President explains the role of city council

To the editor:

As president of Hillsboro City Council, I am often asked about the role that City Council plays in our local government and my role

therein as president of Council. City Council is the legislative branch of our local government, just as Congress is the legislative

branch of our federal government, with the difference being Council is a unicameral body (one chamber) and Congress is a bicameral body (two

chambers being the House of Representatives and the Senate). 

As president of Hillsboro City Council, I am the chief administrative head of the legislative branch of our local government, just as the

Speaker of the House of Representatives is in the House and the President of the Senate is in the Senate. The job of City Council is

to pass laws to protect the public interest and to appropriate the funds that the City of Hillsboro is entrusted with by the taxpayers.

The main sources of those funds are a personal earnings tax and property taxes.

I am often asked by citizens of Hillsboro and persons living outside of Hillsboro why City Council can't fill a pothole in the middle of

the street, order a lawn mowed or have a certain street plowed during the winter months after a snow storm. City Council can legislate that

people mow their lawns, appropriate monies for fixing streets and removing snow from them, but City Council does not order the

enforcement thereof. The City Administration, comprised primarily by the elected mayor and his appointed administrative head, the Safety

Service Director, are primarily responsible for spending the tax dollars that are appropriated to them by Council and enforcing the

laws that Council passes. An example is when someone does not mow their lawn, the administration or the Police Department at the request

of the administration, sends a letter to the property owner to mow their lawn and if the individual still does not comply, they can be

cited for an offense under the City Ordinance or the city can mow their lawn, send the property owner a bill and ultimately assess the property owner for the cost of mowing on the property owner's taxes.

However, Council legislates, Administration enforces. 

Another example is snow removal. Council appropriates funds for the purchase of street salt and wages for the Street Department, but administration determines what streets are plowed, how many man hours they can afford out of their budget for plowing, and how much salt to use. Council appropriates, Administration spends the appropriations.

I am also often asked how the city makes a determination how to spend the funds it has on hand and how to prioritize the spending. The end of each calendar year, City Council meets with the City Administration, who in turn has met with the various department heads,

such as the Street Department, Tax Commissioner, Sewer Department, etc., and the City Auditor to create a blueprint of how to allocate

the funds that the City forecasts it will have on hand for the year. This is called an annual appropriation. This is the real blueprint for

how the city will allocate the anticipated funds it has for the calendar year. Each department head states how much money they need to

run their department effectively and what tasks they wish to accomplish with the funds requested. It is then up to each department

to determine how to spend the funds that are allocated by virtue of the appropriations. 

The city also must create and pass a Tax Budget each year which is in turn given to the County Auditor. The Tax Budget

usually is determined in June or July each year and states the projected income of the City and anticipated expenses. However, the

Tax Budget does not bind spending, only the annual appropriations is truly binding on spending.

The power that City Council really has is the power to appropriate. If you approach City Council and request your street repaired, the tennis

court's fixed up at the local park, your leaves picked up, etc... what you are really asking of Council is to place more money in that line

item in the budget so that the problem you have is fixed. However, governing is choosing. Cities in today's economy are faced with the problem of diminishing resources and increased costs. Although it may be nice to have a cleaner, nicer City Park or new tennis courts, when

determining appropriations, Council has to prioritize spending on more critical needs such as police and fire protection or other needs that

may have priority at that time. 

When times are good, more money can be spent on non-essential projects. When times are bad, necessities are met first and non-essential projects are left for more prosperous times. Ultimately, no matter how Council appropriates, it is up to the Administration to spend the money they are given to meet the perceived needs of the City. 

City Council appropriates, City Administration chooses how and when to spend the money.

Sincerely,

Lee D. Koogler

President of Hillsboro City Council

To the editor:

As president of Hillsboro City Council, I am often asked about the role that City Council plays in our local government and my role therein as president of Council. City Council is the legislative branch of our local government, just as Congress is the legislative branch of our federal government, with the difference being Council is a unicameral body (one chamber) and Congress is a bicameral body (two chambers being the House of Representatives and the Senate). 

As president of Hillsboro City Council, I am the chief administrative head of the legislative branch of our local government, just as the Speaker of the House of Representatives is in the House and the President of the Senate is in the Senate. The job of City Council is to pass laws to protect the public interest and to appropriate the funds that the City of Hillsboro is entrusted with by the taxpayers.

The main sources of those funds are a personal earnings tax and property taxes.

I am often asked by citizens of Hillsboro and persons living outside of Hillsboro why City Council can't fill a pothole in the middle of the street, order a lawn mowed or have a certain street plowed during the winter months after a snow storm. City Council can legislate that people mow their lawns, appropriate monies for fixing streets and removing snow from them, but City Council does not order the

enforcement thereof. The City Administration, comprised primarily by the elected mayor and his appointed administrative head, the Safety Service Director, are primarily responsible for spending the tax dollars that are appropriated to them by Council and enforcing the laws that Council passes. An example is when someone does not mow their lawn, the administration or the Police Department at the request

of the administration, sends a letter to the property owner to mow their lawn and if the individual still does not comply, they can be cited for an offense under the City Ordinance or the city can mow their lawn, send the property owner a bill and ultimately assess the property owner for the cost of mowing on the property owner's taxes.

However, Council legislates, Administration enforces. 

Another example is snow removal. Council appropriates funds for the purchase of street salt and wages for the Street Department, but administration determines what streets are plowed, how many man hours they can afford out of their budget for plowing, and how much salt to use.
Council appropriates, Administration spends the appropriations.

I am also often asked how the city makes a determination how to spend the funds it has on hand and how to prioritize the spending. The end of each calendar year, City Council meets with the City Administration, who in turn has met with the various department heads, such as the Street Department, Tax Commissioner, Sewer Department, etc., and the City Auditor to create a blueprint of how to allocate

the funds that the City forecasts it will have on hand for the year. This is called an annual appropriation. This is the real blueprint for how the city will allocate the anticipated funds it has for the calendar year. Each department head states how much money they need to run their department effectively and what tasks they wish to accomplish with the funds requested. It is then up to each department to determine how to spend the funds that are allocated by virtue of the appropriations. 

The city also must create and pass a Tax Budget each year which is in turn given to the County Auditor. The Tax Budget

usually is determined in June or July each year and states the projected income of the City and anticipated expenses. However, the Tax Budget does not bind spending, only the annual appropriations is truly binding on spending.

The power that City Council really has is the power to appropriate. If you approach City Council and request your street repaired, the tennis court's fixed up at the local park, your leaves picked up, etc... what you are really asking of Council is to place more money in that line item in the budget so that the problem you have is fixed. However, governing is choosing. Cities in today's economy are faced with the problem of diminishing resources and increased costs. Although it may be nice to have a cleaner, nicer City Park or new tennis courts, when determining appropriations, Council has to prioritize spending on more critical needs such as police and fire protection or other needs that may have priority at that time. 

When times are good, more money can be spent on non-essential projects. When times are bad, necessities are met first and non-essential projects are left for more prosperous times. Ultimately, no matter how Council appropriates, it is up to the Administration to spend the money they are given to meet the perceived needs of the City. 

City Council appropriates, City Administration chooses how and when to spend the money.

Sincerely,

Lee D. Koogler

President of Hillsboro City Council