Hillsdale board approves chip-seal work on Texas Hill Road after heated public comments

The Hillsdale Town Board voted to approve an amendment to its February highway agreement that adds chip-seal work on several roads, including Texas Hill Road. The vote followed more than an hour of public comment and questions from board members about notice and budget documentation.

Residents and at least one board member urged pausing work on Texas Hill Road until the town’s gift committee and board could review proposals and evidence of projected savings. Amy Davidson, who identified herself during public comment, said the town "does not need to be paving all of our remainder roads" and criticized the timing and transparency of work that began before the gift committee met. The highway superintendent, who said he is the elected highway superintendent, told the board, "I've never proposed to pave. I'm gonna chip seal it," adding that a recent $23,000 increase in state chip-seal funds made it possible to complete the remainder of the road this year.

Board members pressed for documentation showing cost comparisons between maintaining dirt roads and the costs the town attributes to paved or chip-sealed roads. One member said she had repeatedly requested CHIP reimbursement documentation and budget detail and argued the board should have time to review amended agreements before approving expenditures. The discussion included technical clarifications from the highway department about the use of fabric and aggregate under a chip-seal approach and whether certain May expenditures would be recoded among budget lines.

The board proceeded with the amendment after debate; members voting in favor cited public safety and consistent town maintenance responsibility for roads in regular public use. The town clerk and highway superintendent said the work in question was included in an earlier February submission and that fabric, drainage and aggregate work would have occurred regardless of later decisions about chip sealing.