Hillsboro City Council approves previously tabled water rate increases

One month after tabling an ordinance raising water rates, Hillsboro City Council members voted to approve and adopt the legislation during their Thursday, May 15 meeting.

As previously reported, council heard the first reading of the proposed ordinance to increase the rates charged for water service at their February meeting, with no discussion of the legislation at their March meeting outside of a second reading. In April, when it was due for a vote, utilities committee member Jason Brown made a motion to table the ordinance at the committee’s recommendation.

During his report on the May 12 utilities committee meeting, chair Greg Maurer told council that they were ready to endorse the legislation following further discussions with the water department.

“We discussed the department's water usage, and we discussed many different scenarios,” Maurer said. “We stuck with the last scenario, and also the one that went through three readings in front of council that was tabled.

“We’re going to untable the legislation that has gone through the last three sessions, and the utility committee has motioned that we pass it.”

As proposed, the ordinance would impose an annual increase every year starting in June 2025, including the following rate hikes: in both 2025 and 2026, an eight-percent increase; in both 2027 and 2028, a seven-percent increase; in each year of 2029-2031, a five-percent increase; and from 2032 and every year thereafter, a three-percent increase unless otherwise amended.

Current rates are $15.08 for the first 133 cubic feet per month and $6.99 for each 100 cubic feet above the minimum usage of 133 cubic feet.

As reported last month, council had two letters supporting the proposal ahead of their April meeting. The first, dated March 26, was from former interim safety and service director and current interim Greenfield City Manager Gary Silcott, an engineer with DLZ. Silcott wrote that the city’s “water rates are not even keeping up with your current expenses, let alone the need to do future upgrades and maintenance,” and offered advice to council.

Council also received an undated letter from city Economic Development Coordinator Lauren Walker, who is also the council clerk. Walker wrote that the city’s water fund “operated at a loss” last year and discussed the “economic necessity of this action to protect the City’s long-term financial health,” including the ability to qualify for grant funding.

Maurer also spoke about the need for the ordinance prior to council’s vote Thursday.

“Just to reiterate what was talked about in the utility committee meeting, the water department, the water fund, is in real need of an infusion of cash to keep it operating, like money above operating costs,” Maurer said. “It’s not a big increase. It's just to the additional part of the water bill. It's not to the base part of the water bill.

“I strongly urge council to pass it so that we can continue to have a water department that can afford to take care of any kind of issues that they have as a department.”

Council member Don Storer pointed out that it will have a more significant impact on “larger users in town” than “the everyday person.”

“If you're a minimum bill, it won't affect you,” Maurer said. “It's only for overages.”

Following the discussion and a motion by Brown to "untable" the legislation, council voted 6-1 to approve the ordinance, with Kathryn Hapner dissenting.

Also approved was a resolution authorizing and directing the mayor to enter into a joint partnership agreement with Highland County commissioners for the program year 2025 Community Housing Impact & Preservation (CHIP) program to address local housing needs, which passed as an emergency due to timing constraints.

The program is facilitated by Highland County Community Action, with the county and city as partners.

“This legislation will allow the city to enter into agreement for the CHIP program, which will address local housing needs,” Hillsboro Mayor Justin Harsha said. “The city can expect up to $300,000 and the county up to $400,000 for owner-occupied rehabilitation and repair.”

A resolution approving a “then and now” certification by the city auditor, pursuant to R.C. 5705.4l(D)(1), for the payment for Beech Street project, was also approved as an emergency following suspension of the three-reading rule.

“This is just to make a payment on an invoice that we received for the Beech Street construction project before I had the chance to appropriate the money through council,” Hillsboro city auditor Dawson Barreras said.

The payment is for $42,479.34, according to the legislation.

Council heard the first readings of two ordinances proposed to vacate unnamed alleys within the city. One is for the alley between 406 and 408 Trenton Street, and one is for the valley between 85 Belfast Pike and 326 Bigelow Street.

“Both of these went to Planning Commission last month for their review and recommendation,” safety and service director Brianne Abbott said. “They’re both alleys that were applied by an adjacent property owner for vacation, and again, that was recommended by the Hillsboro Planning Commission, and it's on its next step here at city council.”

Council also heard the second reading of the following legislation:

• An ordinance creating section 35.061 of the codified ordinance of the City of Hillsboro pertaining to income tax regulations.

If approved, the new section of city code would order “all property owners” renting living space to submit “a written report disclosing the name, address and telephone number, if available, of each tenant known to have occupied on such apartment, room, or other residential dwelling rental property” on or by Jan. 31 of each calendar year. Failure to comply could lead to a misdemeanor charge, according to the proposed legislation.

• An ordinance amending section 155.999 of the codified ordinances of the City of Hillsboro pertaining to zoning violation penalties. Brown reported that the zoning and annexation committee met to review the proposal. According to city code enforcement official Seth Brose, the legislation was written to “streamline enforcement and clarify penalties,” Brown said, and the committee recommended its passage.

• An ordinance amending sections of the codified ordinances of the City of Hillsboro and adopting the City of Hillsboro Standard Drawings Manual and Design Criteria Manual. The street and safety committee was scheduled to meet to discuss the legislation May 19.
In other discussion:

• In Maurer’s notes on the utilities committee meeting, he also reported that they voted to “deny the request” from a property owner to “waive or adjust” a water bill. This request is not related to a similar request made during citizens’ comments.

• During citizens’ comments, council heard from Rachelle Trefz, an uptown business owner who said the new pedestrian islands in the uptown district have “taken away a big portion of my parking.

“There is nowhere for my customers to park,” she said.

Although the city has announced plans to add several new lots in the uptown area, Trefz said they are “not a solution.” She also asked about parking spots uptown that are currently “marked off with cones.”

“We're going to add one parking spot,” public works superintendent Shawn Adkins said. “By ORC [Ohio Revised Code], we have to take those other three away because you can't back into the crosswalk. We are going to add the one. We're just waiting on the contractor to take away the one and repaint it.”

For other spots blocked off, Adkins said. “it's going to stay the way it is because of visibility” for individuals parked near the crosswalks.

Also addressing council was Debra Tolle, who said she submitted a request “for leniency” on a six-year-old water bill of a previous tenant that was overlooked.

“I know the rules and regulations of the water and all the city requirements and always have abided, not avoided any of them,” she said. “This one is something that I think there's been mistakes on both sides that needs to be looked at and removed. A lien was put on my house.

“I was having a permit processed last Monday, and I had Cincinnati contractors in, and at that point, the city sent them home, back to Cincinnati, to stop the work, and then that's when I found out about the water bill.”

Tolle added that the bill was “close to $700” and that she has no way of contacting the previous tenant. Council president Tom Eichinger placed the matter in the utilities committee for further review.

• Under correspondence, it was noted that the city received a letter from AEP notifying them of their intention to “file an application to adjust its distribution rates with the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio,” which would “likely take effect in 2026” if granted. The city also received a letter from a citizen in opposition to a previously approved DORA expansion.

For more from Thursday’s meeting, see the stories at:

https://highlandcountypress.com/news/hillsboro-city-council-passes-ordi…

https://highlandcountypress.com/news/breaking-hillsboro-mayor-announces…

https://highlandcountypress.com/education/city-hillsboro-presents-2000-….

Publisher's note: A free press is critical to having well-informed voters and citizens. While some news organizations opt for paid websites or costly paywalls, The Highland County Press has maintained a free newspaper and website for the last 25 years for our community. If you would like to contribute to this service, it would be greatly appreciated. Donations may be made to: The Highland County Press, P.O. Box 849, Hillsboro, Ohio 45133. Please include "for website" on the memo line.