[{"_1":2,"_110":-5,"_111":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6172592,"mediaKeyId","5387532-a207ad822e72f5d9c1a06e859898d4c2","parentId",5387532,"title","Resident raises child-safety concern about school buses stopping near Classic Hotel","audioSeconds",36,"startMs",764000,"endMs",800000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5387532-a207ad822e72f5d9c1a06e859898d4c2&start=764&end=800","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5387532-a207ad822e72f5d9c1a06e859898d4c2/thumbnail_764000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6172592/Georgetown/Sussex-County/Delaware/Resident-raises-child-safety-concern-about-school-buses-stopping-near-Classic-Hotel","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6172592-d19148015fc73ffc402191002a60c056/orig.mp4?Expires=1775415357&Signature=coz9Xd4U91gxk7TOGRhVZ6eFKuqNA5SZXzERsfdO8sfm-kThrZCcel6sRzqNhaXVRfo2qpTL69Kjqoi1hhY3rAkHnoVUNuKYoQd1aQkcqC-LXXPpB4TxJ-sD~Q4bfbV3U2J0CBdbEPe~ZIllycc9LBCk3fyNwcEnUYZK8KN5yjbc0fVaSQRUikChWIYSLvjCixtp0aRzAOpYUi4FirkgSH9pvSO224p7E9Cw~oLDX5afUHhr6mhHrg~v4Dkue-WuLKsp3EOsQdD7fKDrddGTgFqQjsecYO4-zcdWsqL2Q5-L7Y~Ry1ofCdSXVUUn~I7NjJQDelWOlbedh84b-yegqg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Town Council of Georgetown DE","date","2025-07-14T23:07:25Z","article","Judy Hill of 100 West North Street raised a safety concern about school buses that stop near the Classic Hotel and asked the council to consider child safety if changes to the property proceed.

\"The children is what I'm concerned about,\" Hill said during public comment, noting school buses stop at the location in the mornings.

The council chair acknowledged Hill's concern and said officials would speak with her after the meeting. The transcript records no formal motion or action addressing the Classic Hotel during the public-comment period.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","July 14, 2025, Town Council Meeting","oneSentenceSummary","A resident said school buses stop at the Classic Hotel and expressed concern for children’s safety during proposed changes to the property; the council did not take action during public comment.","taxTitle","Georgetown, Sussex County, Delaware","taxId",68855,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6172597,"Resident warns of police staffing shortfalls and blocked emergency access after neighborhood fire",125,830000,955000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5387532-a207ad822e72f5d9c1a06e859898d4c2&start=830&end=955","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5387532-a207ad822e72f5d9c1a06e859898d4c2/thumbnail_830000.jpg","/articles/6172597/Georgetown/Sussex-County/Delaware/Resident-warns-of-police-staffing-shortfalls-and-blocked-emergency-access-after-neighborhood-fire","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6172597-0e819dec9df52b8d16fb366b0ea96a0c/orig.mp4?Expires=1775415357&Signature=QvnlFFOpXPln7AbWJCZB~1O9pfnlNc3HhQMCt8iHfb669mO9jGk-IbzaNrIxTDH1PMfukvY8iZQyJcPHmH1wPHrMDu-hO~L5NOWzKTcUiPR4pgL9SkZV0QODlrcB4qpzCS6p6Z9Txe9cxdvmgTYPFwrIUAKQVbjGDy5L0UH9zYgmWh0epJLwJoKb-lQcmqnU35UM6EoEnx2~42nM40xULEgZTQTsLGIYrdGUWW5Nw5Vi2oYQFUiPIWPlwyug-P3MgHGD3-mPOjjy5gxH8GXIk4SM-56FYyksj5W3~StYrUkMLKCc2o~ozv2mEknycw8Bjc-F7xIQ-K1VV12AjFepbw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Mark Rogers, a Georgetown resident, told the Town Council the Georgetown Police Department is authorized for 25 officers but has fewer on patrol and urged the council to address staffing shortfalls.

\"The Georgetown Police Department is approved for 25 officers. Did anyone up there recognize how many officers they have right now and how many they have on the road? 17, but only 15 on the Road. They are 10 officers short,\" Rogers said during public comment.

Rogers also described a recent structure fire at Little Langford where responders could not get a fire truck to the property because of parked vehicles and potholes. He said firefighters had to stop about 300 feet away and that what normally takes less than 60 seconds to make entry would have taken roughly four minutes under the conditions he described.

Rogers said he contacted Councilman Evans about the access problem and asked for follow up; he requested an email with information on what the council or staff had reviewed. The transcript records Rogers asking for follow up but does not record any formal council response or motion on staffing or roadway access.

