Hillsdale City Council passed a resolution that changes its SAD policy at Monday’s meeting. Julia Mullins | Collegian
News from Feb. 17 meeting
Council changes road repair rules and fees
The Hillsdale City Council passed a resolution to make road repairs less expensive for property owners in Special Assessment Districts by lowering interest rates, capping initial costs, and extending the payback period.
The resolution creates three categories — based on frontage or the amount of land connected to the road — to determine SAD costs, according to City Manager David Mackie. The cost for residential properties will be capped at $5,000; commercial properties, including schools and churches, at $10,000; and industrial properties at $15,000 per parcel.
SADs designate dilapidated roads for repairs and tax residents on the street to fund the projects. Homeowners in a SAD are currently required to pay up to $5,000 to fund the road construction unless they collect enough signatures from other residents in the SAD to opt out. If homeowners are unable to pay this amount, the city imposes a $5,000 lien on their home for a 10-year-period with a 6% simple interest loan.
The resolution would also lower interest rates. They will shift from 6% to a rate based on a 10-year treasury loan with an additional 1% interest over the course of 10 or 15 years, depending on the type of property.
“That might save a little bit for the residents, a half of a percent or a percent, every benefit is a benefit,” Mackie said at the meeting.
Acting Mayor Joshua Paladino said he hopes to reduce the total cost for homeowners.
“I would really like to see some of these residential properties — here their home is only worth $80,000 — to get that down to $3,000 or even $2,000 per parcel and hopefully we’ll get into a situation where we can eventually phase these out,” Paladino said.
Public hearing set for Monroe and Barry street special assessments
The council set its public hearing on whether to proceed with SADs for Monroe and Barry streets for March 3.
According to Paladino, property owners in opposition to the SAD must either send a letter to the council before the public hearing or attend the public hearing if they want to oppose it.
Paladino said the petition signed by Barry Street residents is invalid because of stipulations in the charter.
“The charter says the owners ‘shall object in writing,’ and city staff is interpreting that to mean that homeowners must send individual letters objecting to the assessment,” Paladino told The Collegian. “A petition, in their view, doesn’t meet the charter’s objection for a valid objection.”
Police Department gets first new guns in more than 30 years
The city council unanimously approved the purchase of firearms for the City of Hillsdale Police Department for the first time in about 35 years, according to Hillsdale Police Chief Scott Hephner.
“I’m not aware of any other organization in the City of Hillsdale that doesn’t furnish necessary equipment to their employees,” Hephner said.
The funds for the firearms will not come out of the city‘s general fund but, according to Hephner, will take a burden off of his officers who currently have to supply their own handguns.
“It has become a little bit of a hardship for our newer, younger employees based on inflation and what they are getting for wages,” Hephner said.
An earlier version misnamed the Hillsdale City Police Department and Hillsdale Police Chief Scott Hephner.
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