City Council - Regular Meeting

We'll start tonight's meeting with a pledge for anyone wishing to participate.

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America,

We'll call this meeting to order. This is Morgantown City Council regular meeting Tuesday, August 11th. It is 7.01 p.m. and we were in City Hall Council Chambers. Clerk Wade, would you please call the roll?

Yes. Joe Buganam?

Present.

Jody Hollingshead? Wheezy Michael?

Here.

Jenny Selene?

Here.

Brian Butcher?

Here.

Deputy Mayor Downs?

Here.

Mayor Trumbull?

The first item on the agenda is approval of minutes. We have the July 21st, 2026 regular meeting minutes and the July 28th, 2026 workshop meeting minutes. Were there any additions or corrections? Seeing none, approved by consensus. Yes, fantastic. Correspondence. Our first item of correspondence is a partner update, the 2026 urban deer hunt. Rick Beba, please.

Have we heard from Mr. No, we didn't.

We had planned for his attendance today, but we'll see if he wanders in. Uh, we also have a report of proclamations for the national night out 2026. That was to be done at the event last week. Well, some of us were out of town. However, the time at which it was supposed to be done, um, the rain hit. So Deputy Mayor Downs will read that now.

Whereas the City of Morgantown recognizes that a safe, welcoming, and resilient community is built through strong partnerships among residents, first responders, local government, businesses, schools, nonprofit organizations, and community volunteers, and whereas National Night Out is an annual community building campaign sponsored by the National Association of Town Watch that encourages communities across the nation to strengthen neighborhood connections, promote public safety, and build positive relationships between those who serve and the people they serve. And whereas the city of Morgantown is proud to host its first National Night Out celebration, bringing together the Morgantown Police Department, Morgantown Fire Department, emergency responders, community organizations, local businesses, educational institutions, and residents for an evening of learning, engagement, and fellowship. And whereas this event provides opportunities for residents of all ages to meet the men and women who serve their community each day, learn about the many resources available throughout Morgantown, and foster relationships that strengthen trust, preparedness, and civic pride before they are ever needed during an emergency. And whereas, as part of this inaugural celebration, the city of Morgantown will pause to ring the Freedom Bell and observe a moment of silence in recognition of the men and women who have answered the call to careers in public service as law enforcement officers, firefighters, emergency medical personnel, and other first responders honoring their commitment to protecting and serving our community while remembering those whose service came has come at the ultimate cost and whereas their continued success the continued success of our community depends on neighbors knowing one another working together and supporting the dedicated public servants and community partners who make morgantown a safe and vibrant place to live work and visit now therefore i mark downs deputy mayor of the city of morgantown on behalf of the morgantown city council do hereby proclaim wednesday august 5th 2026 as national night out thank you we certainly appreciate all of the

city staff, community partners, and citizens who helped with that event and made it what I understand was a well-attended great success before the storm came. Can we give it up?

Pretty cool.

It was.

We will move on to public hearings. These are specific public comment on items, only these items. We will open each one individually. Anyone wishing to speak on that item is then invited to do so. Item A, an ordinance of the city of Morgantown amending the zoning classification of one parcel of real estate on Elmer Prince Drive, 990 Elmer Prince Drive. We will open this public hearing. Is there anyone wishing to speak on this item? Seeing none, we will close that public hearing. Item B, ordinance of the city of Morgantown amending the city charter to require elections to be held on the May primary election date. We'll open this public hearing. Is there anyone wishing to speak on this item? We will close that public hearing. Our final public hearing this evening, item C, ordinance amending article 953, private outdoor designated areas. We'll open that public hearing. Anyone wishing to speak on this item? That is the end of our public hearings this evening. We will move into unfinished business. The only item is boards and commissions. I do not believe we have any action on these items. into the public portion, subject to rules established by council, adopted by resolution. Generally, you would come to the podium, state your name and address for the record. You have four minutes to speak. There is a sign-in sheet. You do not have to be signed up ahead of time, but we will start with the sign-in sheet. First person, Nicholas Turner.

