Walking trail issue handed to planning board
By JENNIFER WILSON
News editor
The debate over a proposed walking trail along the former Union Pacific railroad line will now be in the hands of the Hillsboro Planning Commission.
At its biweekly City Council meeting Tuesday evening, council members heard that the city's planning board will handle future discussions about the trail proposal.
The proposal was brought before the Council at its July 9 meeting by members of the Linear Trail Committee, who were seeking $5,000 from the city to begin landscaping a three-block section of old railroad line. That section extends west from Lincoln Street to Ash.
The planning commission is the right public body to handle the issue, said City Administrator Steve Garrett.
"That's the proper place to put it," Garrett said. "This is not the place to have the 'Rails for Trails' request."
The planning commission is more equipped to seek feedback from city residents — to see if the trail is something they want, Garrett said.
But the issue of land ownership still looms large.
"We still have the issue that it's not public property," Garrett said. If it wanted to, Union Pacific Railroad would have the right to come back in and re-install the railroad.
Said Mayor Delores Dalke, "They'd lay the track right through it."
Also at the Council meeting, councilmembers voted to increase municipal court costs.
Court costs for breaking local ordinances had been $32, and costs for traffic violations had been $38.
Now, each will cost $40.
The reason? The state has upped the amount of money it takes from each case. Before, it received a share of $7.50 from each case; now, that amount is $9.50.
The cost needed to go up at least $2 just to keep the court system breaking even, said City Attorney Dan Baldwin.
The new costs will take effect in about two months.
Other surrounding towns have also raised their court costs recently — Marion has gone from $30 to $50, as has Hesston. Goessel's municipal court costs are $45.
In other council business:
— The Council approved a cereal malt beverage license for a company applying under the name JTJ.
Technically, the name "JTJ" represent's the Vogt's IGA grocery store, Garrett said.
— The Council approved a $54,036 payment to Barkley Construction of Wichita for work done on the alley-intersection project.
The intersection construction, at Grand and Washington, is almost complete, said RoseMary Saunders of Reiss and Goodness Engineers.
The intersection should be open for traffic on Thursday, July 18, she said.
— The city will purchase a new three-quarter ton pickup truck from Hillsboro Ford for the electric department.
Hillsboro will pay $18,185 to the Ford dealership, who came in with the lowest bid. The bid includes the price of the truck as well as an extended warranty.
The city took bids from all three local dealerships.
— The Council held two executive sessions — one, with Police Chief Dan Kinning, to discuss nonelected personnel, and one to discuss acquisition of property.
