UPDATED: Hillsboro city council delays passage of budget ordinance
Lead Summary
By
Caitlin Forsha-crforsha@gmail.com
Hillsboro city council members failed to pass the 2017 budget during a special meeting Friday night, according to Hillsboro city auditor Gary Lewis.
On Tuesday, the Hillsboro finance committee and city administrators completed the 2017 budget and were prepared to present the ordinance to council for a vote Friday night. However, Lewis – who was unable to attend Friday night’s meeting due to a prior commitment – told The Highland County Press that he was told that the budget was not approved Friday night.
Lewis said that city law director Fred Beery recommended that the finance committee meet again Friday evening, prior to the special council meeting, after Hillsboro mayor Drew Hastings asked Wednesday to change a three-percent raise for employees to a two-percent raise.
Check back to highlandcountypress.com for more updates on the city's 2017 budget.
• • •
(The following is the original article posted Dec. 14.)
The Hillsboro finance committee and city administrators have completed the 2017 budget and are prepared to have council vote to approve the budget later this week, according to Hillsboro city auditor Gary Lewis.
A meeting to finalize the budget was held Tuesday evening at the city building.
The 2017 proposed budget, with grand total appropriations of $13,207,800, is just under the 2016 budget, which was set at $13,377,100.
For the administration, the mayor, auditor, law director, municipal court and income tax offices all saw increases, with the mayor (an increase of $53,000) and income tax ($57,000) seeing the most significant changes. The land and buildings department budget has decreased by $18,000, while the “other miscellaneous general government” line item has increased by $85,000. The total increase to the general government services budget from last year is $245,000.
For the “security” portion of the budget, small increases were made to the police department (an $8,000 increase, at $1.5 million) and the fire department (a $2,000 increase, at $582,000). The third item in this category, street lighting, saw an increase of $30,500, for a total of $113,500 in 2017.
Prisoner housing also saw a large jump, going from $1,000 in 2016 to $15,000 in 2017.
Significant cuts were made to the planning commission (a $20,000 decrease) and the public access TV station (a $12,400 decrease), dropping the community environment portion of the budget to a total of $75,300 next year ($107,000 in 2016).
In the general fund appropriations, the largest increases were made to the recreation fund, which increased $127,000 to $267,000, and the wastewater improvement fund, which increased $100,000 to $150,000.
The largest cuts were to the sewer debt retirement fund, which was $800,000 in 2016 but budgeted at $405,000 for 2017 (a $395,000 decrease) and the tax increment fund, which was $480,000 in 2016 but is set at $100,000 for 2017 (a $380,000 decrease).
Another significant cut was to the fire pension fund, which was previously $70,000 but is now 0. The life squad improvement fund was also cut to 0, after being budgeted at $6,000 in 2016, as were the drug law enforcement fund, which was $4,000 in 2016, and the housing revolving loan fund, which was $2,000 in 2016.
The complete proposed budget ordinance is below. According to Lewis, council will take action on the ordinance at a special meeting on Dec. 16.
• • •
AN ORDINANCE to make appropriations for current expenses and other expenditures of the city of Hillsboro, State of Ohio, during the fiscal year ending Dec. 31, 2017.