My name is Nicholas Turner, and I'm in Harvard Avenue over in the Evansdale area. I'm here today to continue to urge the mayor and council to find their humanity and repeal or decriminalize the camping ban. Since the ban has passed, conditions in Morgantown have continued to decline. Services are being underfunded or cut, shelters foreclosed, and what little services have survived are being moved outside downtown, unaccessible to most, especially with bus programs also disappearing. In the Dominion Post reporting of Grace Shelter just last month, Mindy Thorne said they're on average turning five plus people away daily. This has worsened with the extreme weather that has been plaguing us recently. With services and shelters being cut and getting worse month after month, how can the city and council in good conscience say that this ban is working? You cannot provide alternatives nor assistance, so why punish those with nothing who cannot get help? You do not need a consensus to have a conscience. To quote Donald Whitehead, the executive director of the National Coalition for the Homeless, stating, let us be clear, decriminalization has never solved homelessness anywhere in this country. It simply hides human suffering while making it worse. Every dollar spent arresting, jailing, fining, and punishing people from block to block could instead be spent on housing, mental health care, addiction treatment, outreach services, and prevention. Finally, I'll end with this. I don't care personally how you feel about homeless people, but the fact is the ban has failed. Right now, it continues to be bad policy and is bad politics. A society is judged based on how it takes care of its most vulnerable, and to that, Morgantown has failed. Thank you.

Is there anyone else wishing to speak this evening? Seeing none, we will move on. We have no special committee reports this evening. There are a number of items on the consent agenda. I will read through those items on the consent agenda. And if any member of council wishes to pull an item, they may do so. Otherwise, we will motion and vote at once. It's a long list. Settle in. Item a consideration of approval of second reading of an ordinance of the city of Morgantown, amending the zoning classification of one parcel of real estate on Elmer Prince drive nine 90 Elmer Prince drive first reading July 7th, 2026. Item B consideration of approval of second reading of an ordinance of the city of Morgantown amending the city charter to require elections be held on the may primary election date. First reading seven 21, 2026. Item C consideration of approval of second reading of an ordinance amending article nine 53 private outdoor designated areas. First reading seven 21, 2026. Item D consideration of approval of first reading of an ordinance providing for establishment of Hartfield road in the city street system. Item E, consideration of approval of a resolution amending the fiscal year 2026-2027 budget for the Morgantown Capital Escrow Fund, revision number two. Item F, a resolution authorizing the application of a transportation alternatives program TAP grant for Chestnut Street, Willie to Walnut construction. Item G, a resolution authorizing the application of a transportation alternatives program TAP grant for Wall Street, Spruce to University design. Item H, a resolution authorizing the application of a Transportation Alternatives Program TAP grant for Spruce Street, Willie to Walnut Construction. Item H, a resolution authorizing the application of a Transportation Alternative Program TAP grant for Willie Street University Prospect Design. Is there any of those items that anyone on council would like to pull off of the consent agenda? Seeing none, is there a motion to approve the consent agenda? Motion to approve.

Whoever said it first.

I'm second. Clerk Blade, please.

Yes, Joe Buganem?

Yes.

Wheezy Michael?

Yes.

Jenny Saline?

Yes.

Brian Butcher?

Yes.

Deputy Mayor Downs?

Yes.

Mayor trouble passes six, zero moving into new business item, a consideration of approval of first reading of an ordinance, amending articles nine 29 and 1705 related to storm water and building permitting.

Thank you, mayor. On this item, we do have two sections of our ordinance 1705 and nine 29 that we are proposing revisions to. Uh, those as the title said are related to stormwater and building permits. Uh, if it pleases the council, I would like to turn over the presentation to deputy mayor downs. Uh, he had initially brought forward this item and worked diligently with staff as well as our partners at mob related to these revisions and making sure that, uh, we're working hand in hand. I do want to point out that council received a small revision to this ordinance this morning via email, which is 17-05-06-B3, which relates to certificates of occupancy and how they relate to the fire code. So I want to make sure everybody is operating off of the most recent version of this. But I'll turn it over to Councilor Downs, and then Director Yeager and I are here to answer any questions that you may have.

Yeah, so tonight I'm really pleased to present an amendment to our building permit ordinance, Article 1705 and 929. This amendment, as City Manager Miller said, is the product of a year of coordinated work across development services, the fire marshal's office, engineering, MOB, the city attorney's office and the city manager's office. I'm grateful to everyone. We are a service organization and a permitting process that is slow, confusing and unpredictable doesn't just frustrate applicants, it teaches them to stop trying. And cumbersome processes like that just breed apathy when people check out of the system, and apathy breeds blight. So that's really why we started looking at this. But beyond service delivery, this is also a fiscal sustainability measure. Every single stalled project or vacant lot is lost tax base. Every property that we let slide into disrepair costs us more in code enforcement and lost assessed value. So this amendment streamlines our current processes without compromising safety. Predictability is what assures a homeowner that it's worth fixing their porch. It's what tells a business owner that it's worth opening their doors. It's what convinces a developer to build or redevelop a building, and that's what this ordinance delivers. So I urge my colleagues to support tonight. Thank you.

