The Greenwood Common Council received a staff presentation Monday on ordinance 25-26, the proposal to establish a designated outdoor refreshment area (DORA) in downtown Greenwood.

The ordinance, sponsored by Council member Hill and introduced by staff, would allow people to carry alcoholic beverages in approved containers within marked boundaries for specified events and times. Greg Wright described the proposal, saying it follows state law and examples used in other Indiana communities: "What this does is it will allow individuals to carry alcoholic beverages in approved containers within the designated boundaries. Businesses that sell alcohol can apply to the designated permittee, within that area."

How it would work: The DORA described in the presentation would cover a downtown area along Madison from Fry Road down to Smith Valley, and would include Market Plaza, Old City Park, Craig Park, 523 Madison and the Our Lady of Greenwood area. Businesses inside the boundaries could opt in; participating retailers would display a sticker indicating they allow DORA cups, non‑participating businesses would display a "no alcohol" sticker, and city facilities would display a red sticker and prohibit outside drinks. Drinks would be served in a city‑approved cup; individuals would be limited to carrying no more than two drinks at a time with size limits set in the proposal (16 ounces for beer/malt beverage, 12 ounces for wine/cider/hard seltzer, 10 ounces for mixed drinks).

Permitting and enforcement: Permanent businesses that elect to participate would submit a permit to the city for review by the Board of Works and for final approval by the Indiana Alcohol and Tobacco Commission. One‑time permits for festivals (examples cited included FreedomFest, Final Fridays, SlamFest and Our Lady of Greenwood Fair) would follow the same application route. Wright said hours of operation would be noon to midnight daily; public intoxication would remain a criminal offense and Greenwood Police Department would increase monitoring during events. Trash pickup and signage were addressed as mitigation steps, and the presentation said city‑owned facilities would be excluded from DORA privileges.

Questions from council: Council members asked how cups and signage would be procured and whether there would be application fees. Wright said the city had not finalized a cup vendor or an application fee and that the program design could change before a final ordinance is adopted.

Next steps: Ordinance 25-26 was introduced and discussed; staff presentation and questions occurred but no final council vote on the ordinance was recorded during the meeting.