Trustees review budget details, cybersecurity plan and equipment requests

The Hamilton Board of Trustees reviewed proposed budget details, revenue estimates and several departmental requests at a regular meeting where a motion to adopt item 251 133 was moved and seconded.

Administrator said revenue lines include property-tax collections, franchise fees and court-ordered fines from Hamilton Municipal Court. She said court-order receipts historically range from about $25,000 to $30,000 but current estimates are lower: "we estimate we're going to get 15 to 19,000," noting that, if certain reimbursements fall through, the board would lose about $8,900 in expected receipts. The administrator described a homestead reimbursement figure written in the transcript as "about463," which is unclear and not specified in the record.

The town consolidated short-term accounts into a hybrid account that produced roughly $25,000 in interest this year, up from previous annual income of about $10,000–$11,000. The administrator reported an existing cell-phone tower lease under contract and said the lessee had reached out to discuss next steps.

On expenses, trustees flagged open purchase orders for health-care items; the administrator said those should reduce over time. She also told the board that the town is required to implement a cybersecurity program and that the IT contractor Mark Smith will assist "in the writing of that program and the implementation," creating additional contracted-services costs.

The administrator included a rough $60,000 estimate to create a mixed-use overlay design in the budget as a contingency. Trustees also discussed a request from the road department that the new tractor/mower be paid from the general fund. Board members debated timing and whether to spread costs across years versus paying up front; staff noted that holding purchase orders open for delayed equipment can reduce available revenue for the current year.

The administrator reiterated that elected officials' salaries are set by statute and said two incoming trustees will receive a forthcoming cost-of-living increase that two incumbent trustees will not, producing a temporary pay disparity for about two years.

She added that the town found an "Ohio opioid settlement fund" among special revenues and said both the fire and police departments may be able to use those funds for eligible purposes. The administrator also described two tax-increment financing (TIF) districts—the Ross Town Center TIF and the Ross UDF TIF—and said one has a make-good agreement with the school system that captures most receipts; she said she would confirm which TIF that is.

During the meeting a motion to adopt item 251 133 was moved and seconded; the record shows trustees voting yes on the roll call. The board continued to discuss operational details and budget timing following that vote.

The board did not specify exact dollar totals for some items in the public record (for example, the homestead reimbursement figure appears in the transcript as the unclear string "about463"). The administration said it will provide additional clarifications as needed in follow-up materials.