Any specific questions for Deputy Mayor Downs or Manager Miller or Director Yeager?

Thanks for working on it.

So what is different?

from what's in our packet. Go ahead, city manager.

Sure, absolutely. So there are a couple of Scribner errors that were corrected between what is in the packet originally, as well as this one. But the only really item of substance that I want to call out is 17.05.06 has additional language added, which states, pursuant to West Virginia Code State Rules, Title 87, Series 1, Section 21D1. pardon me, the owner or occupant of a new building, existing industrial and storage occupancies as defined by the fire state code or an existing building that has had 50% or more of the space renovated or reconstructed shall obtain a certificate of occupancy from the fire marshal before the building is occupied or used for its intended purpose. The requirement does not apply to single or two family dwellings or any other structure exempt from applicable fire state codes. As you review, a lot of the items that are in this proposed ordinance update is intended to provide additional clarity. Not only is it intended to look at some of our processes, and as we revise these, we've already been in process of trying to make the process better over the last year. We have already implemented some of these things, but part of this is an attempt to be more clear in what the expectations are. These are requirements that are already really apply related to certificates of occupancy, related to the fire code, making sure what applies to the fire code, what does not apply. And our intent with some of our revisions to the ordinance is to try to get information in a more centralized location so that people who are looking to do business, looking to do any type of permit or building requirements, We can't capture everything in one spot, but they at least have a nod to certain sections and areas that they need to know about in order to capture all of the information up front. We want to be able to try to lay out information up front on a project as much as possible so that we avoid any kind of feeling of moving the goalpost or surprising people once they're into a project. So while this section of the ordinance, I would not say substantially changes what we actually do, It's really a clarifying item, and it just was not included in the original version that was distributed.

It also was put into effect by, I believe, NFPA 1 or 101, which was adopted and went into effect in 2024. So its inclusion here doesn't mean that we've got new rules that we're applying. It's just... as city manager Miller said, it's substantial enough that I think that the fire marshal thought it should be included and called out here.

So it's double listed is what you're saying?

Yes, it's an artifact of the national, it's an article of fire code or an artifact of fire code, but it is also listed in our building permit ordinance.

Any other specific questions? Is there a motion?

Motion to approve.

Thank you. Second. Thank you. Additional discussion?

I would just say a lot of this reading through it a couple times seems like a lot of common sense cleanups and streamlining. I think that's the way you characterized it. And that's the way it reads to me. So it looks like good changes to me.

And I know how hard you've worked on this. I've seen more than a dozen versions of it, I'm pretty sure. So thanks to you and Development Services and the city attorney who thoughtfully went through this.

It really was a team effort.

No other comments?

There will be a second reading on this one. Is that all right? Yes.

There will be a second reading, but it's an ordinance.

Okay.

Clerk Wright? Yes. Joe Buganem?

Yes.

Louise Michael? Yes. Jenny Selene? Yes. Brian Butcher?

Yes.

Deputy Mayor Downs?

Yes.

Mayor Trumbull? Yes. Passes 6-0.

Item B, consideration of approval of a first reading of an ordinance reauthorizing transfer of Green Bag Road property to the DOH.

Thank you, Mayor. As stated in the council agenda item summary, this is a confirmatory ordinance. Council previously authorized this transfer by ordinance adopted at its March 24 meeting. DOH subsequently asked to increase the purchase price listed in the deed for project parcels 6-2 through 6-7 by $15,000 to account for payment to the city for a stockpile of millions to be left on the property and to grant a right of entry pending execution of the deeds The original ordinance authorized city manager to execute the transfer documents upon substantially the terms shown in the ordinance, which did include the original prices for the deeds. So the transfer with increased payment to the city for those millings is likely within the authority already granted by council, but in the interest of being safe, this is presented for council to adopt again as a confirmatory ordinance.

Questions for Attorney Simonton?

Move to approve.