Sec. 1 Be it ordained by the Council of the City of Hillsboro, State of Ohio, that to provide for the current expenses and other expenditures of the City of Hillsboro, during the fiscal year ending Dec. 31, 2017, the following sums be and they are hereby set aside and appropriated, as follows, viz:
Sec. 2 That there be appropriated from the GENERAL FUND
GENERAL GOVERNMENTAL SERVICES
Mayor $254,000
Auditor $156,000
Law Director $182,000
Civil Service Commission $8,000
Council $57,000
Municipal Court $387,000
Income Tax Office $208,000
Land & Buildings $146,000
Other Misc. General Gov't $1,487,000
Total General Gov't Services $2,885,000
SECURITY OF PERSONS & PROPERTY
Police Department $1,501,000
Fire Department $582,000
Street Lighting $113,500
Total Security $2,196,500
PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICES
County Health Dept $23,000
Total Public Health Services $23,000
SOCIAL SERVICES
Prisoner Housing $15,000
Total Social Services $15,000
COMMUNITY ENVIRONMENT
Building Inspections $44,600
Planning Commission $13,600
Public Access TV $17,100
Total Community Environment $75,300
SUBTOTAL GENERAL FUND $5,194,800
Sec. 3 That there be appropriated from the GENERAL FUND for CONTINGENCIES for purposes not otherwise provided for, to be expended in accordance with the provisions of Sec. 5705.40, R.C., the sum of $25,000
Grand Total GENERAL FUND $5,219,800
Sec. 4 That there be appropriated from the following funds:
STREET C M & R FUND $870,000
STATE HIGHWAY FUND $15,000
MUNICIPAL COURT COMPUTER $27,000
POLICE PENSION FUND $168,000
FIRE PENSION FUND 0
RECREATION FUND $267,000
REVOLVING LOAN FUND $192,000
C D B G FUND 0
REHAB FUND 0
LIFE SQUAD IMPROV FUND 0
MUNICIPAL MOTOR VEHICLE $13,000
INDIGENT DRIVERS FUND $31,000
LAW ENFORCEMENT & EDUCATION 0
DRUG LAW ENFORCEMENT 0
LAW ENFORCEMENT TRUST $2,000
VICTIMS RIGHTS OFFICE $67,000
MUNICIPAL COURT SPECIAL PROJECTS $102,000
HOUSING REVOLVING LOAN FUND 0
GENERAL BOND RETIREMENT $338,000
TAX INCREMENT FUND $100,000
WATER REVENUE FUND $1,856,000
GUARANTEED DEPOSIT TRUST $40,000
RURAL DEVELOPMENT FUND $25,000
WATER DEBT RETIREMENT FUND $430,000
WATER IMPROVEMENT $50,000
SEWER REVENUE FUND $2,814,000
SEWER REPLACEMENT $20,000
WASTEWATER IMPROVEMENT $150,000
SEWER DEBT RETIREMENT FUND $405,000
UNCLAIMED MONIES TRUST FUND $6,000
GRAND TOTAL APPROPRIATIONS $13,207,800.00.
Sec. 5 And the City Auditor is hereby authorized to draw his warrants on the City Treasurer for payments from any of the foregoing appropriations upon receiving proper certificates and vouchers therefore approved by the board of officers authorized by law to approve the same or an ordinance or resolution of council to make the expenditures; provided that no warrant shall be drawn or paid for salaries or wages except the persons employed by authority of and in accordance with law or ordinance. Provided, further, that the appropriation for Contingencies can only be expended upon approval of a two-thirds vote of Council for items of expense constituting a legal obligation against the city, and for the purposes other than those covered by the other specific appropriations herein made.
On Tuesday, the Hillsboro finance committee and city administrators completed the 2017 budget and were prepared to present the ordinance to council for a vote Friday night. However, Lewis – who was unable to attend Friday night’s meeting due to a prior commitment – told The Highland County Press that he was told that the budget was not approved Friday night.
Lewis said that city law director Fred Beery recommended that the finance committee meet again Friday evening, prior to the special council meeting, after Hillsboro mayor Drew Hastings asked Wednesday to change a three-percent raise for employees to a two-percent raise.
Check back to highlandcountypress.com for more updates on the city's 2017 budget.
• • •
(The following is the original article posted Dec. 14.)
The Hillsboro finance committee and city administrators have completed the 2017 budget and are prepared to have council vote to approve the budget later this week, according to Hillsboro city auditor Gary Lewis.
A meeting to finalize the budget was held Tuesday evening at the city building.
The 2017 proposed budget, with grand total appropriations of $13,207,800, is just under the 2016 budget, which was set at $13,377,100.
For the administration, the mayor, auditor, law director, municipal court and income tax offices all saw increases, with the mayor (an increase of $53,000) and income tax ($57,000) seeing the most significant changes. The land and buildings department budget has decreased by $18,000, while the “other miscellaneous general government” line item has increased by $85,000. The total increase to the general government services budget from last year is $245,000.
For the “security” portion of the budget, small increases were made to the police department (an $8,000 increase, at $1.5 million) and the fire department (a $2,000 increase, at $582,000). The third item in this category, street lighting, saw an increase of $30,500, for a total of $113,500 in 2017.
Prisoner housing also saw a large jump, going from $1,000 in 2016 to $15,000 in 2017.
Significant cuts were made to the planning commission (a $20,000 decrease) and the public access TV station (a $12,400 decrease), dropping the community environment portion of the budget to a total of $75,300 next year ($107,000 in 2016).
In the general fund appropriations, the largest increases were made to the recreation fund, which increased $127,000 to $267,000, and the wastewater improvement fund, which increased $100,000 to $150,000.
