UPDATED: Council hears sidewalk maintenance proposal

Hillsboro Planning Commission member Tom Eichinger presented a proposal for the Hillsboro Sidewalk Maintenance Program to Hillsboro City Council members, Monday evening during their May meeting.

Eichinger said that the proposed plan is designed for “improving pedestrian safety, promoting walkability, meeting ADA requirements and improving one aspect of the aesthetics of life in our citThe first “component” of the plan, Eichinger said, is “the creation by the administration of a sidewalk inspection and maintenance policy.” This would give the city a “step-by-step process” to determine the city sidewalks’ condition, followed by a plan for their repairs and a schedule for said repairs.

“It would require the city to expend some dollars and time to do the survey,” Eichinger said. “It’s not an in-depth study of every square foot of sidewalk, but it’s an overall survey to get a solid handle on how big an effort we’re talking about.”

The plan also proposes five separate zones to target, with the first zone being the “core of the city.”

“It goes out West Main Street all the way out to the library, so it would be both sides of West Main from the center of the city out, and it goes on North High clear up to Collins,” Eichinger said. “That’s where two things are going on. There’s a lot of pedestrian traffic in those areas, and West Main is kind of an entry point into the city. The better that looks, the more attractive the city can be to potential investors or potential people who might want to spend their money here.”

Another section of the plan outlines “specifications for how sidewalks are to be built,” which included a resolution to update an ordinance. Council voted 7-0 to suspend the three-reading rule and to approve the ordinance, which amends Section 96.11 of the Hillsboro Code of Ordinances. The resolution amends the section to say that “All preparation and construction of new, repaired or replacement sidewalks shall follow the current specifications as recorded in the city standard operating procedures of record in the office of the safety and service director.”

As previously written, the section outlined specific details for rebuilding sidewalks, but Eichinger explained that “technology has changed” and the existing ordinance is outdated.

Finally, Eichinger said, the “funding segment” is “one of the big issues.”

“If you look at the ordinances that are in place, the property owner is the responsible party for the sidewalks and therefore for the costs associated with them,” Eichinger said. “It’s our feeling as a planning commission that because the sidewalks have gotten into a state of relative disrepair that’s happened over a long, long period of time, that the city should step up in whatever way possible to help to aid that process.”

This could include matching funds or adding costs to “the tax document as an assessment, and it can be set up to be paid … anywhere from five all the way up to 10 years,” according to Eichinger.

“That means the city would have to find the money up front to pay the bills, so that means possibly the need for some loans, some grants or other means of cash,” Eichinger said.

Eichinger said the planning commission feels the proposed sidewalk maintenance program is “critical” for the city.

“[City sidewalks] are unsafe for most pedestrians where we have those major problems, and in some cases they’re impassible for visually impaired people or people on wheelchairs or on motorized transportation devices,” Eichinger said. “A comprehensive sidewalk maintenance and revitalization effort, and an ongoing sidewalk management program, I think, is critical to the safety, mobility and aesthetics of the community and its visitors.”

Aside from the ordinance to amend Section 96.11, no action was taken on the program.

• • •
Council members unanimously voted to approve and adopt an ordinance to establish a City Improvement Corporation [CIC] after hearing its third reading.

According to the ordinance, the CIC is being established “for the purpose of advancing, encouraging and promoting the industrial, economic, commercial and civic development of the city of Hillsboro.”

There was no discussion over the ordinance, which was introduced at the April meeting and had its second reading at a special meeting later in the month.

• • •

Hillsboro mayor Drew Hastings and safety and service director Todd Wilkin both summarized the city’s accomplishments in the past three years during their reports.

Hastings said the city has achieved “putting our finances in order; taking measures to improve the look of our city; taking action on vacant buildings and dilapidated structures and nuisance properties; major infrastructure repairs; and taking passed legislation to keep certain types of businesses and/or structures out of the city.”

Hastings said the “next phase for Hillsboro is economic development” and said that he has spoken with Clinton County economic development coordinators.

“Clinton County pays half a million dollars a year in economic development salaries,” Hastings said. “That’s a lot of money. They pay those salaries to get people, employers, to go into the air park." (* See Clarification.)

“In some respects, Hillsboro has, and will be, a bedroom community, in a sense, to Cincinnati, Dayton, Wilmington, [Washington] Court House, Chillicothe, because most of our work is found outside of the city.”

As Wilmington works “full-time” to attract employers to the air park, Hastings said that Hillsboro should have a different strategy – seeking “small diversified employers” – and citizens can continue to commute to Wilmington and other other areas for factories or other large-scale employers.

“I think we focus on the strategy of the small diversified employer, employers who can employ five, 10, 25 people, maybe build – which is easily doable – small industrial sites for diversified employment,” Hastings said. “Let Wilmington do what they’ve always done, which is provide for large jobs and let us be the workforce.

“When I spoke to their economic development people a few weeks ago up there, they flat-out said that they look to Hillsboro for workforce development for Clinton County. I think just as we would never want to have too large farmers in Highland County who control all our agriculture, we sure as heck don’t want too large employers.”

