Georgetown wants more Riverboat Funds

By CHRIS MORRIS
Chris.Morris@newsandtribune.com

September 03, 2008 10:26 am

— In the last five years, Georgetown received $30,448 in riverboat revenue from Floyd County.
Town officials do not consider that a fair share of the gaming pie.
In an interlocal agreement signed last year, Harrison County agreed to give Floyd County a share of riverboat funds with the hopes that Floyd would give part of the money to Greenville and Georgetown.
Billy Stewart, president of the Georgetown Town Council, said Floyd County received more than $400,000 in riverboat funds from Harrison County in 2007 and his town got $10,290. He said through August, Georgetown had not received any riverboat funds for this year.
“We would like to get some gaming revenue,” Stewart told the commissioners Tuesday night. “We just want a reasonable amount. We just want our fair share.”
Geogetown’s population makes up about 4 percent of the county’s total. That would mean a $16,000 take of $400,000, proportionally.
Stewart said prior to 2004, Georgetown received more than $200,000 in revenue directly from Harrison County. However, in 2005, Harrison County decided to give Floyd County officials one lump sum to disperse as they see fit.
“I was on the council then, and Georgetown was saving the money and Harrison County didn’t want them to save it. They wanted to see it spent to help the residents, so they gave it to Floyd County to disperse,” Commissioner Chuck Freiberger said.
Commissioner Steve Bush said the county has helped Georgetown fund projects such as the Providence House and provide animal-control services in the past.
“I think we have only turned Georgetown down once in four years,” Bush said.
He told Stewart to present his request to the Floyd County Council.

In other business
• The county is considering moving Greenville Precinct 4 from Floyd Central High School to Highland Hills Middle School for the Nov. 4 election because of construction at the high school. The New Albany-Floyd County Consolidated School Corp. would have to approve the move.
• The commissioners revised the travel policy for employees. The new policy will allow for overnight stay if a meeting is 75 miles or more from the City-County Building. The old policy allowed an overnight stay if a meeting or event began at 8 a.m. or earlier the morning after the stay.
• Mike Dailey asked the commissioners if he could replace the guardrail in front of his North Skyline Drive property with decorative guardrail, which would match his neighbors’. The commissioners will consider the request at its next meeting after further review.
• The commissioners opened prospective bids for road salt from five companies, but none of the five submitted bids. The board will try again in a few weeks.