Seniors, city squabble over fees

The Hill City seniors came out in full force, waiting until the end of the Hill City Common Council   meeting Oct. 14 to request a waiver of Hill City Center fees and the purchase of three standing mats. 

The action items appeared last on the agenda and both were approved by aldermen after discussion on both sides. 

Hill City mayor Tana Nichols began the conversation by saying she had attended the seniors’ last meeting. 

“Hopefully, we’ll get the kinks worked out,” Nichols began.

The seniors were asking to waive fees for two special events, its Veterans Day program and its Christmas bake sale. Alderman easily approved the one day Veterans Day waiver but discussed the Christmas bake sale at length, trying to understand how many days the Hill City Center would be used. Senior board president Dale Householder gave aldermen a handout of how the seniors benefit the community. The handout included donations to the Hill City Ambulance and the track fund, support for the Lions club and post prom, sponsoring a Veterans Day lunch and providing a memorial board for deceased members. The handout also listed senior events including an annual garage sale, a monthly breakfast, a monthly foot clinic, fitness classes and a “reliable bus service.” 

Nichols said the city needs coordination to use the Hill City Center as a community center also.

Alderman Justin Thiry said there is communication issue between the city hall scheduler and the Hill City Center scheduler. Those duties used to fall on one person and now fall to two.

Thiry said, “Our goal is to book events we can charge for,” and transparency is needed to do so. 

It was noted the Hill City Center currently brings in about $6,000-$7,000 per year and costs about $100,000 per year to run.

Alderman Dennis Siebert said, “We just gotta make sure we know what’s on the calendar,” suggesting seniors get on the calendar  ahead of time. 

Susan Householder said the seniors have “changed our schedule to accommodate you so you could rent several times.” 

One senior stressed that the seniors want the Hill City Center to be rented as well, although another senior asked why the seniors ever have to be charged a fee. 

Alderman Ethan Walker said if the seniors are going to make money, the “city should get part of that.”

Seniors rallied, saying the money they make is used to pay their expenses. 

Citizen Bill Miner said the 2026 budget for the Hill City Center is $107,500, and expenses keep rising. The funds to cover those expenses come from both the General Fund bed, booze and board fund. Miner suggested the money could be used elsewhere, saying, “every dollar you use to subsidize the center is $1 less that we have for public works and some of the critical infrastructure things that they need to get accomplished for the city.” 

Thiry said the Hill City Center will never cover its operating expenses on its own, but the “more that we can help offset the better it is for the whole community.” 

Both seniors and city officials agreed the center was being underutilized and  having it rented more benefits everyone in the community. 

Council president Lori Miner said the city should abide by the contract. 

“Right now if you want a bake sale with a Monday or Tuesday bake day and a December 12th and 13th schedule, then you need to pay for it to reserve it. You’re making money with this and so are we,” said Miner.

Miner was the lone vote in opposition to waiving the fee, which amounted to about $200.

Discussion about how to solve future issues ensued. The seniors put out a monthly calendar to its membership and their events are sometimes bumped by customers renting and paying to use the  Hill City Center. The Seniors wanted an extension of notice from 28 days to 35 or 45 days but repeatedly noted their flexibility. 

In the end, aldermen voted to make the 25th of each month the date that activities or events needed to be placed on the calendar to ensure scheduling for the seniors. This will eventually become an amendment to the city/seniors contract.

Nichols then told the seniors the city would pay for the three standing floor mats in the kitchen. It was a cost the city was going to split with the seniors. Aldermen approved the $100 expenditure.