Wilkin distributed several graphs to show the city’s progress with various projects in recent years, including “water and sewer infrastructure repairs” totaling $520,185 and street paving projects totaling $1,071,083 in 2015.

“I take great pride in our efforts and dedication to make our city a better place for our citizens to live, work and play,” Wilkin said.

Hastings also asked council to consider increasing the number of regular meetings, after the Urbana, Ohio mayor told him their city council meets twice a month.

“They felt that it really gets council members and the administration closer and more engaged,” Hastings said. “I would like to have our council members think about that concept.”

Hillsboro law director Fred Beery added that council met twice a month in the 1980s.

Hastings also encouraged council members to visit the upcoming Vietnam Veterans Traveling Tribute Wall, which will be at Liberty Park May 27-31.

In his report, Wilkin told council members that Steve Pence has resigned as head of the street department, effective July 31, and has accepted a position as a bus driver for Hillsboro City Schools. Pence worked for the city for nearly 18 years, Wilkin said.

Additionally, Wilkin announced that Peggy Gard was the April employee of the month for the city and thanked city employees who work every Thursday with the city’s task force to “clean the properties in town that are not adhering to city ordinances.”

• • •

Property maintenance and restoration chair Ann Morris reported that in a joint meeting held with the street and safety committee, her committee considered the future of the Colony Theatre, with council members split on a plan for its demolition.

“The city has money earmarked in the budget for demolition of the Colony,” Morris said.

Morris said that council members Rebecca Wilkin, Justin Harsha and Bill Alexander were in support of saving the theatre, while other council members, Hastings and Todd Wilkin “don’t feel it would be money well spent.”

Morris said the committee is still considering the Colony issue as well as looking into reducing permit fees for signs and considering plans for the proposed uptown plaza.

After council members approved the ordinance to establish a community improvement corporation, Morris asked to turn the Colony issue over.

“I was wondering if we could possibly place the Colony into the CIC to move forward with it,” Morris said.

Council president Lee Koogler consulted with Beery and said that he would “continue the issue in committee at this time.”

• • •

Council members heard the first reading of an ordinance to authorize and direct the city law director to act as agent to the City of Hillsboro and property owners to cause the annexation into the city of all unincorporated land that is entirely surrounded by the incorporated lands of the city.

Under the ordinance, the city law director would be authorized to “act as agent in any petition for annexation before the Highland County Commissioners to negotiate an annexation agreement with the Liberty Township board of township trustees to circulate and to cause the circulation of petitions for signatures for annexation or merger as allowed by law and to prosecute the attachment of unincorporated lands surrounded by incorporated lands in the city to resolution before the Highland County Commissioners and the court.”

Koogler placed the proposed ordinance in the zoning and annexation committee for further consideration.

• • •

Council members voted 7-0 to approve and adopt three resolutions introduced by the auditor:

• A resolution to transfer $10,000 from the Fire Pension Fund to the General Fund and to increase appropriations in the General Fund by $10,000 in the Economic Development line item.

• A resolution to increase appropriations in the General Fund, specifically in line item Small Tools Donations, in the Police Department Budget by $8,500 as a result of a donation in the same amount. Hillsboro city auditor Gary Lewis said the donation was made by the Cassner Foundation.

• A resolution to transfer $23,000 from the Fire Pension Fund to the Street Fund and to increase appropriations in the Street Fund by $23,000, specifically in the Street Construction line item.

• • •

Hillsboro resident Jennifer Reed appeared before council over her alleged noncompliance with the property maintenance ordinance. Reed, who practices natural landscaping, argued that the ordinance is too vague and makes it difficult for her to follow.

Reed has met with council members in the past, starting in September 2013, seeking a variance on the ordinance, which was denied.

Reed said that she should “have a thorough understanding” of the plants allowed under the ordinance before she is penalized for growing certain grasses and other plants.

“It’s just that you don’t like the visual that you have there right now,” Reed said. “It’s not a lawn, it doesn’t look like a lawn and it doesn’t have to be a lawn. We agreed that I’m allowed to landscape the entire thing, and that has been my plan from the beginning.”

Council members indicated that they were unwilling to look at the issue again, as Koogler pointed out that the existing council as well as the council seated before them had both considered the ordinance on her behalf.

Hastings said that the administration was doing what they felt was best for the city, but Reed said that the city should be educated on the types of plants in her yard before cutting things down.

“If you’re going to take responsibility out of my hands and you’re going to come cut something on my property, I think you should have some knowledge about what you’re doing,” Reed said.

“We’re not arborists,” Hastings said.

“If you’re going to take things out of my hands, it’s easy enough to look up,” Reed said. “It took me just a minute.”

With administrators and council members agreeing not to pursue the issue, Reed was dismissed from the meeting.

• • •

In other action, council voted 7-0 to approve a request by Randy Bjorklund to recommend Lieutenant Caspar Collins for the Medal of Honor. Bjorklund, of Casper, Wyo., wrote to council asking for their support. With council’s approval, Bjorklund will begin writing letters to senators to ask them to consider Collins for the award.