Thank you.

Second.

Thank you.

Discussion? Clerk Wade? Yes. Joe Bugano?

Yes.

Wheezy Michael?

Yes.

Jenny Saline?

Yes.

Brian Butcher?

Yes.

Deputy Mayor Downs?

Yes.

Mayor Trumbull? Yes.

Passes 6-0. City Manager's Report.

Yes, thank you, Mayor. Just a couple of brief items tonight. I know that we earlier today read the proclamation for National Night Out event and recognized the staff, but I wanted to reiterate all the work that went into that because I truly do appreciate an opportunity and an event that really brings together departments from different staff as well as the public and our partners across the community working together. And so that was really a highlight. I feel like it was a very well-received event. A lot of smiling faces while we were there. a standout event and wanted to make sure to acknowledge the staff that participated in putting that together particularly by name we'll call out Shannon Davis who had led the coordination efforts on that. But certainly did not do it alone. It takes lots of people. Also, students are moving back in. I think we can all tell that. The community is abuzz. You know, I want to make sure to take an opportunity to welcome the new students who are new to the Morgantown community. I know we all want them to feel a part of Morgantown, you know, as a whole. There are a lot of festivities starting this weekend, so I want to encourage everyone to celebrate responsibly and make sure I also want to highlight the team at WVU, there's been a lot of close communication and coordination this year on back to school events and efforts. So that's been great to see. Clerk Wade may be saying this, so I apologize if we are overlapping on this one, but we do have a oath of office for a couple of police officers on August 20th at noon. I'm ecstatic to see some of the improvements in our recruitments related to our police department and being able to fill those vacancies. We have been able to successfully send staff to the academy, so we are making progress in that area. And the last thing that I want to highlight is staff is already working on kicking off the budget season. We do expect to see some change in timelines related to that. We'll communicate with any community partners that may be impacted, but I wanted to make you all aware that that timeline will change for not only our staff, for council, you all will see a proposed calendar as well, but that it will be changing for any community partners who are involved in our budget as well. That concludes my report.

Thank you. Report from the city clerk.

Thank you, Mayor. I wanted to take a minute to talk about our volunteers. I said that I would share a little bit about one or two of our boards of commissions whenever I do have my report. I just want to let folks know that we currently have two vacancies on the Sister Cities Commission, and I'd really like to encourage anyone who might be watching tonight who may be interested in international relationships, cultural exchange, education, or just simply to be more involved in Morgantown to consider applying. That's on our website at morgantownwv.gov. Again, if you ever thought, I'd like to be more involved in my community, this is a great way to start. Last week I believe there was a news release, and so I just want to share a little bit. There will be a vacancy on City Council representing the seventh board. So I'm just going to read from that news release. Council is currently accepting statements of interest from qualified individuals who would like to be considered for appointment to fill the remainder of the term, which ends June 30, 2027. This is an important opportunity for someone in the Seventh Ward to become directly involved in the work of their city and to have a voice in the decisions that affect their neighbors and their community. To be eligible, an individual must be a qualified voter in West Virginia and a resident of the Seventh Ward. We're encouraging anyone who is interested to submit a statement of interest to the city clerk's office. Applicants may include information about why they are interested in serving, their involvement in the community, their work and life experiences, and anything else they believe would be helpful for council to consider. The statements of interest submitted to the City Clerk's Office are public records, so applicants should be aware that their submissions may be made available to the public. Following the review of the statements of interest, Council anticipates conducting interviews with interested applicants on September 1 or September 15, beginning at 5 p.m., or on another date and time determined by council council anticipates voting on the appointment at its september 29 26 public meeting if you live in the seventh ward and have ever thought about becoming more involved in your local government i encourage you consider submitting your name this is an opportunity to not only represent your award but to be part of the work of shaping morgantown's future One other thing, on July 25th, the Police Civil Service Commission held its entry-level police officer examination and we now have seven candidates who will be moving forward in the hiring process. This is an important step in bringing new officers into our police department and we are very appreciative of the work that goes into making these examinations possible. I want to thank all of our police civil service commissioners for the time they dedicate to conducting these exams and helping the city recruit and bring on new police officers year after year. Their service is an important part of ensuring that we have a fair and thorough process for selecting the individuals who will serve the community. And I would especially like to recognize Jerry Summers. He is our current president of the Police Civil Service Commission. Jerry has been serving as a commissioner on the Police Civil Service Commission since 1991. That means he has now dedicated 35 years of service to the commission and to the city of Morgantown. 35 years is an incredible commitment. Over that time, Jerry has been part of the process of helping select and bring countless police officers into our police department. And he has given many years of his time, knowledge, and experience to the city. So Jerry, on behalf of the city and the city clerk's office, if you're listening, we want to say thank you for your 35 years of dedicated service to the Police Civil Service Commission and to the Morgantown community. And then Jamie said we'll be doing some oaths next week, five new police officers going to the academy. And we just want to say congratulations to those folks who are going. And we can't wait to see what they do for us. We know it's going to be good. So congratulations. That's it.

