Hillsboro to exceed revenue-neutral rate
Staff writer
Hillsboro City Council voted Tuesday to notify the county clerk to increase tax revenue by exceeding the revenue-neutral rate of 37.989 and set its mill rate at 42.
The decision came after city administrator Matt Stiles gave a presentation reviewing Hillsboro’s 2026 budget.
Stiles found that the median home value in Hillsboro has increased to $100,600, revenue has remained steady, and sales tax has declined slightly.
He noted uncertainty about the cost of future city equipment because of tariffs and the loss of federal programs.
Mayor Lou Thurston, attending the meeting remotely from the District of Columbia, said he would like to see more public input into the budget in the future.
“We get skunked in terms of overt input into the budget,” he said. “We get a lot of covert input.”
Council member Blake Beye asked Stiles whether he would consider a slightly lower mill rate. Stiles said he preferred a higher rate that could be reduced later.
“I think we’re going to be closer to 40, truthfully,” he said.
In other city business, the proposed Hillsboro fire station moved closer to reality after the board authorized bonds worth $6,000,000 and approved an architectural concept submitted by Sheldon Architecture.
“Thank you guys for completing what we started all those years ago,” county commissioner Jonah Gehring said.
Gehring was on the city council seven years ago when the station was proposed.
The station is planned to be 23,500 square feet and two stories tall.
The first floor would feature six apparatus bays, gear storage for 28 firefighters, a shop room, a meeting room, two offices, and restrooms.
The second floor would include sleeping areas, a kitchen, an exercise room, a laundry, and restrooms.
Sheldon Architecture estimated the cost of the project at $5,200,000, though the price will become more certain after general contractors bid.
Hillsboro hopes to finance the station in part through a U.S. Department of Agriculture loan.
Stiles said he was confident about the city receiving the loan and not sure about other potential loans.
Later in the meeting, Stiles said Hillsboro received $10,000 from the Department of Commerce to paint a mural on the side of Gutter Ball, the bowling alley the city purchased last year.