Rogers asked the council to consider steps to support police response times and to address roadway conditions that could impede emergency vehicles.","A resident told the council the Georgetown Police Department is understaffed compared with its authorized strength and described a recent structure fire where vehicles and road conditions prevented fire apparatus from reaching the scene.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6172602,"Resident questions potential conflict of interest in planning commission appointment",31,405000,436000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5387532-a207ad822e72f5d9c1a06e859898d4c2&start=405&end=436","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5387532-a207ad822e72f5d9c1a06e859898d4c2/thumbnail_405000.jpg","/articles/6172602/Georgetown/Sussex-County/Delaware/Resident-questions-potential-conflict-of-interest-in-planning-commission-appointment","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6172602-c5aeca8abbdbfd4032c6243d61d96ba9/orig.mp4?Expires=1775415357&Signature=LfBmAQzovd9KsxIgyFlpZoKwMbNqt9OZyAYPowKznEatXZnk460oQy4oGeeVNp88d0u4FbzVQT6Ig5ytYWOIJPhjLu39kbCx7Yix7eP6GyhYmguxMEwPlyMgpcqshLeMqoYEZNTPvB3wZtbcOVonF7H9tkzwcika-7UcAQazfhhMb4JaPv60xa6xatRymgekoF~5DmJXUqq3UrkhXZWKGc4H~8QTLD08OyqPYuB458Pm2sAden-hyKaMeR0ju-uKI2EhK8yK1b28-QDtQxvpbfr1VTwXCypj09MxaYrTV1GPhtjI5mjQiqiwxR35KWIlPuiVyefLrsGcRWamwMGLJw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","During public comment, Linda Dennis asked whether a council member should have recused from a recent planning commission appointment after she learned the appointee is a relative of a council member.

Linda Dennis identified the appointee as a relative of “Councilman Neil” and asked, “Should you have recused yourself from that vote?” Councilman Neil replied in the meeting, “Yes. He's my nephew.”

A council member or staff member identified in the transcript as Mrs. Ballard said recusal typically hinges on a financial interest: “typically, it would be a financial interest that would create a clear conflict,” she said. Another speaker urged disclosure before appointments are made so the council and public are aware of relationships when votes occur.

Dennis suggested adding a disclosure step to future appointment procedures so council members and the public are informed when nominees have familial ties to sitting officials. No formal ethics finding or vote was recorded during the public-comment period.","A public commenter asked whether a council member should have recused from voting on a planning commission appointment because the appointee is a relative; council members and staff discussed disclosure and typical conflict rules.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":103,"_47":104,"_49":105,"_51":106,"_53":107,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":108,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":109,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6172607,"Residents urge town action on street safety, homeless loitering and oversight of group homes",0,464000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5387532-a207ad822e72f5d9c1a06e859898d4c2&start=464&end=464","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5387532-a207ad822e72f5d9c1a06e859898d4c2/thumbnail_464000.jpg","/articles/6172607/Georgetown/Sussex-County/Delaware/Residents-urge-town-action-on-street-safety-homeless-loitering-and-oversight-of-group-homes","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6172607-cae4e000d0b8ca327f402ce13b75f635/orig.mp4?Expires=1775415357&Signature=HvSoM93FMG~elrIHP4CphdcUX9FZI0~-yKD~fg0slRjNcHkstnbM332O6cZapZq46eUelO2jmluUTUzWRfZGlXxJskcap3vspsBMsGW2NdfsD2QPM2N5WF5soPBK85nG9ly59CJuZOyf~77u5XPRriLXM~nrM95DkB11Cw2rNlbkPq03pzpWnkmu29J~ZtqADH0EgtkIT49oYqRL7s-D3t~WlMcoDlppJU8q7DAfUm1UTJY1-oBmMQwnWth1n13mKojjN84djaHrXV7MPWw-gkgu9VtzNd2h7HFxNzHjwXXVUgfBXXmLKibMTQmdtS2gMbrcxexkIbwgzJb46PBiAw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Several Georgetown residents used the public-comment period to press the Town Council for action on street safety, visible intoxication and loitering, and oversight of group-home providers they say are contributing to people living on or near sidewalks.

A resident who spoke during public comment described repeated late-night crossings and people loitering near a liquor store, saying, “She even brings out chairs for them to sit in when they're too drunk to stand up.” The commenter said they regularly pick up trash and refuse left on public property and identify Shepherd's Place as a recurring source of materials left on the street.

Linda Dennis, who said she chaired the town housing task force in 2012, told the council that the number of group residential facilities has grown since her task force report and urged officials to verify how many providers operate in town and what services they are actually delivering. “If they're receiving state funding, either from the division of mental health, the division of developmental disabilities, there are expectations of those programs to provide certain services. The question is, do they get those services?” Dennis said.

Dennis said some people are expelled from programs for noncompliance and then end up roaming the streets. She urged the council to confirm provider registrations and the services those facilities are required to provide, and to relay concerns to the state departments that fund them.

Other residents said the visible problems include public vomiting, people sleeping or lingering near storefronts, and repeated unsafe crossings at night near intersections and gas stations. Shelley Wise said she wants the town to “come back to what it was” and described being afraid to walk or bike in town because of recent incidents; she added that she feels empathy for people who appear intoxicated but wants town safety restored.

The comments combined public-safety, nuisance and social-service concerns: callers asked the council to verify the number and type of licensed group homes, confirm whether state-funded providers deliver the therapeutic services tied to that funding, and to increase enforcement around intoxicated patrons in and around retail locations.

The council did not take formal action during public comment. Residents requested that staff or council follow up to verify provider counts and funding sources.","Public commenters at a Georgetown Town Council meeting described nighttime crossings, intoxicated loitering near retail sites, and a perceived rise in group homes; they urged verification of providers and stronger oversight of services funded by state agencies.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Resident raises child-safety concern about school buses stopping near Classic Hotel

Resident warns of police staffing shortfalls and blocked emergency access after neighborhood fire

Resident questions potential conflict of interest in planning commission appointment

Residents urge town action on street safety, homeless loitering and oversight of group homes