Thank you. Report from the city attorney.

Thank you, Mayor. I attended portions of the Municipal League Conference last week as well as our West Virginia Municipal Attorneys Association meeting. It was nice to see those of you who could join there. It's always nice to share our experiences and resources. City Clerk Wade and I had the opportunity to present on a panel with some staff from the City of Charleston about really just a question and answer session, but I thought it was very well attended, lots of great questions. Lots of municipalities around the state experiencing a lot of the same things we are here. So just a really good resource. The only other thing I have tonight is a reminder. The draft ordinance establishing new regulations for accessory dwelling units to comply with the state law passed last session is out for council review. In order to get that in effect by the effectively end of calendar year deadline, it would be nice to introduce that to council at its September meeting. So if anybody has a chance to review and provide any comments or input on that, please send that my way. Thank you.

Thank you. Report from council members.

First, I'd like to start out with a thank you to Caitlin, Shannon, and also our ambassadors for all the work they put into the National Night Out. And the ambassadors, I've been seeing a lot of them downtown recently, and they're pulling weeds now and picking up litter, and they're a really good team of people. And I think they just want to be, I just want to recognize them. And we weren't able to make National Night Out because we were in Charleston, but that was a really good learning trip. And I sat in on a session where we discussed infrastructure, water, the water infrastructure, and found it to be very helpful and learned quite a bit actually. All in all, it was a great trip, and that's pretty much it.

Thank you. Who next?

Let's see, I made notes. So Friday, I had the opportunity to attend the Tiny Desk concert at the library, which was pretty awesome. Bluegrass music I feel is becoming more mainstream, but I've been told that it's only because I live in West Virginia. So I'm curious to find out if that's real or not. And then ultimately, though, the whole experience was wonderful and fantastic. And the litany of different people from different aspects of life was great. It was just a really great atmosphere. And then to go to see the Michael Jackson impersonator was also amazing. Really wonderful. I was talking to counselor Celine It's been he's been dead for 15 years and people scream like it was the actual person and we're lost in the show and That was it was an amazing performance The first Ward neighborhood association we are having our meeting on August 24th the last one was rained out and we will be talking about Halloween because we are the Halloween Ward and and neighborhood. If I accomplish nothing else, it is that title. And Tuesday will be the first day of school for the students. I believe college students as well. So the traffic Tuesday morning is going to be something. So please be aware. As for the night out, I did want to comment because Shannon had presented to my marketing students about it and they actually used that as their outline to create their own versions of downtown Morgantown events that they would that they came up with, and she did such a wonderful job that it made all of my presentations from the students better. So I'm glad to hear that it went as well as it did. I haven't seen any of the students, so I don't know if any of them attended, but I'm sure I'll hear if they did. And in vain of the sister cities commission, our meeting is tomorrow at six o'clock. Anyone is invited to attend. If you are interested, it's also going to be on YouTube. We meet in the library at 6 p.m. in the second floor. And the last thing I was excited to announce, and I got to talk about it a little bit on the radio today, is I got appointed to the committee to expand girls wrestling in the state of West Virginia. So it is the first ever because they have finally acknowledged girls wrestling as a sport. And I'm really excited and proud to see that grow in our state and present those opportunities to those hardworking young ladies. And that's my report.

Thank you.

