South Central Reporter

City of Hillsboro City Council met March 18.

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

Public Properties Supervisor Jim May

Police Chief Randy Leetham

Street Dept. Supervisor Justin Chappelear

City Engineer Jeremy Connor

3. The Pledge of Allegiance was recited.

4. Public Comment: None.

5. Minutes of the March 4th, 2025 regular meeting were approved as presented.

6. Mayor and Commissioners’ Departmental Reports:

Mayor Downs reported the Montgomery County Soil and Water Conservation District recently hosted a meeting at the University of Illinois Extension Office to discuss things happening with the Hillsboro lakes. MCSWCD representative Lora Scott stated quite a few farmers attended the meeting to discuss things they are concerned with in regards to the lakes. She stated the City Council is invited to attend their next meeting, which will be held June 11, 2025 at 6 p.m. at the Extension Office.

Commissioner Butler reported the Street Department has been working on blacktopping potholes around town. He also reported he met with a Central Park Group to discuss the future of the area and what the City should do there. He also thanked Bob Schwandner and Doug Johnson for installing the fishing dock at the youth fishing pond.

Commissioner Justison reported he is continuing to work on budgets for the fire and police departments. He stated the fire department has responded to six calls so far this month, in addition to holding one meeting and one training event. He encouraged motorists to be mindful of pedestrians as the weather continues to warm up.

Commissioner Wright reported they continue to seek alternate funding sources for the new wastewater treatment plant. She also reminded residents not to flush wipes down the toilet, even if they are flushable wipes. She said those items burn up the lift station pumps.

Commissioner Ward stated he would like to vote on the budget at the second meeting in April.

7. Economic Development & Community Planner Report:

McConnell reported the City received their capital advance check for the second round of the energy grant. She stated the wayfinding signs have been designed, and Darla and Randy Jorn will have a mock sign for Triangle Park set up soon for the City’s review. McConnell said the council will also address a redevelopment agreement later in the meeting.

8. City Engineer Report:

Connor reported they held their MFT bid opening last week, which will be addressed at the next meeting. He also said the Broad and Fairground projects remain in the environmental review process at IDOT.

9. Discussion / Action – Paying Bills for the Month of March 2025: Motion by Ward and second by Butler to approve paying bills for the month of March 2025 in the amount of $493,715.09. Motion carried with a 5-0 vote in favor.

10. Discussion / Action – Ordinance No. 1818 an Ordinance Authorizing the Execution of an Amended Lease of City-Owned Real Estate: Butler reported this is in regards to leasing approximately 33.64 acres of the old Eagle Zinc property. He stated it is a 20-year lease. One of the sticking points was the removal of a pile of dirt, which he said has been resolved. Motion by Butler and second by Ward to adopt Ordinance No. 1818. Motion carried with a 5-0 vote in favor.

11. Discussion / Action – Design-Build Base Contract Between the City of Hillsboro and Contegra Construction Company, LLC for the Hillsboro Municipal Pool Project: Butler stated he spoke with Hillsboro Pool Project Manager Matt Cress, and they should have the contract filled in later this week. He said this item will need to be tabled until April 1. Motion by Butler and second by Justison to table this item. Motion carried with a 5-0 vote in favor.

12. Discussion / Action – Ordinance No. 1819 an Ordinance Pursuant to Section 8-1-7(a) of the Illinois Municipal Code Authorizing the Planning and Financing of a Public Work: Motion by Ward and second by Justison to table this item. Motion carried with a 5-0 vote in favor.

13. Discussion / Action – Amount to Issue for General Obligation Bonds: Ward reported he believes the City’s sales tax revenue projection that was used for determining the annual repayment of the bond was inflated a bit. He said they are still going to issue the bond and they are still going to build the pool, but he would like to wait until they have better projected numbers before voting on an amount to issue. No action was taken.

14. Discussion / Action – Increasing Façade Improvement Grant Matching Funds: Ward stated $3,000, which is the City’s current matching amount, doesn’t go as far as it did about 5 to 10 years ago when paying for façade improvements. McConnell said most of the applications she received are in excess of the maximum match. Motion by Ward and second by Wright to approve increasing the amount of matching funds for façade improvement grants to $5,000. Motion carried with a 5-0 vote in favor.

15. Discussion / Action – Ordinance No. 1820 an Ordinance Amending the Façade Improvement Grant Program, as Amended, For the City of Hillsboro, Montgomery County, Illinois: Sherer stated he could write an ordinance only increasing the amount of the matching funds. Motion by Wright and second by Butler to adopt Ordinance No. 1820. Motion carried with a 5-0 vote in favor.

