The Gettysburg Borough Council’s 2024 priorities will be a sign ordinance, boroughwide rezoning, sidewalk ordinance, and a code enforcement ticketing ordinance. Elected officials unanimously chose the priorities during their first business meeting of 2024.
Borough Manager Charles Gable said the council setting priorities helps staff know what they should focus on. Previous councils, Gable said, continuously piled work on the staff based on individual council members’ whims.
“When everything is a priority, it turns out nothing is a priority,” Gable said.
He said he understood priorities can change as needs arise.
2024 priorities
Several of the 2024 priorities are major initiatives that began in 2023.
Last year’s council hired a consultant to assist with the boroughwide rezoning effort and held several public information sessions. Rezoning requires months of discussion, review, public hearings, and advertisements before final adoption.
The borough’s sidewalk ordinance has been discussed several times in recent years but never formally addressed. Gable said the borough council could explore a low or no-interest loan program for residents who must fix their sidewalks to comply with borough code.
The borough’s sign ordinance almost crossed the finish line in 2023 but was stopped by massive public outcry. Previous Council President Wes Heyser said in December that the council began working on the proposed changes in 2016 when the United States Supreme Court ruled in the case of Reed v. the Town of Gilbert, Arizona that temporary signs did not need a permit. Gettysburg Borough law currently states unpermitted temporary signs can only be placed on properties where work is being performed.
Council President Matt Moon said the code enforcement ticketing ordinance is needed so the borough’s code enforcement officer can properly do his job. Moon said the borough brought code enforcement in-house several years ago because a third-party contractor could not prioritize the work. Since the council hired someone to do the job, Moon said, the council should equip him with all the tools necessary to complete his assigned task.
Other initiatives
During public comment, Brafferton Inn owner and Colt Park resident Brian Hodges asked the council to add oversized bus parking and transient retail vendor license enforcement to its priorities.
Borough Councilmembers Patti Lawson and Chad Alan-Carr advocated for oversized bus parking to be added to the priorities. Last year, the borough council approved a 90-day pilot program that set aside some spaces for vehicles that do not fit into a normal-sized spot.
“We tried a pilot program that, quite frankly, was not what we thought it was going to be,” Carr said.
Last year’s council discontinued the pilot program with the hope that this year’s body would revisit it in the spring. Hodges asked the council why the Upper Crust on York Street, which he claimed as 200 buses booked for the 2024 tourist season, cannot have bus parking but the Majestic Theater can.
The council chose not to add oversized bus parking to its list of official priorities. However, they seemed to agree with Councilmember Chris Berger’s suggestion that they could work on it without it being on the official list, even though Gable advocated for a voted-upon list.
The council also concurred that Hodges’ suggestion to enforce the transient retail vendor license ordinance will be covered by the code enforcement ticketing ordinance priority.
Alex J. Hayes has spent almost two decades in the Adams County news business. He is passionate about sharing stories focused on the people in our communities and following local governments in an age when few journalists report on their meetings. Alex is also a freelance writer for several other publications in South Central Pennsylvania. Alex encourages readers to contact him at ahayes83@gmail.com.
While I disagree with almost everything Tom McKenny said below, I do agree about the food vendors. The first thing that is necessary is to create a “zone” for these food trucks. In front of the Court House or Library would be great, but in front of a restaurant or business who pays property and school taxes in the borough and is potentially harmed by these folks who come and go, is absolutely unacceptable. I already get enough complaints about there not being enough parking. Any food truck takes up at least 2 spaces, contributes nothing to the tax base… Read more »
I would not be so ambitious. Especially about the sign ordinance. Most likely will result in law suits, and Gettysburg borough always loses. Brick and mortar restaurants pay a lot of property tax. And lose customers to food trucks. How much does a food truck license cost? Does the borough check their health licenses? I really do not have any faith in this new council and the borough manager needs to pack up and find employment elsewhere. Now!