City Council - Regular Meeting

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

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

We'll call this meeting to order. This is the Morgantown City Council regular meeting, rescheduled for Tuesday, August 25th. It is 7.01 p.m. Clerk Wade, would you please call the roll?

Yes. Joe Buchanan?

Present.

Jody Hollingshead? Here. Weezy Michael?

Here.

Jenny Saline? Here. Brian Butcher?

Here.

Deputy Mayor Downs?

Here.

Mayor Trumbull?

Here. First item of business is approval of the August 11th, 2026 regular meeting minutes. Were there any additions or corrections? Seeing none, approved by consensus.

Fantastic.

Next on the agenda is correspondence. Item A of correspondence, Mosaic Project Funding Announcement.

yes thank you mayor we do have caitlyn lewis here who is going to present for you all but as a brief introduction you all are aware of the morgantown mosaic program is a mini grant program that you all helped establish to allow for programs such as public art beautification signage public events neighborhood branding and minor physical improvements so this is our second round of awards under this program and caitlyn's going to share with you the results

Hi. I am here to talk about the results from our most recent discussion of the mosaic projects at the neighborhood coordinating council meeting that we had in July. We got two applications in. We got one from Greenmont and one from Suncrest. I am going to focus on the Greenmont application this time. Suncrest withdrew their application for now. They are working out some details on locations and stuff, and so we may see another application come in for them soon, but they withdrew for the time being. And just as a reminder, these projects are scored on project proposal, community engagement, budget and financial readiness, impact and sustainability and maintenance. Greenmont received 424 points for their score this time. Suncrest, 410. Like we talked about, they withdrew for this time. So Greenmont's project scored the highest. And the proposal from Greenmont was a project requested for funding at $500 with a match of the same for a permanent neighborhood information hub. In other words, it would be a kiosk. that would sit at the Arch Street Islands and one side of the kiosk is intended to house community news and announcements that would be maintained and monitored by the neighborhood association. The other side would be a history side that highlights Greenmont's heritage through photos, stories, and historical information. So the intention behind this is sort of part of a placemaking effort within the neighborhood to kind of educate people within the neighborhood about the history while also trying to do outreach and garner some interest around neighborhood announcements and news and news within the neighborhood association as well. And so that project was recommended for funding. This just goes over the grant request again. And so just wanted to say thank you to Greenmont and Suncrest. And thanks, I just wanted to give a quick shout out to everybody that's been participating at the meetings. all the representatives that have been coming to the Neighborhood Coordinating Council meetings and helping rank the projects, everybody who has taken time to go through the process of applying for the program. It's just really exciting to see all the enthusiasm and creativity behind these projects with the intention behind bettering their community. And so I'm just really excited by all these projects and just wanted to give a shout-out to everybody that's been participating. So thanks a lot. Appreciate you. Thank you.

I believe I'm going to use my purview as chair and rearrange the agenda because it seems silly to me not to move to item D of correspondence, which is the West Virginia Municipal League All-Star Community Award. The city received an award at the West Virginia Municipal League Conference specifically for enrichment with the Mosaic Program.

Yes, that is correct. And I would invite Ricky and Caitlin, whose department this program comes under, but also council as well, that we're so instrumental by putting this project together. Again, you all are familiar with this program, but the program really is focused on, it brings residents together, the neighborhood associations, the city government, uh, and this program strengthens our community connection and empowers residents to turn their ideas into tangible neighborhood improvements. So we're incredibly proud about how this has taken off from a concept into being able to see some projects move forward. And I know that we will be able to continue to highlight that. So as Mayor had mentioned, this program was considered and we were awarded the Municipal League's 2026 at the annual conference, the All-Star Award. This recognition reflects Moreton County's commitment to community collaboration, civic pride, and resident-led change. So I want to thank everybody involved, certainly proud. Thank you to the league for the recognition. If we can just take a brief round of applause and maybe grab a quick photo.

Do you two want to take the photo?

We're all responsible. Yeah, let's do it.

Are we all doing? I didn't know what was going on.

I was going to say, if you guys actually want to stand, like we'll do over here, then I'll just move these mics down a little bit.

All right. Perfect.

All right, guys. Three, two, one. Perfect. Thank y'all.

No, that's all right.

Easy day.

All right. Then we will get back to our regularly scheduled program. Correspondence item B, a partner update, the 2026 urban deer hunt. Rick Bebout is here.

Thank you very much, and good evening. I don't have any slides, but Christine put up our rules that you've all been given in a previous packet. But I wanted to give you an update on some of the things that we're doing this year. This will be our 16th season, and that split season will begin Saturday, September 5th, run through December 31st, and then it will reopen January 11th and run through the 31st of 2027. I'm happy to announce this year we were able to bring in 11 new bow hunters who successfully completed our mandatory safety class and passed archery proficiency in mid-July. So that brings our total bow hunters this year to 94. and they'll be hunting 42 properties, both public and private, across the city. We are 163 pounds shy of reaching our all-time mark of eight tons of donated venison, and I would imagine we'll have that by 10 o'clock on Saturday, September 5th, if the weather cooperates. So far this summer, I've communicated the initial hunter assignments to the city manager, to the Morgantown and WVU police, WVU officials and other key stakeholders like land managers, landowners. Worked with Carol in the city manager's office to work with the garbage collector, make sure that, it's really not a good word to say, but our gut dumpsters get emptied on time. Nobody likes those. Shared up our connection with our processor where we have all of our donated deer processed. They're ready for us on September 5th. And the season hasn't even started and we've already worked with WVU and Morgantown Police to identify two illegal hunting sites which have been removed and turned over to those agencies. So that's all I have. I'm looking forward to another successful and safe season and one that you can be very proud of. Any questions?

