Georgetown council approves final budget, vacates alley, adopts fee for edited video requests and OKs semiquincentennial sponsorship

The Village of Georgetown, Ohio, council unanimously approved a package of measures at its meeting, adopting the final municipal budget, vacating a portion of Third Alley, approving a new public-records policy that permits charging for time spent editing video, creating a capital improvements fund for grant proceeds, and agreeing to a $5,000 sponsorship request for the county’s 2026 semiquincentennial.

Sue McKinley, representing America 250 Brown County, told council members the county’s semiquincentennial celebration will be a one-day July 4 event at the county fairgrounds (with a possible parade through town) featuring music, performers and free admission. “My name is Sue McKinley and I am here representing America 250 Brown County,” she said, and asked Georgetown to provide a $5,000 sponsorship and participate in planning meetings. Council member Ma moved the sponsorship motion, Council member Ring seconded, and a roll-call vote recorded all present members voting yes.

Why it matters: the budget vote and the capital-fund ordinance formalize how Georgetown will account for grant and project dollars this year; the public-records resolution changes how the village will handle large requests for police and other video, and the alley vacation transfers a strip of public right-of-way to adjacent property owners after survey and replatting.

Ordinance 1388 — vacating part of Third Alley Staff read the ordinance and explained the process: the vacated alley land will be split between adjacent owners and recorded on a vacation plat, after which individual parcels will be replatted to include the added land. Several residents questioned survey pins and whether new lines would place a garage or driveway over a property corner. Staff and the surveyor said they located pins and matched an earlier Jim Mitchell survey, explained the replating process and told residents how to follow up. Council member Ma moved the ordinance; the motion was seconded and the roll call was unanimous. The mayor announced that Ordinance No. 1388 passed.

Resolution 1403 — public-records policy and fees for edited video Joe (staff) explained the Ohio law change that allows local governments to charge for staff time spent editing and redacting video footage to comply with records requests. “The law right now requires us, for instance, anytime our police are inside someone’s residence we have to blur out the inside of their home,” Joe said, describing the redaction work (faces, interiors, medical information) that can make some requests time-consuming. He said the Village may charge $75 per hour for the time required to prepare edited footage and intended the April 10 effective date to let staff adopt detailed procedures. Council member Baky moved the resolution, Council member Hanselman seconded, and the measure passed on a unanimous roll call. Council members asked where any collected fees would be budgeted; staff said the funds would likely go to police or mayor’s court accounts and that they would determine the proper line item.

Budget, capital fund and other business Staff described adjustments to the temporary budget, including closing purchase orders from last year and re-allocating funds for a building purchase and a paving project. The council voted to adopt the final budget and appropriations (Ordinance No. 1389). An emergency ordinance to create a Capital Improvement Fund to segregate grant and project dollars (Ordinance No. 1390) was also approved unanimously.

Roundtable and planning referral During roundtable, staff and council discussed streetcape work and potential USDA financing for water-main replacements, structural concerns and quotes for tennis-court repairs, electric-rate options including a possible capacity fee, and a traffic-study request for the Hammer Road/Route 68 intersection. Council moved to refer a requested zoning change for an industrial park to the Planning Commission for review and public hearing; the referral passed unanimously.

What’s next Council set its next meeting for March 27 at 6:00 p.m. in Village Chambers. Staff said they will follow up with residents affected by the alley vacation about replats and survey details and will draft procedures for implementing the new records-fee policy before the April 10 effective date.

Ordinances and resolutions referenced in this report are identified by the numbers recorded at the meeting: Ordinance No. 1388 (alley vacation), Ordinance No. 1389 (budget/appropriations), Ordinance No. 1390 (capital improvement fund), and Resolution No. 1403 (public-records policy).