The Hillsborough Board of Commissioners met Monday, June 8, at the Town Hall Annex. Following is a brief summary of noteworthy actions. It does not include all actions taken at the meeting and should not be viewed as official minutes.

The meeting is available to view on the town’s YouTube channel. See the agenda packet for more information.

Budget

The board approved the town’s budget ordinance for Fiscal Year 2027, which starts July 1. Before approval, the budget was amended to remove the proposed 2-cent tax increase. The budget includes operational expenses of:

• $19.5 million in the General Fund.
• $15.8 million in the Water and Sewer Fund.
• $1.2 million in the Stormwater Fund.

It also includes:

• Keeping the property tax rate at 51.3 cents per $100 of valuation.
• Increasing the stormwater fee’s residential tier by $15 and non-residential tiers proportionally.
• Increasing the water and sewer rates by 7.5%.

Tourism Budgets

The board also approved the following operating budgets:

• $587,481 for the Tourism Board.
• $141,050 for the Tourism Development Authority.

Local Arts

The Board of Commissioners allocated $15,000 to the Hillsborough Arts Council, $2,800 less than requested. Commissioners requested the town’s tourism boards fully fund the requests from local arts groups. From the town and its tourism boards, local arts received:

• Hillsborough Arts Council — $117,800, meeting the total request.
• Orange County Arts Commission — $20,000, meeting the total request.

Proclamations

Juneteenth — The mayor recognized the town’s continuous proclamation for Juneteenth, which is celebrated on June 19 to recognize the emancipation of those enslaved in the United States. The proclamation was issued in 2023 to honor the perseverance and hope of African Americans and to recognize Juneteenth as an important date in history.

National Pollinator Week — The board approved a proclamation declaring June 22-26 as National Pollinator Week, recognizing that pollinators provide significant environmental benefits necessary for maintaining healthy, diverse urban and suburban ecosystems. The town has several pollinator gardens across town, primarily parks.

Presentation

The board received a presentation from Safe Kids Orange Coalition, a local group that provides safety education and outreach on common hazards, including motor-vehicle collisions, falls, gunshots and medications.

Other

The board approved:

• A resolution to the Orange County Board of Commissioners requesting the appointment of Eddie Sain to the Board of Adjustment to represent the town’s extraterritorial jurisdiction for a term expiring June 30, 2029. The town may enforce its zoning and subdivision regulations in this area outside town.
• A water and sewer extension contract for the second phase of Collins Ridge.
• An encroachment agreement with the owners of 183 Faribault Lane for the installation of a sewer line.
• The creation of two crew leader positions in the town's water distribution and wastewater collection divisions. The number of full-time employees will remain the same.