HILLSBORO, Ohio — Hillsboro City Council adopted the city’s first social media policy for employees and elected officials and gave final approval to a new building permit fee schedule at its Sept. 17 meeting, while also moving to spend grant money on the Crossroads Park project before a state deadline.
Council approved Resolution 26-13, establishing the social media policy, by a 5-2 vote, according to meeting minutes. Council members Gary Lewis and Cody Mathews voted no; Adam Wilkin, Mary Stanforth, Logan Kelly, Heith Brown and Dan Baucher voted yes.
Council also gave final, unanimous approval to Ordinance 2026-26, which repeals and replaces the city’s 2020 residential and commercial building fee schedule. The council had given the fee increase its first reading in July, after city officials said the outdated schedule was costing Hillsboro nearly $41,000 a year in uncollected inspection costs, as previously reported by the Guardian.
A separate measure, Ordinance 2026-27, authorizes the city to spend reimbursement money from a Ross County community grant fund on the Crossroads Park project. City Auditor Dawson Barreras told council the money needs to be spent before a state deadline next month.
Mayor Justin Harsha updated council on construction progress at Crossroads Park, saying roof sheeting has gone up on the amphitheater and the community building’s roof will be finished within the week, with crews moving to interior work next. Harsha said the park remains on pace to open next spring, with its first event planned for the Thursday before Memorial Day.
Council did not vote on a proposed increase to city sewer rates. Members spent much of the meeting questioning Safety and Service Director Shawn Adkins about the plan, which was previously detailed by the Guardian, before agreeing to schedule a special meeting with the city’s engineering firm, Waterworth, to answer outstanding questions.
In other business, council’s zoning and annexation committee recommended that the city update its zoning map to classify skilled-gaming and electronic-games-of-skill businesses and raise their annual per-machine licensing fee to $100. The recommendation has not yet come before the full council for a vote.
The information contained in this story was obtained from the City of Hillsboro.
