South Central Reporter

City of Hillsboro City Council met Nov. 5.

Here are the minutes provided by the council:

1. The meeting was called to order by Mayor Don Downs at 7:00 p.m.

2. Roll Call was taken:

Present: Mayor Don Downs

Commissioners Fred Butler, Tommy Justison, Patrick Ward and Kendra Wright

Absent: None.

Also Present: City Clerk David Jenkins

City Attorney Chris Sherer

Community Planner Sarah McConnell

3. The Pledge of Allegiance was recited.

4. Minutes of the October 15th, 2024 regular meeting were approved as presented.

5. Mayor and Commissioners’ Departmental Reports:

Commissioner Butler presented the reports for the Streets and Public Properties Departments. He reported the Street Department staff worked on repairing a water main on Halls Lane, as well as cleaning up ditches and culverts after the weather the last couple of days. In the Public Properties Department, he reported the campground is now closed. He also stated Seward Masonry has started tuck pointing on the valve house at the Old Lake. He said the barge is currently underwater because the chains holding it in place were not long enough, but it will be fixed tomorrow. Butler reminded everyone there will be a presentation on the watershed held at the Abbey on Wednesday, November 6th at 7 p.m.

Commissioner Justison presented the reports for the Fire and Police Departments. He reported the fire department responded to one call so far this month, which was a motor vehicle accident. He said the council will also address replacing a 1997 Chevy Suburban later in the meeting.

Commissioner Wright presented the reports for the Water and Sewer Departments. She reported MB Construction continues to progress on the lead service line replacement. She also stated the recent rains have filled the lake to the brim. Regarding treatment to the water, she said the free chlorine burn has concluded and hydrant flushing should be finished by the end of this week. She also reported the bid opening date for the new Wastewater Treatment Plant will now be held in early December.

Mayor Downs reported the underpass was severely flooded last night due to the rain, but it was opened back up this morning. He also stated the annual rake and run will be held this Saturday.

6. Economic Development & Community Planner Report:

McConnell reported Hillsboro was officially confirmed to be a Looking for Lincoln Community, and she will meet with others next week to discuss who will be the liaison among other things. She also reported the Trick or Treat Trail last Friday was successful as more than 200 kids showed up to participate. She stated the final Imagine Hillsboro event of the year will be the Storybook Christmas held at the end of the month.

7. City Engineer Report:

City Engineer Jeremy Connor was absent so no report was given.

8. Public Comment: Terri Casey, co-owner of the Corner Block Building, reported the construction crew has been working on shoring the second floor wall. She said their mason also found a window of time to begin work on the exterior of the building. All while this work has been moving, Casey said she and her husband Chris started working on the third floor of the building.

9. Woodard & Curran to Present the Annual Report to the Council: Woodard and Curran Plant Manager Tim Ferguson presented the annual report to the council. In the report, he noted they had another year of no lost time accidents and also saw a pretty good decrease in flows to the sewer plant over the last year. He said the NARP will hopefully be completed within the next month or so, and they will hear about the watershed during tomorrow’s meeting. He encouraged the council to keep water and sewer rates in mind, and also brought up maintenance to the water treatment plant that needs to happen. He said, despite the plant being referred to as ‘new,’ it is 15 years old. He said the roof needs replaced, adding Young’s Roofing made repairs recently to address leaks. The leaks, since being repaired, have stopped.

10. Discussion / Action – Ordinance No. 1807 an Ordinance Implementing a Municipal Grocery Retailers’ Occupation Tax and a Municipal Grocery Service Occupation Tax for the City of Hillsboro: Downs reported the State is doing away with their grocery tax, and adopting this ordinance will allow the City to establish our own once the state one expires January 1, 2026. Motion by Ward and second by Wright to adopt Ordinance No. 1807. Motion carried with a 5-0 vote in favor.

11. Discussion / Action – Resolution 2024-21 a Resolution Authorizing the Use of Business District Special Allocation Funds for a Development Project Occurring at 1449 Vandalia Road: McConnell reported Raise the Bar is expanding their business to create a recovery and wellness spa, designed specifically for athletic recovery. She said currently, to partake in a facility such as this, one would have to travel to St. Louis at the closest. She said their facility is not in the TIF, but it is in the business district. Motion by Butler and second by Ward to adopt Resolution 2024-21. Motion carried with a 5-0 vote in favor.

12. Discussion / Action – Redevelopment Assistance Agreement for Raise the Bar Recovery and Wellness Spa Business District Proposal: Ward reported this agreement would give Raise the Bar up to $25,000 for infrastructure upgrades to accommodate the new recovery and wellness spa. Motion by Butler and second by Justison to approve the Redevelopment Assistance Agreement for Raise the Bar. Motion carried with a 5- 0 vote in favor.