Does anyone have any questions for Rick? Just a lot of appreciation. I was telling him that today I had a neighbor already that said, when does the urban deer hunt start? I think she has a big garden. She's really close.

Yeah, and when you're at your individual ward meetings and meeting with your constituents, if any of them have questions or are interested in their properties being part of our program, by all means put them in touch with me and I'd be happy to consult with them.

I guess also appreciation to some of the private property owners that are participating because it's a lot to put up your property in that way.

Yeah.

I know at the Bow Park meeting earlier this month, there was some discussion about wanting to change locations within a few of the parks. Did you all get that worked out and everything set?

I've had correspondence with Zach, but nothing has been communicated about that.

Okay. You're still looking to switch? locations within, is it White Park?

I had one of our hunters who's one of our conservation officers was wanting to come in on different, on the really low side down towards Coben Creek. Okay. And Zach said yes. So yes, if that's what you're talking about, that was okay.

It sounded very appropriate.

Yeah.

Okay.

And he's the perfect person to be down there, you know.

Just making sure we weren't leaving you hanging. It's almost season.

No, absolutely not. We're good there.

Any other questions for Rick?

I'll just echo Jenny's comment in terms of appreciation and the service you all are doing for the community in terms of keeping safe and deer population under control and feeding people is pretty awesome. Thank you.

Well, thank you all very much. And like I said, if you have any questions, don't hesitate to get in touch with us. Thank you.

Thank you so much. Yeah, absolutely. Final item of correspondence is a partner update presentation on Morgan's run water project with Morgantown Utility Board. Chair Carlson.

Good evening. Eric Carlson, Morgantown Utility Board Chairman. Was the PowerPoint on there too?

I thought both of them were on there.

So here tonight to talk with you all about a project that's been in the works now for, I'll say, at least a year and a half, if not two years. There were 27 houses out along Morgan's Run in the Cheat Lake area that had previously been on wells. And those wells have gone bad. And the neighborhood has been having water literally trucked into their houses for quite some time. And we were looking at ways to go ahead and get water service to them. And I'll show you this. This is the, that's just a Google Earth view of the area. And we'll, oh, fast forward. Yeah, that doesn't work well on the TV, but that's basically the area we're talking about these roads up here, and this is the map that the engineers have put together to show the actual path of the water line. If you're familiar with the Cheat Lake area, it's the falling water neighborhood on the bottom. It's one of the newer neighborhoods out in Cheat Lake, and this is just a little bit up from there, right off of 43 and just south of the state line. With this, the plan, I won't bore you with the high density polyurethane water lines and the PVC, but we're gonna have about 17,000 linear feet of water lines, adding four fire hydrants out there, and we'll be serving 27 residents in that area. And in order to do that, it's gonna be a $4.6 million project. but I will fast forward to the bottom. You see there the Morgantown Utility Board share is $30,551 provided the 27 customers or all that we have, if others add. What it is, PSC requires local contribution, the equivalent of a five years worth of payments from new customers. So 12 months times five, 60 payments, and that would equal $30,551 with the 27. And all this is thanks to an abandoned mine land grant from the DEP of $3.3 million, a 40-year loan at 1%, from the IJDC or West Virginia Infrastructure and Jobs Development Council of $721,000. The same organization throwing in $500,000 in a grant and Mon County putting in $52,000. And the great thing is for that, Existing ratepayers system-wide will be paying $0.00 per month as a result of this. And to repay that 40-year loan at 1% will be $77.13 per customer for the 480 months. Well, I wouldn't be terribly happy adding $77 to my water bill. It's coming in from what I understand at a pretty significantly less per month rate than what those homeowners are paying right now to have that water trucked in. Yeah. And... We'll be having a little bit more discussion here. Most likely these dates are pending. September 15th would be when we would be coming in and by we, I mean the famous Tom Amon. I went to the the Steptoe and Johnson website to make sure I had his name spelled right, and they had a nice cutout photo of him on the side. I'll just throw it up there on the slide.

His tie even matches. It does.

That's one of the reasons I put it in. We've got a similar eye, Mayor. So we will need to come forward to council to be able to assume that 1% 40-year loan of $721,000. And so the plan as of now would be first reading at your September 15th meeting, Second reading at your September October 6th meeting and if needed a supplemental resolution which would be because the Would be going to bid and the bids would come in between now or between that first reading in October 20th if the pricing was above what was initially expected So that would be if needed on October 20th your second meeting of October So happy to answer any questions, talk a little bit more about this. We are very grateful for the work not only of the staff to put together this project, but to find it in a way that does not impact our existing rate payers and to get the people of Morgans Run what was announced two weeks ago to be the best tasting water in West Virginia by the Rural Water Association at the conference up in Wheeling. So congratulations. to the team for all the great work they do with the water treatment plant and for making sure that more of our citizens are able to enjoy that water.

No one can work a plug like you. Questions for Eric?

Thank you.

Thank you. And like Councilman Butcher, I wanted to thank you. Congratulations and thank you for your service. The joy of getting to know you. I'm City Council and will enjoy continuing to know you with Scott's run. And thank you so much. And Council Members Michael and Abu Ghanim, thank you for trying to adjust the temperature.

