HILLCREST — The Hillcrest Village Board on Tuesday approved a 1 percent grocery tax and passed the budget for fiscal year 2025-2026, which includes $75,000 for a new salt shed, $50,000 for a replacement truck, and funds for new holiday decorations. The tax will not raise grocery prices, it just replaces an existing tax consumers are paying now after it is dropped by the state at the end of the year. Village President Richard Rhodes appointed James Wiley, a longtime resident and Marine Corps veteran, to fill a trustee vacancy and oversee streets and grounds.
He said that he’d like to recognize residents who help Hillcrest look nicer.
“I want to do the yard of the week or yard of the month thing because there’s a lot of folks out here that take very good care of their lawns. I mean, very good care, you know, and they need a little appreciation, I think, you know, so that’s what I’m kind of looking at,” he said.
The board also delayed action on a special use permit and variance for a proposed solar farm on Twombly Road until zoning ordinance changes are addressed through a public hearing.
