Power Outages Prompt Hillsboro City Commission’s Energy Discussion

The Hillsboro City Commission met in regular session Tuesday evening. 

Energy was one of the main topics of discussion at Tuesday’s meeting, following a series of power outages earlier that day. The commission discussed ways to improve the city’s response to outages and improving overall energy efficiency. Suggested courses of action included hiring a professional lineman and alternative energy sources such as solar panels and windmills. Along those same lines, the commission also approved nearly $22,000 for electrical equipment upgrades. City Auditor Casey Eggermont says these discussions could lead to other long-term solutions.

Another main topic of discussion was building permits and new construction. The commission approved tax exemptions for two new home construction projects, as well as a set of guidelines for building permit approval requests. Eggermont explains the details of those guidelines.

Other approved action items included: an information technology service agreement with Remark Consulting, a gaming authorization for Hillsboro Public Schools, and a City Budget Purchase from Hillsboro Fire and Rescue. You can hear more from Eggermont on the City of Hillsboro during today’s Kaleidoscope Program.