Thank you.

Thank you all.

Thank you all for coming and making the presentation.

Absolutely. Happy to.

Thank you.

That is the end of our correspondence this evening. Thank you all. We will move into public hearings. We have three public hearings this evening. These are for any member of the public wishing to speak on these items and these items alone. We will go one by one. There is a public portion later in the meeting for general comments. So the first public hearing is an ordinance providing for establishment of Hartfield Road in the city street system. We'll open this public hearing. Is there any member of the public wishing to speak on this item? Seeing none, we will close that public hearing. Public hearing B, an ordinance amending articles 929 and 1705 related to storm water and building permitting. We will open this public hearing. Anyone wishing to speak on this item? Seeing none, close that. And public hearing C, an ordinance reauthorizing transfer of Green Bag Road property to DOH. We'll open that public hearing. Anyone wishing to speak on this item? Seeing none, we will close those public hearings. Move into unfinished business. The only item of unfinished business this evening is boards and commissions. I do not believe we have any action to take on this item. So we will move then into our public portion, subject to rules established by council. Was there a sign up sheet for this evening? You don't have to be signed up in order to speak, but we do generally go by the sign up sheet first. Seeing no one, is there anyone that wishes to speak this evening? State your name and some form of address.

Sure. Ace Farsi. I live in the Morgantown, Suncrest neighborhood. Thank you so much for having this period and thank you so much for your public service. I'm here today to talk about flock cameras. I am the Democratic nominee for U.S. Congress in this district and so I not only go around Monongalia County but across the district to talk to constituents about what they're experiencing and what they're really worried about. This has been one of the major issues that has come up from people who would disagree on almost everything else. They agree on this issue that they do not want that level of surveillance that these lock cameras bring. I want to say a little bit about where I also come from on this issue. I think some of you know, but I fled an authoritarian regime when I was eight and a half. Still to this day, there are people in the government in Iran that is surveilling on their people. People literally feel like things that they're doing are being watched. I want to say that there's sometimes that we go into these arguments and these issues and we think about some level of American, or in this case, Morgantown or Mon County exceptionalism. That this will never happen to us. But I want to note that these sorts of realities that people live don't come overnight. They come with little decisions that get us to that place. This technology, its capability, is beyond anything that we've ever had. And so as local decision makers, with that decision-making authority comes a level of responsibility, not just to the constituents today, but to the constituents that are coming, and one of whom is recording this, my daughter. And I want her to live in a Morgantown where she feels safe, she feels free, she feels like she can be herself. And I worry about our kids and our future and what this brings. So the technology is now getting to the capability that we can really do pretty much anything in terms of level of surveillance. And we have to make a decision that how much will we give up liberty to get security. And this is a moment right now that you as decision makers get to make a value judgment on where we are as a society and what the future of Morgantown will look like. I've said the same thing at the Monongalia County Commission, that it is wrong to use opioid settlement funds for these cameras. There are things that these funds were directed for in terms of making people feel like they're part of a community, that they are engaged, and that they are being supported. It is wrong to use opioid settlement funds for this purpose. And even if you had other funds for this purpose, it would still be wrong. Because what we have in this country and what we have in this community in the sense of feeling of being part of a community is precious. And the decisions that we make today will ultimately affect the realities that our people will experience. And so I said this at the Monongalia County Commission meeting. I'll say it here. I'll quote to end this my favorite fake scientist, Ian Malcolm from Jurassic Park, who famously said that you've spent so much time asking whether we can that you didn't ask enough whether we should. THIS IS WHAT WE'RE FACING TODAY. WE CAN DO A LOT OF THINGS. THE QUESTION IS WHETHER WE SHOULD. AND YOU ARE TRUSTED TODAY NOT ONLY WITH THE SECURITY OF THE PEOPLE IN THIS COMMUNITY, BUT THEIR LIBERTY. AND WE NEED TO TAKE THAT RESPONSIBILITY SERIOUSLY. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR GIVING ME THIS TIME TO SPEAK.

ANYONE ELSE WISHING TO SPEAK THIS EVENING? SEEING NONE, WE WILL CLOSE THE PUBLIC PORTION. We have no special committee reports. We'll move along into the consent agenda. I will read each item on the consent agenda. If there's any member of council wishing to pull any item from the consent agenda, they may do so at that time. Otherwise, we would have motions and vote with no deliberation. Consent agenda item A, consideration of approval of second reading of an ordinance providing for establishment of Hartfield Road in the city street system. First reading, August 11th, 2026. Item B, consideration of approval of second reading of an ordinance amending articles 929 and 1705 related to stormwater and building permitting. First reading, August 11th, 2026. Item C, consideration of approval of second reading of an ordinance reauthorizing transfer of Green Bag Road property to DOH. First reading, August 11th, 2026. Is there any item that any member of council would wish to pull from the consent agenda? Otherwise we would entertain a motion. Move to approve.

Second.

Thank you. Clerk wait. Yes. Joe.

Yes.

Jody Hollingshead. Yes. We see Michael. Yes. Jenny Celine. Yes. Brian butcher.

Yes.

Deputy mayor downs.

Yes.

Mayor Trumbull?

Yes. Passes 7-0. New business. One item of new business. Consideration of approval of first reading of an ordinance amending the plan review and permitting fee schedule.

