Dearborn County schedules Dec. 16 public hearing on petition to vacate Old County Road at Dog Ridge Road

The Dearborn County Board of Commissioners on Nov. 18 scheduled a public hearing for Dec. 16 at 6:00 p.m. to consider a petition to vacate an Old County Road right-of-way at Dog Ridge Road. County staff told the board the petition was filed by Gregory and Martha Hyland through Grant Reeves.

County staff said the petition to vacate triggers statutory vacation proceedings, which require individualized notice to adjoining property owners and a published notice. The petitioners are responsible for publishing the notice, staff said, and anyone who cannot attend the hearing may file a written objection (a remonstrance) with Sue Hayden, Dearborn County administrator, at the government center address: 165 Mary Street, Lawrenceburg, Indiana 47025.

Commissioners and participants debated whether to take public comment at the Nov. 18 meeting or to defer remarks to the required hearing. Several board members and staff urged interested residents to reserve substantive comments for the Dec. 16 hearing, saying the county cannot rule on the vacation until after the formal hearing occurs. The board moved to schedule the hearing and later voted to table all matters related to the Dog Ridge property—including access requests—until Dec. 16.

The actions taken by the board at the Nov. 18 meeting were procedural: a motion to hold the public hearing at the Dec. 16 meeting passed on a voice vote, and a subsequent motion to table related business until that date also passed. Staff pledged to work with the petitioners and with Grant Reeves to ensure notices are published correctly and affected property owners are notified.

Next steps: the public hearing on the petition to vacate will be held Dec. 16 at 6:00 p.m. in the same meeting room; written objections should be filed in advance with the county administrator if residents cannot attend.