By PHYLLIS ZORN

Staff writer

Hillsboro electricity customers will see an increase in their utility bills Jan. 1.

Hillsboro city council members voted Tuesday to increase both base rates and price per kilowatt charged for electricity in order to meet the 2019 electricity budget.

Base rates will increase from $9 to $12.10, and the cost per kilowatt hour will increase from $0.1158 to $0.1195.

Cooperative Grain and Supply will soon begin ground work on 38 acres it plans to buy from the city of Hillsboro.

The cooperative plans to build storage on the same property on Kanza Rd. north of US-56 that it has rented from the city for some time.

Although negotiations for purchase of the property are still ongoing, city council members voted to allow the cooperative to begin groundwork so the storage facility could be completed in time for the wheat harvest.