Yes, Mayor. Thank you. This is a partner or a complementary item to one of the items just passed tonight related to revisions to Article 929 and 1705. As part of that, the city publishes our list of fees related to plan reviews and permits. So what you have provided before you tonight is a proposed amendment related to that fee schedule that partners with one of the items that is addressed in the ordinance. So while I do believe that it is recommended that we should review all of our fees, this item is specifically the only item that is addressed in this one is ones related to stop work order fines and fees. so that is reflected on the amended schedule and included in the update and what it does is it provides a tier based system based on project value so currently the practice is it's a flat 75 fee no matter the cost or the value of the project at all so what is included now is a project value that does start at the same 75 fee but For projects $1,000 to $250, it escalates to $150 fine. From $250,000 to $500,000, it goes to $300,000. And for projects that are in value over $500,000, a stop work order fine would be $750. So that is the only fee that we are recommending with this initial proposal tonight. Ricky is certainly if you have any additional questions on that item, but that was what we would propose for your consideration.

Are there any specific questions on this item?

I mean, I'll just say that it's not a question, more of a statement, but I appreciate that You know, we're tearing the stop work. I mean, it makes a lot of sense. You know, we've specifically just passed, worked on and passed a building permitting process that streamlines things and makes things easier. for compliance to take place. And when that compliance doesn't take place, there needs to be a similarly punitive kind of, or, you know, punitive path for recourse to be taken. And I think that's a good start on it, but there's also, we also have a lever for citation, right?

Yes, that is correct. So that would be in the fees for that. I do want to also highlight and it is included in the ordinance. So this is already called out in the prior item, but it does allow for the building officials authority to waive the fee in exigent circumstances. So if we run into an issue, that's reasonable. It designates the building officials authority to waive that. And in the resolution tonight, this also does modify where we would bring further revisions to this fee schedule forward in a resolution format instead of an ordinance format.

Thank you.

Is there a motion?

Motion to approve.

Thank you.

Second.

Thank you. Now any further discussion on this item? We're a very quiet group this evening, quickly.

Yes, Joe Buchanan.

Yes.

Jenny Hollingshead?

Yes.

Weezy Michael? Yes. Jenny Saline? Yes. Brian Butcher?

Yes.

Deputy Mayor Downs?

Yes.

Mayor Trumbull? Yes. Passes 7-0. City Manager's Report.

Thank you, mayor. Just a couple of items. First one being a last call. If you haven't had a chance to come out and enjoy our Ruby summer concert series this year, it has been phenomenal. In my opinion, staff has certainly put a lot of work. There's a lot, every department leans into it, but certainly Vincent and his team really put on a fantastic show for the community. And my favorite part of that is really, it really does shine in community as you're out there. everybody is there so it's great to see but this Friday is our last one of the season 38 special so encourage everybody to come out and take enjoy that Did also want to highlight next week we will be doing a neighborhood walk through for the Evansdale Neighborhood Association. That's something that I'm happy to do with any neighborhoods that would like to do that. But we pull in a couple of staff and just walk through the neighborhood and talk about whatever items of interest. So certainly, Councilor Seling, thank you for organizing that. But we do have that next week with Evansdale. Today, I did get to briefly tour around with some members of our Morgantown Police Department, who had visitors from the WVU Country Roads program visiting. This is a program, it's an on-campus program designed for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. So it was great to welcome that group. And kudos to the officers. It was really wonderful to see that tour and that interaction. It was a great event. Um, and then the last thing that I would highlight is we are headed into preparing for our legislative season. So if you all have any items of interest that you would like us to start preparing and gathering information on, I know some of you have some information over, uh, but please do so at your convenience. Thank you.