The largest cuts were to the sewer debt retirement fund, which was $800,000 in 2016 but budgeted at $405,000 for 2017 (a $395,000 decrease) and the tax increment fund, which was $480,000 in 2016 but is set at $100,000 for 2017 (a $380,000 decrease).
Another significant cut was to the fire pension fund, which was previously $70,000 but is now 0. The life squad improvement fund was also cut to 0, after being budgeted at $6,000 in 2016, as were the drug law enforcement fund, which was $4,000 in 2016, and the housing revolving loan fund, which was $2,000 in 2016.
The complete proposed budget ordinance is below. According to Lewis, council will take action on the ordinance at a special meeting on Dec. 16.
• • •
AN ORDINANCE to make appropriations for current expenses and other expenditures of the city of Hillsboro, State of Ohio, during the fiscal year ending Dec. 31, 2017.
Sec. 1 Be it ordained by the Council of the City of Hillsboro, State of Ohio, that to provide for the current expenses and other expenditures of the City of Hillsboro, during the fiscal year ending Dec. 31, 2017, the following sums be and they are hereby set aside and appropriated, as follows, viz:
Sec. 2 That there be appropriated from the GENERAL FUND
GENERAL GOVERNMENTAL SERVICES
Mayor $254,000
Auditor $156,000
Law Director $182,000
Civil Service Commission $8,000
Council $57,000
Municipal Court $387,000
Income Tax Office $208,000
Land & Buildings $146,000
Other Misc. General Gov't $1,487,000
Total General Gov't Services $2,885,000
SECURITY OF PERSONS & PROPERTY
Police Department $1,501,000
Fire Department $582,000
Street Lighting $113,500
Total Security $2,196,500
PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICES
County Health Dept $23,000
Total Public Health Services $23,000
SOCIAL SERVICES
Prisoner Housing $15,000
Total Social Services $15,000
COMMUNITY ENVIRONMENT
Building Inspections $44,600
Planning Commission $13,600
Public Access TV $17,100
Total Community Environment $75,300
SUBTOTAL GENERAL FUND $5,194,800
Sec. 3 That there be appropriated from the GENERAL FUND for CONTINGENCIES for purposes not otherwise provided for, to be expended in accordance with the provisions of Sec. 5705.40, R.C., the sum of $25,000
Grand Total GENERAL FUND $5,219,800
Sec. 4 That there be appropriated from the following funds:
STREET C M & R FUND $870,000
STATE HIGHWAY FUND $15,000
MUNICIPAL COURT COMPUTER $27,000
POLICE PENSION FUND $168,000
FIRE PENSION FUND 0
RECREATION FUND $267,000
REVOLVING LOAN FUND $192,000
C D B G FUND 0
REHAB FUND 0
LIFE SQUAD IMPROV FUND 0
MUNICIPAL MOTOR VEHICLE $13,000
INDIGENT DRIVERS FUND $31,000
LAW ENFORCEMENT & EDUCATION 0
DRUG LAW ENFORCEMENT 0
LAW ENFORCEMENT TRUST $2,000
VICTIMS RIGHTS OFFICE $67,000
MUNICIPAL COURT SPECIAL PROJECTS $102,000
HOUSING REVOLVING LOAN FUND 0
GENERAL BOND RETIREMENT $338,000
TAX INCREMENT FUND $100,000
WATER REVENUE FUND $1,856,000
GUARANTEED DEPOSIT TRUST $40,000
RURAL DEVELOPMENT FUND $25,000
WATER DEBT RETIREMENT FUND $430,000
WATER IMPROVEMENT $50,000
SEWER REVENUE FUND $2,814,000
SEWER REPLACEMENT $20,000
WASTEWATER IMPROVEMENT $150,000
SEWER DEBT RETIREMENT FUND $405,000
UNCLAIMED MONIES TRUST FUND $6,000
GRAND TOTAL APPROPRIATIONS $13,207,800.00.
Sec. 5 And the City Auditor is hereby authorized to draw his warrants on the City Treasurer for payments from any of the foregoing appropriations upon receiving proper certificates and vouchers therefore approved by the board of officers authorized by law to approve the same or an ordinance or resolution of council to make the expenditures; provided that no warrant shall be drawn or paid for salaries or wages except the persons employed by authority of and in accordance with law or ordinance. Provided, further, that the appropriation for Contingencies can only be expended upon approval of a two-thirds vote of Council for items of expense constituting a legal obligation against the city, and for the purposes other than those covered by the other specific appropriations herein made.