Civil Municipal - May 2024

on future development projects, from affordable housing to industrial endeavors and water and sewer upgrades. Beyond that, there’s a state highway project coming through Hillsboro, with construction expected to be wrapped up by 2027. This will boost traffic flow through Hillsboro, which already has several main highways that converge in the area, a rarity for a rural community. A new highway will also improve accessibility to Gundersen St. Joseph’s Hospital. Hillsboro is one of the smallest communities in the state to have a fully functional hospital with operation rooms, ICUs, and other amenities. St. Joseph’s employs over 240 people, which is part of why the city has early plans to establish a childcare center in Hillsboro.. Still, as it stands right now, there simply isn’t enough housing in Hillsboro, says Mayor Kubarski. New affordable housing is the next priority, but he’d like to see more properties up for grabs, and he uses a hilarious analogy to describe that dearth of availability. “If you’re going to sell your house [in Hillsboro], you don’t need to call a realtor; you don’t even need to buy a for-sale sign,” jokes Kubarski. “I think if you went to a local restaurant or bar and said you’re going to sell your house, by the time you can finish your beer, your house will be sold.” The leadership group at Hillsboro wants that to change. One avenue to a solution comes via the creation of a Tax Incremental District (TID). Finch found success with this process in the past, and he plans to utilize it again to incentivize developers 105 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 05, ISSUE 05 HI LLSBORO, WI