That's great. The Waterfront Task Force had its walkabout, I would call it, on Thursday morning. And it's neat because it's a good combination of our staff and some people from the university and nonprofits. and a couple council people, including Councillor Downs, and we just walked up and down, and we didn't even get near as far as we thought we would along the waterfront, but each little portion, there was an accomplishment, there was what could be next steps, what needs to be reworked, what's already in the works. It's just nice to see so much improvement and synergy between all the different people that work on the waterfront on the trail and the park and the actual waterfront. And then during the concert, the Michael Johnson tribute band concert, you could see people in their boats offshore. I just like that idea of people coming from the water and people coming from parking areas and people coming from the trail and everybody all coming up at the amphitheater. It's a nice feeling. So Friday night, there were so many things to do that it was difficult to figure out how to get to them all. There was a really nice art exhibit opening at Wiles Hill. There was a Revolutionary War Morgantown History Museum exhibit opening as well, both at six o'clock. And then there was this tribute band that was wonderful at the waterfront. And then there was an art exhibit and another concert going on at the co-op on Pleasant Street. And then I missed a really good concert and art exhibit at Andrew White Guitar and also the Tiny Desk concert at the library because you just can't beat all of those places at once and I'm certain that there were more. It's pretty cool when there's so many things to do that you can't get to them all so you have to choose. Also I appreciated the Municipal League Conference in Charleston. Normally it isn't in Charleston in the summer so it's kind of fun to be there when it was warm but also pretty. And there were two outdoor events that were interesting to see, one at their outdoor marketplace and one in the downtown. And one of them had weather difficulties, just like our National Night Out. And it was just a very well done conference. And it was neat, there was a new person that walked into the resolutions committee, so we had this tiny little resolutions committee. that has one little resolution, and someone comes in who's brand new to the conference. She's been on her council for a long time, but brand new to the conference. She comes in, and she is coming into the wrong room. So it was nice to see people welcome her, try to tell her what the benefit is to her membership. She wanted the benefit of the membership to our statewide organization, and people were giving her ideas for grants for her town, asking how large, it's one of the towns that has maybe one or two businesses, how she can maybe put on a 1% sales tax, how she could just get just enough, they're working on a water project, just enough money to complete some of the things that she's trying to do, but it was really neat to see Like three or four different people all start coming to her aid. Like right away, she must have thought membership in this organization was pretty cool. So that's enough of me. Thank you. Take a minute to dance.

Yeah, thank you. So, Joe, I'd love to see if you could compile a list of those ideas from your students for downtown events. I think that'd be pretty cool to check out. I'd appreciate it if you didn't mind sharing that. Councilor Selene's absolutely right. Our waterfront is an incredible asset, and... in my view, is underutilized. We've got some incredible amenities down there, don't get me wrong, but I think there's a lot of opportunity for us to do more and leverage that asset even better to the benefit of the community. last night. Last night I had the privilege of attending the Your Community Foundation awards for their annual arts grants, organizational arts grants. It's always inspiring when you're in a room full of grassroots organizations that are really invested in what they do and culture and arts and delivering their talents. To the community and and you know last night was no exception to that it was Amazing to hear about some some new organizations. I didn't know about chamber music at the Botanical Garden is something I want to check out now and So so it was it was a great night National night out was fantastic echo the kudos and praise for staff that put that on. I was really impressed by both the capabilities and professionalism of both, you know, and I'd be selfish, of all of the first responders, but especially our Morgantown Police Department and Morgantown Fire Department. They really showcased some unique capabilities that I wasn't aware of and I was really, really impressed. So, great job. On a couple of things I want to mention on the mob front, We've been working on a memorandum of understanding kind of just to codify some organizational optimization opportunities for better collaboration and we've got a workshop on that on Thursday this week. Our meeting, which would typically be tonight, was moved because our council meeting was moved and it is now next Thursday. and congratulations to mob they found out today that they won the taste test award from the West Virginia Rural Water Association for the best water best tasting water in West Virginia so Congratulations to them. I think that's maybe the fifth or sixth year in a row that they've won that award. And then the final thing I'll mention is on the 22nd, Councilor Michael and I are going to be back out on Don Knotts Boulevard and Green Bag Road. taking care of the median, so if anyone is available and feels like jumping in, she's working with one good arm, so we could use the help. Thanks.

Thank you. Not too much to report. I guess to let the public know, I got two meetings left in me and then I'll be gone. So as Christine said, if you're interested in this seat, you live in the 7th Ward, I encourage you to put in an application to make these people's lives a little bit easier and have a good choice to choose from. Tonight we're gonna talk a little bit about Jamie's review. It's hard to believe it's been that long, Jamie, but I just wanted to say I've appreciated your work on council and your work with us. I guess you're not work on council, you're work in city management. And you work with us and so just thank you for being here with us. That will conclude my report.

