By PHYLLIS ZORN

Staff writer

Hillsboro city council members cast a split vote Tuesday to allow county fair planners to hold a beer garden during the demolition derby event.

Fair board member Brandi Barney said the board estimates the beer garden would increase revenues. She added that the board needs to come up with a new plan to provide alternative transportation for those who need a ride after drinking, because the plan already proposed is not going to work.

Customers at the beer garden would be limited to three beers, Barney said.

Police chief Dan Kinning said Marion police chief Tyler Mermis told him allowing a beer garden at Chingawassa meant less beer was sneaked into the event.

Councilman Jonah Gehring moved to approve the beer garden and asked for a report on whether fair attendance goes up.

The vote was 3 to 1, with councilman David Loewen opposed.

Several dog owners showed up at the meeting to hear an amended version of a proposed new dog ordinance for Hillsboro, but none voiced opposition.

When the ordinance was originally proposed a month ago, townspeople strongly objected to the ordinance containing a list of breeds that could be considered dangerous.

“The draft today basically excludes the language that identifies specific breeds,” city administrator Larry Paine said. “We have not received any additional input from the public since a month ago.”

Christopher Parish pointed out that the proposal reads that a dog deemed “dangerous” must be neutered, but it also reads that the animal can later come off the “dangerous” list.

“Yeah, you can’t really undo that,” city attorney Josh Boehm said.

“I don’t know that it’s necessary, but I’m not necessarily against it,” Parish said.

Parish said he’d like to see fines for dogs at large be increased more than the proposal specifies.

Under the current proposal, fines start at $50 for a first offense and go up to $500 for a fifth offense. If a judge rules the owner is negligently or intentionally permitting the dog to run at large, he can order the dog removed from city limits.

The proposed ordinance will be reviewed again at the next council meeting.

Council members unanimously approved undertaking a project to make the intersection of US-56 and Industrial Rd., where the hospital is located, safer.

Paine told council members Kansas Department of Transportation has awarded a 95-percent grant to have the intersection reconstructed to allow drivers more time to slow down and turn onto Industrial Rd.