The Hillsborough Board of Commissioners met Monday, Feb. 9, 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.

Presentation

Will Atherton, chair of the Orange County Schools Board of Education, read portions of a student’s report on a summer internship with the town’s public space and sustainability division and thanked the town board for its partnership with the schools.

Black History Month

The board approved a proclamation designating February as Black History Month, an annual celebration of achievements by African Americans. This year, Black History Month highlights a century of Black history commemoration. The town proclamation encourages residents to celebrate the collective ingenuity, creativity, culture, traditions and achievements of African Americans and to participate in community events honoring their lasting contributions.

Recreation Regulations

The board adopted changes to the town’s ordinances recommended by the Parks and Recreation Board. These changes include:

• Setting a speed limit of 10 miles per hour for nonmotorized vehicles on the Riverwalk greenway.
• Prohibiting pets in town-owned playground areas.
• Prohibiting special events on greenway trails between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Saturdays.

Special Event Permit

The board approved a special event permit for an archery competition on the field at Cates Creek Park on April 21. The Orange County Senior Games event will be 2 to 4 p.m.

Adron F. Thompson Renovation

The board conditionally awarded an addition and renovation project of the Adron F. Thompson Water/Sewer Facility to Central Builders of Mebane. The award is conditional on approval of debt issuance by the state’s local government commission. The board also increased the project budget to $8.5 million. The project will be financed by utility revenue bonds.

Budget Work Session

The board started its budgetary planning for the next fiscal year as part of the regular meeting, receiving a financial overview from Town Manager Eric Peterson. He reminded the board about the impact of Tropical Storm Chantal last summer, the loss of federal grants for water and sewer resiliency projects, the already expected deficit in the General Fund when entering Fiscal Year 2027 in July and the need to increase available cash for emergencies in the Water and Sewer Fund.

The board reviewed the town’s capital improvement plan requests and operating budget requests across the organization. Human Resources Director Haley Thore presented information on an expected 7.5% increase in health insurance premiums and on options for making dependent care and weight-loss drugs more affordable for employees.

Administrative Services Director Jen Della Valle presented proposed changes to the town’s nonprofit funding process, including a name change and scoring guide template for the program, specification for 501 nonprofit designations that would be eligible for funding, and requirements for financial information from organizations seeking funding and for end-of-year reporting from those that receive funding. There was discussion that the mission of an organization receiving funding must be predominantly nonpolitical.

Information Technology Manager Chris Johnston presented an update on technology in the organization and an overview of upcoming projects, including noting the creation of a physical security working group.