Commissioner-elect visits Hillsboro
Staff writer
New county commissioner Mike Beneke was in attendance throughout the 2½-hour meeting when Hillsboro City Council met Tuesday night.
He thanked council members for their continued work and, in typically blunt fashion, noted his excitement for his new role.
“Only thing I didn’t think about is that I’ll be 70 when I get off this gig,” he said.
Mayor Lou Thurston replied: “I can relate to that.”
Later in the meeting, Greg Vahrenberg, a financial adviser at Raymond James, gave a 20-minute presentation on financing of Hillsboro’s proposed fire station.
Community input will be sought at a town hall scheduled for 7 p.m. Dec. 9, at city hall.
Morgan Marler and Kaleb Spencer also gave a presentation on the city’s water and sewer department.
The department plans to rehabilitate three manholes around the city as part of a larger maintenance project.
To that end, the council accepted a $75,400 bid from Johnson Services to go toward sewer inspection and repair.
The council also accepted Resolution 2024-09, which establishes a “Reinvestment Housing Incentive District” on the corner of Orchard Drive and Hickory St.
If other entities, such as the school board, approve the project, duplexes will be built in the coming year on the block.
The project is being proposed by the Wichita-based company Mennonite Housing.