Hillsboro Free Press

The Hillsboro City Council met on Wednesday, Feb. 19 where they voted on the new name of the bowling alley from the submissions of the bowling alley naming contest. The Hillsboro Rec staff narrowed the entries to two choices: The Spare Time Lanes and The Gutter Ball. Those who submitted the names for Spare Time Lanes were Becky Gage, Dominic Cardinell and Jeff Haslett. Those who submitted the names for The Gutter Ball were Kerry Hein and Trent Jones. They will be given bowling memberships for making it through to the finals. The council voted and chose to go with Gutter [...]

The Hillsboro City Council, along with several other city leaders, spent close to three hours in a strategic planning meeting on Tuesday, Nov 12. The meeting began with City Administrator Matt Stiles explaining that the strategic plan started in January 2020 and has been updated quarterly. Stiles led the group through a review of the vision, values, goals and status of the past five years of the current strategic plan with a promise to work on a three-year plan in the rest of the meeting and another two or three meetings. He said the hope is to have marching orders to [...]

At the City Council meeting on Oct. 21, the city council passed Ordinance #312 requiring houses to display numbers identifying the address. The city will begin enforcement after Jan. 1, 2025. Failure to comply with the ordinance could result in a $25 fine per day out of compliance with each day constituting a new violation. The city has a limited number of house numbers to give out that will be given on a first-come first-serve basis. Source: Hillsboro Free Press

The Hillsboro City Council met on Tuesday, Nov. 5 where they heard from Hillsboro Fire Chief and Building Inspector Ben Steketee. Steketee presented the annual department head report with a PowerPoint report on the building department and fire department activities. He highlighted the contributions of Caren Funk who assists with contractor licensing, permit process and fire department secretary duties. Steketee also gave statistics including 59 building permits issued, 94 contractors licensed and $1730,764.38 in project value. Steketee also updated the council on training activities, including wildland fire training and rescue tool comparison events. He reported that training events include physical exertion [...]

The Goessel city council met on Oct. 21 and approved Ordinance #311, concerning the number of hens that are allowed. Specifically, the ordinance states: “The maximum number of female chickens allowable under this provision shall not exceed ten (10).” Roosters are not allowed. Speaking of animals, the council also discussed the matter of 15 dog owners who do not have tags and collars for their dogs. Source: Hillsboro Free Press

The Hillsboro City Council met on Tuesday, Aug. 20 where they approved an agreement for the city to take over the bowling alley. “As we have discussed since spring, Hillsboro Development Corporation wants the city to take over ownership of the bowling alley to ensure that the operations continue. In the agreement the city would receive the bowling alley, all the equipment and existing bank accounts for the sum of $1. There are no outstanding liabilities against the property or operation. The value of the accounts is likely to be more than $20,000 which will be used to support operations at [...]

The Marion County Board of Commissioners heard concerns about wind energy expansion from Goessel residents led by Brian Stucky. He explained that in October 2023, a story appeared in the Marion County Record to say that the Orsted Energy company was now looking to expand to the west part of the County, in the townships of West Branch, East Branch, Menno and Liberty. “Now we face the real possibility that 500-foot tall wind turbines will be near Goessel. There are positives and negatives. There are some who see wind turbines as a good thing, but there are some who absolutely do [...]

Goessel city council met on July 14 and reviewed the survey the city had conducted about wind turbines. While many of the respondents do favor other forms of alternative energy, the overwhelming majority do not favor wind turbines. The survey asked about a buffer around the city, and most of the respondents would like a 10-mile buffer. Mayor Evan Esau said he has sent a letter to the other cities in the county to ask their opinion about wind turbines and a buffer. Council member Amanda Voth said the next county planning and zoning meeting is scheduled for Aug. 22. Community [...]

While many in Marion County are unaware of the existence of the Marion County Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition (SAPC), the group has been hard at work. SAPC serves to support the prevention of underage drinking and substance misuse in Marion County. SAPC’s mission was first birthed in 2010 under the Families And Communities Together (FACT) organization and has since developed into a task force comprised of countywide members from 12 sectors, all working together to produce positive change in the Marion County community. SAPC diligently works within the five school districts of rural Marion County, partnering with the various law enforcement agencies, Prairie [...]

The Goessel city council met on May 20 and heard a request from resident Brian Stucky about setting a no-wind generator zone around the City of Goessel. He suggested a three-mile buffer zone. He mentioned the Sunflower wind project and the Diamond Vista wind farm company in the northern part of the county. The plan is to install 600-foot-tall wind turbines near Goessel. The townships of West Branch, East Branch, Menno and Liberty could be impacted. The project is proposed by Orsted, a foreign company from Denmark. Stucky said there are “pros and cons” to wind turbines. He grew up near [...]