Stray cats scratch at Hillsboro’s patience
Staff writer
Hillsboro is fielding increasing complaints about feral and stray cats damaging property and straining relations between neighbors.
But city administrator Matt Stiles told city council members Tuesday that the city has limited capacity to respond.
Police mainly deal with stray dogs. Stray cats and other small animals are handled with live traps lent to residents and a local resident who helps on a case-by-case basis, he said.
Relocation or mass euthanasia generally is ineffective and widely is viewed as inhumane, Stiles said.
Instead, he outlined a program of trapping, neutering, vaccinating, and releasing cats as the most effective, evidence-based option.
Captured cats would be spayed or neutered, vaccinated, and returned to the area where they were found.
Over time, they would defend their territory and gradually die off, discouraging new animals from moving in and shrinking the overall population.
“It does take a little bit more time,” Stiles said, adding that such an effort would require a veterinary partner or animal rescue group and likely require funding in the city’s 2027 budget.
Public education for residents who regularly feed stray cats would be critical, he said. Feeding encourages colonies and can push problems onto neighbors.
Councilman Ronald Wilkins said many complaints come from residents whose property is being damaged by cats attracted to a nearby feeding station.
He suggested the city emphasize taking responsibility for animals that then damage property. He also warned that a trapping program would have to anticipate the possibility of trapping pets that spend part of the day indoors and part outdoors.
Mayor Lou Thurston called the issue “a problem between neighbors” and said it will not resolve on its own.
“It is a problem that’s not going away,” Thurston said.
He said he is intrigued by a trapping strategy but reluctant to support ticketing residents who put out food.
No action was taken, but the city will seek more input and consult the League of Kansas Municipalities on legal options and best practices.
US-56 objections
Stiles said Hillsboro was continuing to push back on a Kansas Department of Transportation proposal that would close three US-56 access points — at Orchard Dr. and at Adams and Santa Fe Sts.
Stiles said he sent a “pretty strong response” to KDOT and met by teleconference with consulting engineers.
The proposal is based on formulas for traffic volume and speed. They limit how many at-grade intersections are allowed and how closely they can be spaced, but those rules do not fully reflect Hillsboro’s access needs, Stiles said.
He noted that one arm of KDOT was paying for improvements at Orchard Dr. while another has suggested that intersection be closed.
At Adams, KDOT has suggested temporarily barricading the intersection to study how traffic reroutes. For Santa Fe, the agency has floated eliminating that access and extending nearby Centennial Rd. instead.
Thurston objected to the state’s approach and questioned why slowing traffic through town was off the table.
“They don’t live here. We live here,” he said. “This is a very negative response to the survival and thriving of our community, and I’m just not going to put up with it as long as I’m the mayor.”
Thurston plans to join Stiles at a KDOT advisory committee meeting in Canton and vowed the city would “never surrender” on protecting key access points.
Hanger lease
In other business Tuesday, the council approved a revised lease agreement for hangars at Hillsboro Municipal Airport.
It’s part of an effort to clean up operations after roof damage, tenant relocations, and a an issue with a squatter.
According to Stiles, the new lease, drafted by the city attorney, updates terms and standardizes rent collection on a quarterly basis for typical tenants while allowing month-to-month arrangements when a pilot needs only short-term storage.
Two individual hangars and two spaces in a shared hangar are currently rented, and existing tenants will be asked to sign the updated agreement.
The revision is part of a broader look at whether the city is committed to maintaining a functional airport, Thurston said, in light of the airport’s role in fixed-wing medical evacuations and the city’s long-term investment.
The council authorized staff to apply for a KDOT aviation grant to seal and paint the airport’s runway in 2027.
Property issues
The council also set a hearing for 4 p.m. March 17 on a long-troubled property at 211 N. Washington. Thurston urged the city to “keep the pressure on” by moving ahead with the hearing if case remaining issues are not resolved.
Council members accepted a $7,850 demolition bid from Dalke Construction for a vacant house at 310 N. Washington St.
Cost of the work will assessed against the property and recovered through a delinquent tax sale.
Stiles also reported that he and the city’s attorney met with the county appraiser on whether all of the former AMPI property in the city’s land bank should be exempt from property taxes. The county is willing to support exemption for seven of the eight lots.