels made a motion to to repaint the lines at the intersection, weather-permiting, and keeping the complaint in mind in any future development of the area. The committee voted 3-0, and made the recommendation to council. 
• Hillsboro resident Bob Lambert addressed council, saying that the Hillsboro Uptown Business Association Christmas Parade held Nov. 27 had been a great success, and he thanked the mayor's office and police department for the work they did in preparing for the parade. 
Lambert also told council about the Hillsboro Inhabitants group on facebook, which has nearly 300 people, and that  "We just get together and do good things for our city and for each other." Their current project is a bike drive for area children to receive as Christmas presents. 
"We're not asking for any help, we just wanted to let you know what's going on, and we're keeping Hillsboro a great place to live," Lambert said, and received a round of applause from audience members. 
• During the report of the community enhancement committee, chairperson Mary Brown Turner reported that landscaping work had been completed at Samaritan Outreach Services, and that she felt a "miracle" had occurred on Johnson Street when a family, after suffering a fire in their home, decided to remodel and refurbish the structure. Council member Bonnie Parr asked Turner regarding the status of an agenda item in the committee, pertaining to a request from Dawnel Newhouse regarding collecting funds for charitable area organizations for Christmas. Newhouse made the request during the November committee meeting and Koogler had asked Turner to look into it. Zink said he was under the impression Newhouse needed a response before the end of November. Turner said this was the first she had heard of the matter and that she would look into it. 
• Waller and Parr were re-appointed to serve on the Volunteer Fire Fighters' Dependents Funds Board. 
• Council voted to waive the three-reading rule and passed a resolution 6-0 to authorize the mayor to enter into an agreement with Highland County to provide counsel to indigent defendants. 
• Council voted 6-0 to pass a resolution to amend previously approved transfers, incluindg $16,000 from the general fund to the street fund, and -$65,000 from the water revenue fund to the rural development water reserve fund. 
• Council voted 6-0 to increase appropriations in various funds as follows: general fund, $24,500; street fund, $16,000; municipal court special projects, $5,000; wastewater improvement, $300,000.  
• Council voted 6-0 to increase appropriations in the general fund in general street lighting in the amount of $16,000. Lewis told council that "We missed the appropriations estimate in this account primarily because of the installation of some additional lights that I was not aware of."
The next meeting of the Hillsboro City Council is scheduled for Jan. 10 at 7 p.m. at the Hillsboro fire station. 
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