Drivers beware: Your could be towed
Downtown parking to be closed off
the night before arts and crafts
By JENNIFER WILSON
News editor
Hillsboro residents, take note now: Don't park downtown the night before the arts and crafts fair.
If you do, your car could be towed.
At its regular weekly meeting Tuesday evening, the Hillsboro City Council approved a resolution that prohibits parking downtown after 6 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 19. That's the evening before Saturday's arts and crafts fair.
Last year, for the first time ever, fair exhibitors were allowed to set up their booths the night before instead of that morning.
The fair exhibitors loved the change.
"This was well accepted by them, and because of this, our entries increased significantly," said fair director Donna Diener in a letter to the city.
The problem, Diener said, was that several cars remained downtown as exhibitors were starting to set up. She asked that parking not be allowed after 6 p.m.
The council agreed and passed the new resolution unanimously. It prohibits parking in the following areas: 100 block of West Grand, 100 and 200 blocks of East Grand, 100 and 200 blocks of North Main, and 100 and 200 blocks of South Main.
Cars that park there will be towed, with the owner of the vehicle paying all costs, said city attorney Dan Baldwin.
Council members also tackled late utility payments by the Hillsboro Community Medical Center.
At the July 1 council meeting, HCMC CEO Mike Ryan asked that the hospital be given a grace period for that month's utility payment. That's because it hadn't been receiving Medicare money since the beginning of June, when it switched over to Critical Access Status.
The council agreed to the delay, but at Tuesday's meeting, they faced another sum that the hospital owes the city.
Since August of 2000, the hospital has owed the city more than $20,000 in utility penalties. Ryan asked that these be excused.
A council member asked, "If we do this, do we open it up for members of the public?"
"It's a council decision," said Steve Garrett, city administrator.
Mayor Delores Dalke said the situation differed from the typical customer, since the hospital's services are vital to the entire community.
"I think once they get caught up they can keep up," she said.
Ryan and Garrett did not agree on an exact penalty amount at the meeting. Garrett had once said $34,000, but Ryan thought the total was just over $22,000.
Ryan had a solution to the problem: use the additional money coming in from the re-issuing of hospital bonds and apply that to the penalty. At Tuesday's meeting, the council approved re-issuing the old hospital bonds at a newer, lower interest rate — and the change will save the hospital $1,000 to $1,2000 per month.
That money, plus the extra funds coming in since the hospital is now Critical Access, should allow HCMC to pay the full penalty within a year.
The hospital could set up a schedule and pay the penalty back in regular installments, Dalke said. But whatever the schedule is, there needs to be a penalty if the hospital doesn't adhere to it.
Council member Shelby Dirks proposed a 12-month payback schedule. After more discussion the council unanimously approved it.
In other council business:
— The council unanimously approved a resolution designating the Free Press Extra as the city's official newspaper. It will now publish the city's legal notices.
— When the time comes to renew fire department contracts with local townships, the city wants to raise prices.
Right now, the city has contracts with four area townships. Hillsboro charges each township $100 per month and $100 per fire run.
The contract prices were established in 1976, and the costs have gone up considerably since then, Garrett said.
"It costs us a pretty penny to send those guys out — more than $100," he said.
The city plans to send out a letter to each of the townships, saying that it won't renew the current contracts as they are now.
— Garrett has learned that Blue Cross-Blue Shield insurance wants to increase the city's current insurance premiums by 46 percent. He is looking into other options, he said.
"It's getting ridiculous," Garrett said.
— Stan Harder has been hired as Hillsboro's new museum director.