Thank you. City clerk. Yes. Thank you, mayor. Um, I want to read again, uh, as I did last week or last time we met about the, um, the vacancy that will happen in the seventh board. So I'm just going to read from that notice seventh board residents invited to apply for city council appointment. City council was accepting applications to fill a vacant council seat in seventh board for the council term ending June 30th, 2027. Any qualified resident interested in serving should send a statement of interest to the city clerk at cityclerk at morgantownwv.gov. To be eligible, an individual must be a qualified voter in West Virginia and a resident of the 7th Ward. Statements of interest may indicate the applicant's reasons for interest in serving on city council, involvement in the community, work and life experience, and other information that may be helpful. Statements of interest submitted to the city clerk will be public records. Interested persons should be aware the statements of interest may be disclosed to the public. Following its review of submitted statements of interest, City Council anticipates conducting interviews with interested applicants on September 1, 2026 or September 15, 2026, starting at 5 p.m. or at another date and time deemed convenient. City Council expects to vote on the appointment to fill the vacancy during a public meeting on September 29, 2026. I also want to share that the Ward Boundary Commission will meet on Monday, August 31st. At 6 PM in council chambers here, it is live streamed. If folks would like to watch remotely, uh, to continue its discussion regarding the city's ward map, uh, the agenda for the meeting has been published online and the minutes from the commission's previous meetings are also available for public review on the website. Uh, anyone interested in following commission's work is encouraged to review those materials on the city's website. The city clerk's office received a number of new applications for appointment to the city boards and commissions last week. So I would like to take a moment to thank communications director Brad Riffey and his staff for their assistance in promoting the city's current board and commission vacancies on the city's website. Their efforts have helped increase awareness of these opportunities. And as a result, we have seen a positive response from residents. So thank you, Director Riffey and your staff. This Thursday evening the Fire Civil Service Commission will meet to conduct promotional exams for the positions of Captain and Lieutenant. There are currently five eligible candidates for Captain and 34 eligible candidates for Lieutenant. I would like to thank the members of the Fire Civil Service Commission for their continued work in administering these examinations and supporting the city's civil service process. The Police Civil Service Commission will conduct its next entry-level police officer exam on Saturday, October 24, 2026, at 9 a.m. Individuals interested in applying for a position with the Morgantown Police Department may apply online through the City's website at morgantownwv.gov or through the Morgantown Police Department page by selecting Apply Now. Um, last Thursday we had the honor of gathering with family members, city staff, and members of the Morgantown police department to recognize and swear in five new police officers before they departed to attend the West Virginia state police Academy. We are pleased to welcome Ethan Joseph, Augustus Mullinex, Cody Reif, Timothy Patsko, and Trip Wolf. It was a privilege to recognize these five individuals as they begin their careers in public service. We're grateful for their willingness to serve the city of Morgantown and wish them continued success as they complete their training at the State Police Academy. Um, and then municipal government week updates, it's coming along very quickly. Um, so just quickly, I want to share a few things that we're, we will be doing again, community coloring contest. Um, we will be coordinating with, um, councilor Buchanan for a mock city council meeting, and that will happen the week before, uh, October 13th. So the week before that. week here in council chamber, so the public is invited to attend. And Thursday, October 8th, we'll be doing that also the week before because it is a short week with our holiday on Monday. So we'll be celebrating the 13th, 14th, and 15th of October. But on October 8th, we will be doing Wear Pink Day in support of breast cancer awareness as we always do. And The fire department, they always provide shirts for folks if you would like to purchase those. And 100% of the for-profits go to breast cancer awareness.

I'm really sorry to interrupt. I want to make sure I have my date right. Yeah, sure. The Mock City Council you have is October 8th?

We have not. Oh, I said we were going to do it, but we did not discuss a date.

Oh.

Okay, I have it written down as October 8th.

You have a date?

I have it as October 8th. Is that okay still?

That's fine.

All right.

Yep, we can do October 8th. Thank you.

I'm sorry, I didn't mean to put you on the spot.

Oh, you're fine.

I thought that's what we had agreed on.

You're fine, you're fine. Have your kids wear pink. That's right. Tuesday, October 13th, we will be doing municipal government read aloud. We will be having staff go to three different elementary, a couple of elementaries, a learning academy, some child care centers. So we'll be doing that. And, of course, you all are invited if you'd like to come and read. We would love for that to happen as well. We're playing some games like we did last time, Find the Poofy. Tuesday will be a sensory-friendly touch-a-truck event at Suncrest Elementary School. And coffee with the counselor, and that's something that Counselor Hollingshead had shown interest in, so we definitely want to set that up. Okay. And trivia challenge hosted by the city clerk's office. Thursday, October 15th will be a Dachshund Derby, and that's going to be at Liberatore Field from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. And I think that's it. And then lastly, I just want to say, Councilor Butcher, it's been a pleasure. We wish you best. Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you, Mayor. First, thank you to Councillor Butcher for your service. I've really appreciated having the opportunity to work with you here over the past several years. Thanks. We have Council's reauthorization of the Greenback Road transfer tonight. DOH has committed they will deliver payment by September 14th. Just an update on that. The City Manager's Office and Department of Engineering and Public Works have been conducting quarterly meetings with DOH District 4, and one of those items we've been checking in on is trying to consolidate all of our maintenance agreements with them into a single agreement that we can all refer to and know whose responsibility is what. We got an updated draft from DOH recently, and we'll be looking at that and looking for another opportunity to collaborate. And just one more note on ADUs. We expect to introduce... 15th meeting, if okay with council, of course. I have received some comments on that draft. If anybody has others, please send them my way. That's all I have.

Thanks. Thank you. So many things tonight. Councilor Butcher, we have a proclamation in honor of your service. Would you like to go to the front or would you prefer to stay?

I'd love to stay.

That seems more your speed, so. whereas Brian Butcher was elected to serve as the seventh ward representative on Morgantown City Council for the term beginning July 1st, 2021, and has devoted more than five years to public service as a member of Morgantown City Council, representing the residents of the seventh ward with dedication, thoughtfulness, and a commitment to the community. And whereas, although his current term of office extends through June 30th, 2027, Brian Butcher will conclude his service on the Morgantown City Council at the end of August, 2026. And whereas throughout his tenure, Brian has participated in the city's ongoing work to address the opportunities and challenges facing Morgantown, contributing his perspective and experience to discussions, deliberations, and decisions that have helped shape the future of our community. And whereas during his years of service, Brian has contributed to important conversations regarding the city's fiscal sustainability and financial priorities, helping council consider the responsible stewardship of public resources and the long-term needs of Morgantown. And whereas Brian has participated in discussions and efforts concerning community amenities, parks, recreation, and quality of life initiatives, including matters involving Bell Park, and the continued enhancement of opportunities for Morgantown residents, And whereas through his service as a council member and representative to city boards and commissions, including the Human Rights Commission, the Housing Advisory Commission, Morgantown Parking Authority, and the Cultural Arts Commission, Brian has helped strengthen the connection between city council and the residents, organizations, and community members served by those bodies. Norris's work with these boards and commissions provided opportunities to engage with important issues including housing, human rights, community inclusion, cultural arts, and the continued development of a vibrant and welcoming Morgantown. And whereas Brian's service has been characterized by his willingness to listen to different perspectives, ask thoughtful questions, engage in difficult conversations, and work collaboratively with his fellow council members in pursuit of what he believed was best for the city and its residents, and whereas Brian's time on city council has extended to a strong involvement in building quality of life and service to the seventh ward in the Suncrest neighborhood, including work with the Suncrest neighborhood association to reinforce neighborhood relationship, building activities and quality of life, as well as the planning creation and care of the children's fairy garden and turtle park. And whereas the Morgantown city council and the citizens of Morgantown are grateful for Brian's years of service, his representation of the seventh ward, his leadership is deputy mayor from July 1st, 2025 to June 30th, 2026. And the time and talents he has given to the city of Morgantown. Now therefore, be it proclaimed that the city of Morgantown extends its sincere appreciation to Councilor Brian Butcher for his commitment to public service, his contributions to the community, and his willingness to serve the citizens of Morgantown. I think you still have to take it forward.