All right. I also attended the West Virginia Municipal League and I will not go into additional details since people have already mentioned it. But I did want to mention that this year for the first time in long time, probably since the president was from West Virginia, the president of the National League of Cities attended our state conference and Jim Hunt and I were able to connect with him at length. And it was great to see that West Virginia is getting more attention from the National League than we had in the past. So we were certainly Proud to welcome president Kramer and hear some of his takes on issues with municipalities and state government here in West Virginia. Um, as counselor Abugon said, school starts next week, which means pool season is coming to the ever abrupt closure. Um, that means this week will be the, the Sunday is the annual doggy splash. Um, And with the new splash pad connected to Marilla Pool, we do leave that open longer. It'll be open for several more weeks, weather permitting. But if you haven't been to one of the pools yet this season, now's your time. It's going to close. If the weather cooperates to even have them open the rest of the week. Looks a little shady.

May I ask a quick question? For the dogs playing in the pool, are they to be leashed or will they all be unleashed?

I believe they are supposed to have a leash, no pronged collars or the retractable leashes, I think.

Just so people know.

Yes. Dogs are expected to be leashed in the pool. I believe that's 12 to 6 at Marilla on Sunday. Hanson will be, we only have three summer concerts left. I believe, uh, this one happens to fit right into, uh, I'm in the demographic that will enjoy this one. I'm not sure. I know counselor Michael's into it too. So, um, look forward to seeing Hanson this weekend. I've missed a couple of the last concerts due to travel, but that'll be exciting. Um, Hooten Howell is having a farm and forage market on Saturday in downtown. She has a lot of, um, plant and food based vendors who come to that. So it should be very interesting. Um, just to report on a few Hazel's house of hope items, um, some representatives of Morgantown community resources met with the new captains of the salvation army. And they have reinforced their commitment to ensuring that food service is continuing and reliable at Hazel's House of Hope. There was a couple of hiccups during transition of the old captains leaving and the new captains coming. But they have restated their commitment to ensuring that that continues. Tomorrow is the H3 advisory council meeting, which is a meeting of some MCR board members I usually attend and representatives of all of the tenants in the facility. So I anticipate that the warming shelter will be a topic of conversation, and then it is certainly on the agenda for next week's MCR board meeting. I anticipate approval, but in any case, a decision should be made on location for the warming shelter being at Hazel's House of Hope would be made at that meeting and I will certainly report back to both council and the public as those decisions are made, but I'm anticipating at next week's board meeting that should be.

If the decision goes that way, could you congratulate those who helped to come to that decision as one of the earliest times that that has ever been, but we don't want to do anything to, jinx it so just like if it were to happen congratulate them from all of us if you will do because that would be really nice because then we can start working on

putting into operation? Certainly it became a little bit more complicated when last year's location became unavailable, which that sold at auction last week, the old Bartlett House facility. So that has gone off the table, certainly. And City Manager Miller and I and Assistant Manager Mazzarelli, I think, met with. Mark Phillips of Catholic Charities to brainstorm and that was, I don't know, four or six weeks ago maybe. And he has been working diligently since then meeting with the folks at the United Way who now manage the Hazel's House of Hope property and folks with MCR and folks on site at H3 to kind of alleviate any of their ongoing concerns from past issues that may have arisen during warming shelter. So we are certainly thankful for his, um, he's, he's been working diligently and looks like we should be moving in the right direction. If that hits the crapper, I'll let you know. We'll be back to the drawing. We'll be back to the drawing board, but, um, Yes, I will stay in touch on that. I believe that is all that I had to share. We have a number of items on executive session this evening. Looks like Councilor Slane is queued up.

Do you want them? If you'd like them read, we're moving to go into executive session. We're proposing to move to go into executive session for discussion of potential litigation and matters protected by attorney-client privilege, West Virginia Code 8. 6-9A4B12, also pursuant to West Virginia state code section 6-9A4B2A to discuss personnel matters for boards and commissions. Also pursuant to West Virginia state code section 6-9A4B2A to discuss personnel matters and considering matters arising from the employment of a public employee related to the annual evaluation for the city manager. So we're moving to go into executive session for those three purposes. Second. All in favor?

Yes. All right. We will take a brief recess and enter executive session.