13. Discussion / Action – Reimbursement to the Historic Red Rooster LLC in Accordance with the TIF Redevelopment Agreement: Motion by Butler and second by Ward to approve the Reimbursement to the Historic Red Rooster LLC in the amount of $556.55. Justison and Wright abstain. Motion carried with a 3-0-2 vote in favor.

14. Discussion / Action – Pay Applications #1 & 2 to MB Construction for Work Completed on Lead Service Line Replacement Project: Wright reported the City has paid MB Construction for these applications, but the council has to approve the requests to formalize it. Motion by Ward and second by Wright to approve pay application #1 in the amount of $61,110 and pay application #2 in the amount of $132,093 to MB Construction for work completed on the Lead Service Line Replacement project. Motion carried with a 5-0 vote in favor.

15. Discussion / Action – Pay Application #1 to Stutz Excavating for Work Completed on Jefferson & Tremont Streets Sidewalk Project: Butler reported this item must be tabled because they did not receive any numbers in time. Motion by Wright and second by Butler to table this item until the next meeting. Motion carried with a 5-0 vote in favor.

16. Discussion / Action – Appointing Jill Ulrici to the Hillsboro Planning Commission: Motion by Justison and second by Wright to approve appointing Jill Ulrici to the Hillsboro Planning Commission. Motion carried with a 5-0 vote in favor.

17. Discussion / Action – Appointing the City Clerk as the Emergency Management Coordinator: Motion by Wright and second by Butler to approve appointing the City Clerk as the Emergency Management Coordinator for the City of Hillsboro. Motion carried with a 5-0 vote in favor.

18. Discussion / Action – Closing 300 Block of S. Main Street from Wood to Water Streets for Annual Block Party on Evening of December 21, 2024: Cary Eisentraut from Eisentraut Theatres addressed the council regarding a block party on December 21, 2024. He stated the party they held last year was a success with estimated crowds of between 600 and 700 people. He said the party would begin at 5 p.m., so the street would need to be closed at 4. Ward asked if this required any overtime for the police department. Justison said it did not. Motion by Butler and second by Justison to approve closing the 300 block of South Main Street from Wood Street to Water Street for the block party from 4 to 10 p.m. on December 21, 2024. Motion carried with a 5-0 vote in favor.

19. Discussion / Action – Purchasing Vehicle for the City of Hillsboro Fire Department: Justison reported the department has a 1997 Chevrolet Suburban with over 130,000 miles on it for its dive team, and that it is beyond its usable life. He said Fire Chief Joe Lyerla submitted a proposal that was a local option for a replacement used vehicle. The proposal is for a 2022 GMC Sierra from Roger Jennings for a cost of $55,759. Justison stated he disagrees with this option, and his recommendation would be a 2023 Chevy Silverado 2500 from a dealership in Litchfield. He said the Silverado has only 13,069 miles on it with a price of $47,230. Ward asked how often the dive team is used. Downs said Hillsboro’s dive team is one of the most respected around. Justison said they put about 5,000 miles on the vehicle per year. Ward asked if they are reimbursed by other entities when being deployed. Justison said they are not. He said Chief Lyerla did an incredible job maintaining the rural fire fund, which would be used to pay for the vehicle. Justison said he believes the council should table this matter until the next meeting so they can look at all their options. Motion by Wright and second by Butler to table this item until the next meeting. Motion carried with a 5-0 vote in favor.

20. Discussion / Action – Tourism Brochure Design: McConnell presented the tourism brochure to the council for their review. Butler noted the golf course is on there, but they are not open to the public. McConnell said they were listed because of the restaurant that is located at the facility. Wright asked about the lake area map being listed on the same page as the downtown businesses. McConnell said it is a trifold brochure, so it won’t appear that way when folded. Butler said overall the map looks great. Motion by Ward and second by Butler to approve the Tourism Brochure Design as presented. Motion carried with a 5-0 vote in favor.

21. Discussion / Action – Operation Green Light for Veterans: Downs reported they will light up City Hall green in support of veterans. He said he has green film he will place over the lights in front of the building. Motion by Ward and second by Justison to approve lighting City Hall Green for Veterans from November 4th through 11th. Motion carried with a 5-0 vote in favor.

22. Discussion / Action – Adjourn: Motion by Justison and second by Wright to adjourn the meeting. Motion carried with a 5-0 vote in favor. Meeting was adjourned at 8:04 p.m.

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