You have to go up for just a minute. Just a second.

Okay, don't do yours yet.

Go ahead. And you all can figure out which is our better side.

That's right.

Thank you, Brian.

we will move into report from council members. Councilor Abogonem, I'm sorry, we are definitely starting on your side tonight.

All righty. There we go. First, I guess I'll start with addressing the Democrats congressional candidate for the second district, Ace Parsi, and I appreciate him coming in. Did I say that name correctly? I think so. I appreciate his comments and his concerns, something that I've talked with our city manager and with our city attorney about for quite a while in terms of my big concern, especially not necessarily a brand being flocked, but just the overall idea of facial recognition technology on city property. So it's something that we've been working on an ordinance to be able to address hopefully in the month of September. Probably not next week because we were going to discuss a few portions of it. But it is recognized and it is a concern I have shared for a long time. And I'm glad to see that we are going to be able to bring it forward in September. I wish we could have done it sooner. Then I would also like to take a second to tell everyone about our neighborhood meeting that was canceled this past week and now we have our next one in September 28th and it'll be at EmTech because Jack Roberts Park will not be done yet. That'll be at six o'clock and the last thing I want to do is take a moment to Thank you, Councilor Butcher, or I feel Deputy Mayor for tonight, right? No disrespect. You were actually the first person, when you ran for City Council, I had your sign in my yard the very first time with the rose. And after you got appointed, then the first board seat opened up, you reached out to me while I was actually in Alaska about the City Council position opening. And I really appreciated that you encourage me to apply to be a part of this council. I've appreciated our conversations over the year and just having the ability to have ideas to go back and forth. It's going to be unique considering that my entire time here, you've been sitting directly across from me. So whoever we appoint, I will probably get them a mask. But I did want to say genuinely from the heart, thank you so much for encouraging me to be here. Thank you so much for everything you've done for our community. You have been greatly appreciated and congratulations on your new home.

Thank you. Don't have a whole lot again. Mostly the cleanup efforts. We mark Deputy Mayor Mark and Mayor Trumbull. We did Donuts Boulevard again this week, and it was a little rough this week because it was a lot of rain, so it was a little higher than normal. And Mark takes a little bit of the heavy work, so we appreciate that. We have a city cleanup September 19th. Caitlin's organized that. It starts at 1 o'clock. The meetup is at the courthouse. And right now, we're working on a couple more projects to clean up Willie Street, all the debris and weeds that are along the wall there coming down from College Park all the way to High Street. That's going to be a big project because we're going to have to shut down some of the road for about an hour. I had a meeting this week with Colin, the student at Collin Street, the student government, went really well. He's helping me actually organize some of these cleanups with some fraternities. And then our other project we're looking at is back down on 155. So hopefully we'll have all these done and organized and get some late cleanups done. And that's pretty much it. Brian, congratulations on your new home and your new job and all the good things that seem to be happening. And thank you for your service to the city of Morgantown.

Thanks.

I want to congratulate the South Park Association of Neighbors, the officers for a successful span sale. It's their first one that they've pulled off this entirely new body of officers. And it went great. Thanks to the neighbors who participated. Thanks to the Greenmont Neighborhood Association who participated for the first time this year. And I thought that was really cool. So thanks to everyone who made that a really great day. It's one of my favorite days in South Park. seeing neighbors, meeting neighbors. It's just a really, it's a community building day, which is cool. Brian. Oh, similarly to Counselor Abugonem, you are a large part of the reason I'm sitting here. I am privileged to be able to call you a friend as well as a colleague. And you helped me fight my first fight. And I'll be super grateful for your guidance on that and so many other things. And don't think that you're getting out of helping me just because you're not in that seat. Thank you.

