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Board of Commissioners Regular Meeting

Town of Hillsborough · Board of Commissioners
Monday, May 11, 2026 at 7:00 pm

Regular meeting Budget and appropriationsData centers and large loadsAppointments and personnelBroadband and technologyGrants and outside fundingHistoric preservationHousing and affordabilityIntergovernmental agreementsStormwater and floodingTax rate and revaluationWater and sewer

Agenda document Full packet Minutes Meeting page Watch Meeting recap

What's on this agenda

The Hillsborough Board of Commissioners considers Tourism Board appointments and a consent agenda that includes a resolution to submit the town's FY2026-27 HOME Annual Action Plan to Orange County and a state cybersecurity partnership. It also hears a Strategic Plan update and a Fiscal Year 2027-29 recommended budget presentation, and discusses data centers as a land-use and utility issue ahead of a May 27 hearing on a proposed 60-day moratorium on data-center development.

Summarized from the published agenda. Read the agenda itself before acting on it.

Meeting recap

What happened, drawn from the records published after the meeting. Minutes

The board pulled a proposed cybersecurity partnership with the state from its consent agenda for discussion at a later meeting. It then approved the amended agenda, the rest of the consent items and the Tourism Board appointments, all 4-0. The consent items included a resolution to submit the town's FY2026-27 HOME Annual Action Plan to Orange County. Megan Kimball was reappointed and Blake Tedder appointed as the Alliance for Historic Hillsborough's representatives on the Tourism Board.

Staff gave a third-quarter Strategic Plan update and previewed the Fiscal Year 2027-29 recommended budget, which holds the property tax rate steady and proposes a 7.5% rise in water and sewer rates. Both return for more discussion May 18. After a presentation on data centers' land-use and utility impacts, the board adopted a resolution of intent to consider development regulations, 4-0, and set a May 27 hearing on a proposed 60-day moratorium ordinance. Nobody spoke during the audience-comment period. Commissioner Evelyn Lloyd was absent.

How the votes went

All recorded votes were 4-0, with Commissioner Evelyn Lloyd absent: to approve the agenda as amended (pulling the SecureNC item); to approve the Tourism Board appointments; to approve the amended consent agenda; to adopt a resolution of intent to consider data-center development regulations; and to adjourn.

From the published minutes.

Who spoke

No members of the public spoke.

Read from the records the government published after the meeting. Members of the public are private residents and are not named or indexed.

Speaking at this meeting

Town of Hillsborough's own rules for public comment — check them before you rely on anything here.

Agenda items (6)

Appointment · 1Consent agenda · 1Resolution · 1Staff or committee report · 1Budget action · 1Discussion item · 1
  1. 4.A Tourism Board Appointments - Alliance for Historic Hillsborough Representative
    Appointment Appointments and personnelHistoric preservation
    The board reappointed Megan Kimball to a partial term expiring August 1, 2026 and appointed Blake Tedder to a full term starting August 2, 2026, both as the Alliance for Historic Hillsborough's representative on the Tourism Board.
  1. 5.J Resolution Authorizing the Submission of the Fiscal Year 2026-2027 HOME Annual Action Plan and Program Design for Orange County
    Resolution Budget and appropriationsGrants and outside fundingHousing and affordabilityIntergovernmental agreements
    A resolution authorizing submission of the town's FY2026-27 HOME Annual Action Plan, part of Orange County's regional administration of federal HOME housing funds.
  2. 6.A Strategic Plan Update
    Staff or committee report Budget and appropriations
    Administrative Services Director Jen Della Valle presented a third-quarter update on the town's strategic plan. The board backed using fiscal year 2027 as an extension year to finish outstanding items while staff prepares the next plan, covering fiscal years 2028-30.
  3. 6.B Fiscal Year 2027-29 Recommended Budget Presentation
    Budget action Budget and appropriationsStormwater and floodingTax rate and revaluationWater and sewer
    Town Manager Eric Peterson presented the Fiscal Year 2027-29 recommended budget. It holds the property tax rate steady for FY2027, recommends a 7.5% increase in both water and sewer rates, includes the final installment of a phased stormwater-fee increase, and proposes merit raises of 3-5% plus a $1,000 cost-of-living adjustment. The board planned further discussion at the May 18 budget hearing and workshop.
  4. 6.C Discussion of Data Centers and Land Use Matters
    Discussion item Data centers and large loads
    An early board discussion of data centers as a land use issue -- the discussion that preceded a proposed 60-day development moratorium on data centers taken up at the board's May 27 meeting.

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