16. Discussion / Action – Resolution 2025-05 a Resolution Approving Rules and Regulations and License Agreements for Lake Lots at Lake Glenn Shoals and For Campsites at the Sherwood Forest Campground: Butler reported he is cleaning up the rules with the campground and lake lots, with the biggest change coming to flags, signs and banners. He said he does not like seeing confederate flags or flags with profanity on City-owned property, and to get rid of them the City has to banish all flags. He stated the City has a flag pole at the Sherwood Forest Campground, and will display the U.S. flag and the Illinois state flag. Motion by Ward and second by Butler to adopt Resolution No. 2025-05. Motion carried with a 5-0 vote in favor.

17. Discussion / Action – Revised Seasonal Lake Lot, Adjoining Landowner Lake Lot & Seasonal Campground License Agreements for Recreational Use of City Land: Motion by Butler and second by Wright to approve the revised Seasonal Lake Lot, Adjoining Landowner Lake Lot and Seasonal Campground License Agreements for Recreational Use of City Land. Motion carried with a 5-0 vote in favor.

18. Discussion / Action – Resolution 2025-06 a Resolution Authorizing a Redevelopment Agreement Between the City of Hillsboro, Illinois and Main Street Improvements, LLC Utilizing Tax Increment Financing for Renovations to the Existing Building Located at 400 S Main St.: Butler reported this TIF application includes a “pay-as-you go” request, which he said he does not have a problem with. Motion by Butler and second by Ward to adopt Resolution 2025-06. Justison and Wright abstain. Motion carried with a 3-0-2 vote in favor.

19. Discussion / Action – Agreement for Tax Increment Allocation Redevelopment Professional and Consulting Services Between City of Hillsboro, Illinois and Moran Economic Development, LLC: Ward reported approving this agreement would start the process of creating a second TIF district. The map has been updated to include the Sherwood Forest Campground. McConnell stated the map is not set in stone, but she needs to notify Moran Economic Development of any revisions so they can make them. Motion by Ward and second by Butler to approve the Agreement for Tax Increment Allocation Redevelopment Professional and Consulting Services Between the City of Hillsboro, Illinois and Moran Economic Development, LLC for a second TIF district for an amount not to exceed $32,000. Justison and Wright abstain. Motion carried with a 3-0-2 vote in favor.

20. Discussion / Action – Glenn Shoals Lake Waterfowl Hunting Blind Rules and Regulations: May reported this revised document cleans up some of the rules and regulations. He stated the dates for the waterfowl blind renewals coincide with the new lake lot renewal dates. Motion by Butler and second by Wright to approve the Glenn Shoals Lake Waterfowl Hunting Blind Rules and Regulations as presented. Motion carried with a 5-0 vote in favor.

21. Discussion / Action – First Amendment to Solar Lease Agreement and Landlord Estoppel Certificate Between the City of Hillsboro and AC Power LLC: Motion by Ward and second by Wright to approve the First Amendment to the Solar Lease Agreement and the Landlord Estoppel Certificate Between the City of Hillsboro and AC Power LLC as presented. Justison abstains. Motion carried with a 4-0-1 vote in favor.

22. Discussion / Action – City of Hillsboro Utility Permit: Butler reported most communities with a utility permit have a fee attached. He said he has seen the fees range between $50 and $500. The council discussed the merits of charging $500 per job versus $50, or whether charge per address. Justison suggested charging $50 per address with a maximum of $500. The council agreed to make it per job, but keeping it the same model. Motion by Ward and second by Wright to approve the City of Hillsboro Utility Permit and charge $50 per job up to a maximum of $500. Motion carried with a 5-0 vote in favor.

23. Discussion / Action – US Solar ‘Sunscription’ Agreement: Zach Resmann with Resolute Energy addressed the council regarding a ‘Sunscription’ agreement for the City, which would receive solar credits on energy bills. He stated it includes a 10 percent discount off energy supply. Resmann reported the first two solar farms are supposed to be turning on in May. Ward said the City won’t actually save the 10 percent for at least 18 months. Resmann said the savings in the first year would be close to $8,000. He said he would speak with each of the commissioners about accounts they would not want to be included in the agreement. Motion by Wright and second by Ward to approve the US Solar Sunscription Agreement. Motion carried with a 5-0 vote in favor.

24. Discussion / Action – Proposal from Hurst-Rosche for 2025 Bridge Inspections: Butler reported this proposal is for a visual inspection of the bridges listed. Motion by Butler and second by Wright to approve the proposal from Hurst-Rosche Inc. for the 2025 Bridge Inspections for a lump sum cost of $3,500. Motion carried with a 5-0 vote in favor.

25. Discussion / Action – Estimate from McKean Solutions for Installation of Scoreboard at Sports Complex: Motion by Wright and second by Butler to approve the estimate from McKean Solutions to install the new scoreboard at the sports complex for a cost of $2,200. Motion carried with a 5-0 vote in favor.

26. Discussion / Action – Hiring Part-Time Staff for Lake Glenn Shoals Marina: Motion by Ward and second by Justison to approve the Glenn Shoals Marina hiring list as presented. Motion carried with a 5-0 vote in favor.

27. 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 8:10 p.m.

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