Staff writer
Hillsboro City Council members approved two documents that were part of a plan to annex property owned by Kevin Winter along U.S. 56 and Adams Street on Tuesday at their regular meeting.
The first document detailed an agreement between the city and the Jean Winter Living Trust in which the city would pay $2,500 to offset property taxes on the land in question for 20 years.
The second document approved detailed Winter’s acceptance of the petition and his consent for annexation by the city.
“The property actually runs in two tracts,” City Administrator Larry Paine said. “The first tract is along the highway, the second tract drops down in front of a farm home all the way to the driveway line.”
The city has pursued the annexation of the property in question with plans to apply for a grant from the Kansas Department of Transportation to create a turnoff lane for possible hospital access in the future.
Paine said the actual ordinance requesting approval would come before the council at the next meeting but Tuesday’s approvals would allow the city to begin pursuing the KDOT grant for highway construction.
Even though the property adjoins city property on the southwest boundary lines, Paine said all annexations come in as agriculture land.
“If we want to do something different there, we will have to rezone it,” he said.
Council members approved an insurance contract renewal for city liability presented by Debbie Brevik of IMA (Insurance Management Administrators) despite a 10 percent increase in premiums from the previous year.
“The 10 percent increase is common for all cities because of loss experienced in the industry last year, and because all carriers are looking for a way to increase deductibles,” Brevik said. “We have kept the deductible the same here, but are consistent across the board on the line items with small increases.”
Brevik noted that law enforcement liability rose because some older vehicles were changed out with newer ones that required and increase in insurance coverage.
Council members also approved a liquor license renewal application for the American Legion for 2013 to 2015. The state changed licenses to two-year cycles and this approval coincides with the new cycle.
Paine said that police chief Dan Kinning has run all appropriate background checks for the request and recommended approval.