Audit shows Hillsboro with less than expected
Staff writer
An independent audit Tuesday concluded that Hillsboro ended 2024 with half as much money as hoped in its general fund.
The audit by the Adams Brown CPA firm did not find any problems, city administrator Matt Stiles said, but rather “primarily reflects non-recurring capital projects and expenditures.”
The city ended the year with $121,016 in its general fund.
“The city’s long-term financial health remains stable,” Stiles said.
He noted that the city was owed more than $1.2 million in reimbursements by the state at year’s end.
The director of Hillsboro’s electric utility, Todd Helmer, presented his annual report to council members Tuesday.
Helmer said his department has converted 350 traditional streetlights to brighter LEDs since this fall. A hundred more replacements are needed on the west side of town to finish the project.
Residents have mixed reactions towards the LEDs.
“We’ve had some complaints,” Helmer said. “People go both ways.”
The west side of Hillsboro experienced a power failure Thursday after dust mixed with rain and created a goop that caught fire on top of a key electric pole.
Power was out from early morning until 7:30 p.m.
Mayor Lou Thurston commended Helmer’s team for its work in putting out the fire.
“Being up in those buckets with the wind blowing and working around power, that’s something you’ve gotta be extra careful with,” he said.
Helmer himself was on vacation that day.
“The fact that you could go ahead and leave and your team could follow through is a credit to them and your leadership,” Thurston said.
Later in the meeting, Stiles announced that the electric utility had received an Excellence in Reliability Award for experiencing no major failures in 2024.
He noted the irony of the situation.