HILLSBORO, Ohio — Hillsboro City Council was scheduled to take up final passage of a 20% sewer rate increase, a zoning change opening the door to electronic skill-game machines and a push to lease out 95 acres of city farmland, according to the agenda for its Nov. 10 meeting.
The sewer rate ordinance was up for a third and final reading. As council first proposed in August, the measure would raise sewer rates 20% in 2027, with further increases through 2031, to address a funding gap in the city’s aging sewer system.
Council also held a first reading on an ordinance amending the city’s zoning code to add “Electronic Games of Skill” as a permitted use under the zoning table, a change that would open the door to skill-game machines, which have drawn scrutiny from state lawmakers over their resemblance to slot machines, operating in designated zoning districts.
A separate ordinance, introduced as an emergency measure, would authorize the city’s safety and service director to advertise for bids to lease out roughly 95 acres of city-owned land in Liberty Township for agricultural use.
Council also held second readings on ordinances to close two public alleys: one running north-south between South Street and a parallel alley, between 225 and 226 South Street, and another running east-west between Johnson Street and a parallel alley, between 360 and 406 Johnson Street. Both measures stem from petitions filed by property owners.
Other items on the agenda included a first reading of supplemental appropriations for the city, a first reading establishing time limits for parking in municipal lots, and a first reading amending the residential fee schedule the city adopted in October, also introduced as an emergency measure. Council’s standing committees were also set to report on annual wage and pay scale reviews for employees and elected officials, a water-rate review and a zoning ordinance update.
The information contained in this story was obtained from the City of Hillsboro.
