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Hillsboro’s city leaders were advised a decade ago that the municipal water treatment plant would need extensive repair or replacement — the sooner the better. The decision to do something about it has yet to be made.

We know the price tag won’t be cheap. We also know there is generous federal grant money available if the city joins a regional water system — as much as 70 percent of construction costs. 

We don’t like the idea of increased utility bills or property taxes. We do like the notion that water comes out of the tap when we’re standing at the faucet and the city sewer system takes it away when we want. A city’s infrastructure requires regular investment and constant care.

If you look at the city’s history, Hillsboro has built itself with spurts of activity and sputters of neglect. In recent  years we’ve invested in improvements to the city’s water distribution system and the streets. This summer more street work is planned. The water plant is a project on the horizon — two to three years away, engineers suggest.

We know the timing may seem like too much all at once.  We agree the phases could have been stretched out over more years. We also know that there were many years — too many years — where little or nothing was done to upgrade or even maintain the city’s infrastructure. Chalk up the higher tax bill to a case of subtle neglect. The time has come to pay the piper. We can’t change the past but we can be wiser about our future investments.

We urge city leaders to carefully consider improvement projects, not just for the upfront costs but for the long-term performance. We urge the powers that be to explore all options for financing improvements. Make sound choices to serve us now and well into the future. Don’t delay too long — we’ve already paid a price for that.

In the end we trust that with well-thought out choices, Hillsboro’s foundation will be even stronger and the community an even better place to live.