You may have noticed your trash collection fee went up the beginning of May. This was an increase by Rumpke. The new fees are $11.96 per household and $10.93 for Golden Buckeye Card holders. The last increase was 6 years ago. Our rates are lower than out of town and our rates are cheaper than other villages in the county. Georgetown’s trash pickup rates are much cheaper than they would be because the village collects payments. If each of us were to be billed separately by Rumpke, we would all pay a lot more. The town also pays for weekly recycling pickup at a cost of about $8000 per year. Georgetown is the only village that has weekly collection of recycled materials.
Be sure if you have a Golden Buckeye card to share the card number with the Georgetown Utilities Department. You will have no late fee for paying your utility bill late and you receive a discount on your trash pickup. If you don’t have one, you can apply for one at the public library or the Senior Citizen Center. You cannot do it over the phone or online since identification is required. Anyone 60 years of age or older and anyone aged 18-59 with disabilities is eligible.
An ad hoc committee has been created to explore the value of becoming a charter village in Georgetown. Members of the committee are Nancy Montgomery, Andy Clift, and Wade Highlander. Any municipality in Ohio may be governed by a charter. Right now Georgetown is a statutory government. This means we are ruled by the state legislature. The advantages of being a charter village are numerous. A charter allows the village to write its own rules and regulations that better suit our local needs.
Currently we are close to 4400 in population. When we reach 5,000 we will automatically become a city. Under state legislation, when that happens we will have to have a fulltime mayor, solicitor, and engineer. Georgetown cannot afford to do this on the income we have now. If we have a charter we can continue to operate with these as part-time positions. We can keep our number of council members or change it. With a charter WE make these decisions not the state.
If becoming a charter village is deemed to be a positive move for Georgetown, the process will take about 2 years. First there will be public meetings to educate the public on exactly what a charter would mean and to get citizen input. Then there is an election to determine if the citizens want a charter and, if so, to elect 15 members of the committee that will write the charter. Every citizen will receive a copy of the charter before it is voted on and there will be more public meetings. The last step is an election in which the citizens will vote for or against the charter.
There are a lot of exciting things happening in Georgetown. Get involved! Come to council meetings to voice your opinions! If you can’t come, listen to the livestream. Hopefully, the sound issue will be solved soon. There are emails available on the village webpage. Follow the village on Facebook at Village Of Georgetown Brown County Ohio. To be up-to-date with important notices be sure to call the administrator, Art Owens, at 937-378-6395 X 1003 or email him at administrator@georgetownohio.gov, and give him your phone number to be enrolled in One Call Now.