I'm just going to go ahead and take my turn now. MCR met last week, the week before. I don't know, time flies. But Mindy Thorne from Grace Shelter did come and meet with us and the board at Hazel's house agreed to hosting the warming shelter there pending adequate funding to do so. I think that Catholic Charities is seeking some additional funding to help bolster the money that the city has already provided. They have a couple of private donors as well as the Mon County Commission that they are working with. So we look forward to that and they intend for that to be open November 15th this year, which is earlier than usual. So that's a definite bonus. I think it's usually December 15th and it gets plenty cold before then. So look forward to that. I was asked to mention that we did receive several applications for boards and commissions in the last couple of weeks, thanks to some posting by our communications department. But I want to remind everyone that for the month of September, we will be interviewing city council candidates for the seventh board. So interviews for boards and commissions are likely to be delayed for a bit. We'll pick those back up in October. There's lots of events happening around town. Check my social media and you'll find out about them. I won't go through the list here. I've got another event to get to. Joe and Jody, you did not help me get put on city council, but I have always enjoyed your approach to council. You have always been thoughtful and deliberate, and you've done, well, maybe except for Mark, you've done more background work than anyone that I've worked with here. You always seem to be doing research and know all of the different... laws and perspectives that affect what we do. And I have definitely enjoyed your approach. And it was a pleasure and an honor to serve with you as mayor and deputy mayor. And I will value that time and our ongoing friendship. Congratulations to you and your family. And I hope I can convince you to stick around for some boards and commissions. I'm trying. We'll see.

Oh, yeah, he's foolishly staying in the city limits. He's still eligible.

Maybe a little break. I'm a little jealous he'll get a little break. But yeah, we'll see if we can keep the clause in somehow.

There we go. So the first item is sort of a matter of housekeeping. So what I'm interested in is public works comes and does some mowing. at the intersection of Fair Lawns and Kenmore. And on Laurel, there's another island on Laurel as it gets toward University. I'm not sure exactly how the cross streets work there. But when Public Works comes and does some mowing there, I'm wondering if the two islands on University Avenue, one is at Rotary and one is at Laurel, if the sidewalks could be just kind of trimmed up where there's weeds around those two islands. So just if we could, sort of in line with some of the, let's improve what it all looks like and the work that Weezy's been doing and now Mark's been doing some and all of us do different times of year. But it would be wonderful to have that just kind of trimmed up whenever the mowing happened, if somebody would just go weed eat around those two islands. It would look a lot better going along University as people come into town. So that's the request, if we could fit that in. I attended the dog splash at Marilla Pool, which was wonderful. I had never been to one because I never had a dog that was eligible. that was either friendly or interested in the water. Now I have a very friendly dog that's very interested in water, so she could not get enough. It was wonderful. I went without my dog.

Well, you can go without your dog.

My dogs loved it. So anyway, that was really appreciated, and I think that one of the dog splashes south of us canceled that day, and so it looked like a lot of people were coming, so... It was very well attended, um, event. Um, thank you to animal friends. Um, then, um, we had a site visit on the campus connector between grant Avenue and, um, Evansdale campus. And, uh, I think it's really, uh, advantageous to go on site visits and I'd like to see, um, anyone, I think I owe at least one person here. maybe to the similar walk. And I think it's nice to do site visits. It's nice to do site visits and very productive to just see items that we're looking at and considering. And I would like to see more site visits when it's appropriate, arranged by whoever. It's not always... administration's job to organize one, but just whatever we can muster to actually see what we're talking about. A lot of things we've already seen plenty of times and we do not use site visit. I attended the West Virginia Botanic Garden had their annual fundraiser, large event, and it was, had a theme that was centered around local artists from the past, Blanche Lizelle. And it's kind of neat because this year, the WVU Museum is having a Blanche Lizelle. They had an opening on Friday. Blanche Lizelle, I think both floors of the museum have an exhibit. And then they partnered with the Botanic Garden and they also got an exhibit, a Blanche Lozelle exhibit. So I recommend seeing both of those if you get a chance. I am more familiar, I have not yet seen the museum exhibit, but I'm more familiar with one at the Botanic Garden and it's highly recommended and wonderful thing to go out and get to see art. A lot of it's outside. It's really nice. And then, as far as Councilor Butcher, we have shared a neighborhood association for a long time, and it has been very fun, very productive, a lot of highlights going on, kind of a change in emphasis to Turtle Park with you. And we created a fairy garden, which kids made little fairy houses, and we did lots of plantings and you helped get them watered various ways and it was very nice and also we're talking about Ace Parsi and pie day we have some pie days we're eating pie in the turtle park so it's there has been a lot going on in our neighborhood also some kind of quiet times in our neighborhood, but I think neighborhood associations kind of go up and down with activity, perceived threats, not threats like horrible threats, but threats like things that people don't like. And we haven't had as many just now, so most of our events have been celebrations that I really appreciated working with you and your family and best wishes. Thanks.

Uh, okay. Thanks. I'm gonna, I'm gonna, uh, just really start by talking about one thing and just Brian, I, uh, you were, Also one of the first people I talked to when I decided to do this. I sought you out because I always appreciated our relationship and our friendship and your approach to this position. So I wanted to thank you, but I also wanted to thank Anna, Jordan, and Quinn for your service to the city because it's no small task to to run for one of these positions or to serve in one of these positions. I had no really idea, you know, how much it takes. don't get me wrong, I'm having the time of my life and I wouldn't change a thing, but you inspired me and Danielle mentioned my approach and you inspired my approach to being very deliberate and engaged and thoughtful about the way that I consider our engagement on problems, opportunities, issues, and the public. and engaging with the public in service to our community. So you've always fought the good fight, advocating for responsibility, accountability, and compassion throughout your time here. So I really, really appreciate that about you, and you've made a real difference for Morgantown. Most of all, I appreciated our friendship. your thoughtfulness and enthusiasm. So I'm going to miss you and I wish you all the best.

You can still be friends.

