Jewett looking to streamline ordinances in 2026

At the December Jewett Village Council meeting, council member Bobbie Prevot said the cutout tree sale and tree lighting went well Dec. 12.

“We sold all the trees this year. It was a lot of work,” Prevot said.

“We had over 60 people there,” council member Joshua Walters said.

“We couldn’t have done it without everybody involved,” Prevot said. She added that the event will likely be held earlier next year and that organizers are considering changes based on community interest.

Council then reviewed financials. Clerk Linda Ager said there was nothing significant for review, aside from the purchase of stamps for 2026. Several council members commented on the increasing cost of stamps.

Police Chief Ron Carter submitted his resignation and told council that crime has increased since the department’s defunding was announced.

“This is one thing I was concerned about,” Carter said. “Last year we had zero thefts in the village. We didn’t have a break-in.”

Carter said multiple thefts were reported during the previous five days and were handled by the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office. He expressed disappointment at how quickly the increase occurred. Mayor George Baillie thanked the sheriff’s office for responding to the village during the transition.

The ordinance committee continues working to streamline and clarify the village’s ordinances, a project that has been underway for more than a year. Prevot said the committee has identified numerous ordinances that could be repealed or combined in 2026.

Solicitor Cory Phillips said he prepared a master list but returned some items that needed clarification.

“This list is huge,” Phillips said. “The ordinance that’s been drafted addresses a couple scenarios where the old ordinances need repealed. One is just relevance. There’s no relevance to a lot of these old ordinances about contracts entered into with people who are long gone. Then a lot of ordinances have been replaced with new ones.”

Prevot asked if, moving forward, the village could repeal entire ordinances when updates are made, rather than partially repealing sections.

“It’s cleaner to repeal the whole thing,” Phillips said. “You just put the old parts in the new ordinance.”

The committee will continue its work and hopes to have the ordinances updated early next year.

Council also noted that dog licenses are due Jan. 31, 2026. Residents were encouraged to obtain licenses before the deadline.