Um, thanks guys. Um, uh, first off, I wanted to, um, Mark and, um, express my appreciation, mark the passing of Dolly Parton and express my appreciation for Dolly. I didn't want to go the whole meeting without mentioning her. She was an incredible human being and did a lot for this country and for music. So it was sad to hear that she passed today. Um, and then just on, um, the topic of flock, uh, yeah, I mean, I, I share those same concerns and I hope as I accept that council does, um, take some limiting action on those, um, on, uh, facial recognition, AI tracking, AI in general, I think, um, we need to be, um, um, we're already behind the curve right because it's evolved so quickly and it poses a lot more threats than just flock but that's the one people are that can see in their face and see that it is doing things that are incredibly dangerous and already has like, you know, tons of cases of abuse. And I think Ace said it well that if you, you may think that we have the best intentions with it, we may, but the people who have access to the data and the ways that it can be used nefariously are just, it's something that we have to get our hands around. The rest of this I wrote down, which I don't usually do so I can get through it. The first thing I wanted to say was a lot of the reason I'm here is because of Don Spencer. If folks don't know, he sat in my seat years ago and Don is an incredible human being that is one of the many people that I was able to form a friendship with. And I'm certainly not somebody I ever would have intended to start a friendship with. I don't think there's any social circle I would have traveled in that Don would also be in. But if you ever have a question about What the city did in the past and ways that the city may be doing something better. Just ask Don and he'll have a file folder for you somewhere in his house. And I wanted to thank him for his mentorship and his kindness, his friendship. And he's just an incredible human being. And I'm glad that he's gotten a lot of flowers, but he deserves a lot more. And to Ixia Vega, who's been gone from the council and from our city for quite some time, but I think of her as a sister and helped me feel a lot less, you know, alone when I was first here. And my wife as well, who went out in the pouring rain and got signatures for me the first time that I ran because I was working and couldn't always go out during the times people were actually home. And, you know, like I said, I did feel, it's like starting, when you first start here, it's like starting, especially, you know, when Ixia Danielle and Joe and I first started, was the counselors that were here had been here for a long time. Most of them and kind of knew the ropes and stuff like that. So it can feel alienating, but I know that one of the things that I'll probably always remember and that endeared me to the older guard of the council was I think it was the second month that I was here. I left my keys in the building and We had to wait at that time for the police officer to come across the street and unlock the door. And every counselor that still remained here stayed there with me and waited for me. And it seems like a small thing, but it was like, they're good people. Jenny, you were one of them. It's a little thing, but it made me feel welcome and like I was part of something bigger than just the utter whatever differences we might have. The years I spent in the seat have been some of the most challenging and rewarding times in my life. And so I have a couple of things I just wanted to warn anyone who replaces me. Being in the public eye in this way is hard. And you can see that from the outside and you can know that it's going to be hard, but nothing can prepare you for what it's like. For the entire city to know what your address is and those same people, many of them to be incredibly interested in mundane details of your life, is not something I can prepare you for. And you just have to experience it. And it's hard. You know, I'll never forget, and nothing could have prepared me for when I was very ill for a couple months and I missed council meetings and seeing people celebrating that online. And I was so sick, and I didn't know if I would ever leave my home again. And that hurt a lot. And so those are the kind of things you should be prepared for when you're taking this seat. You have to be strong to see that. But there's a lot about this job that's incredibly rewarding. The first time you hear a constituent tell you that they appreciate your help or you're able to advance something that's going to change the city for the better, I think there's no other sense of accomplishment you could ever have. that's the same as that. I always talked about with my wife after stuff like that would go through that, yes, it feels good to do stuff at my job at the time, but there is a different level of accomplishment when you know that for generations people could see a difference in the kind of work that you're doing. There are personalities and forces in this city, in this county that will try to influence you and try to further on agenda. And sometimes those are good. And sometimes it's what the city and the public needs and wants. And often they're not. But what I have to say about that is that all you have to do is be a good person. Let your moral intuition guide you and you're going to make the right decision. Yeah, there's procedure to learn, but you can always get better at that. What you cannot get better at is being able to tell right from wrong. So you let your conscience guide you, ask a lot of questions, lean on city staff. That's what they're here for, and you'll do just fine. For my fellow counselors, it has been a privilege to know all of you. I'm glad to have been afforded the time and energy at this stage of my life to work with some of the people who truly care about the future of this city, and I know you guys are gonna continue to do really great things. And finally, I just wanted to say that there was a time maybe a year into council, somewhere like that, where I felt like I had my feet under me, where I felt like I was the only person to do this job, that I was there as a hand that could tilt the city towards justice. What I've learned about myself is that that attitude is arrogance and delusion. I was never the best man for the job and no one, I think, is the best man for the job. And as I reflect on all that, all I know is that I'm gonna continue to do what I can to be a better man and do what I can to make this city a better place. Others that are gonna take this seat are gonna do greater things than I could have ever imagined. And to those who come after, I wish you all the best in your endeavors. May you ever seek justice. May you always do the brave thing. And may you have peace in the process and at the end of your time as well.

Thank you.

We're not done yet.

On that note, I move that discussions to appoint to abate

Discussion of appointment to vacant council seat. As anticipated, to discuss this item in executive session pursuant to West Virginia State Code Section 6-9A4B2A, as well as acquisition or development of property in the Saberton area. As anticipated, we'll discuss in executive session Code 6-9A4B9.

you all right we will take a very very brief recess no one run away