Common Council

AREGULAR MEETING OFTHE COMMON COUNCIL OFTHE CITY OFBECKLEY CONVENED AT 5:30PMONOCTOBER 7,2025, INCOUNCIL CHAMBERS AND VIA WEB-X. PRESENT: Mayor Ryan Neal, City Manager Phillip Jarrell, Mayor & City Manager’sExecutive Assistant Susan Miller, Interim Recorder-Treasurer Jessica Chandler, City Attorney Bill File. Council Members: Nancy Shoemaker-Dingess, Frank Williams, Janine Bullock, Natalie Coots, KipBuchanan, and Cody Reedy. The following City employees were present: ITTechnician John Hopkins, ITTechnician Keith Carter, BPD Chief Bailey, Captain Brian Malott ofBFD, Director ofBoard ofPublic Works (BPW) Mike Bolen, Beckley Events Coordinator JillMoorefield, andChief Code Enforcement Officer Donald Morgan. ABSENT: Sherrie Hunter The Mayor ledinthePledge ofAllegiance. The public hadtheoption tojointhe meeting in person, listen byWEB-Xfrom their computer, orlisten byphone, using theweblink orphone number provided thedayofthemeeting ontheCity’swebpage atBeckley.orgortheCity’s Facebook page. The Mayor called themeeting toorder at5:30p.m. The Mayor said thatthere wasaquorum andCouncilwoman Hunter was absent. Council dispensed with thereading oftheminutes from theSeptember 16, 2025, Regular Council Meeting, copies ofwhich hadbeen distributed toeach member. Council unanimously approved theminutes aswritten onamotion by Councilwoman Coots seconded byCouncilman Williams. PUBLIC COMMENTS: The Mayor announced thatifcalling byphone, dial *3toraise your hand. Ifconnected bycomputer, click the “hand icon” onyour participant’spanel. Mary West requested thatasphalt beputover thespeed hump/bump onLarew Ave. She saidthat Earhart Street needs speed humps/bumps. Mary said thattheCity needs tohold landlords accountable. John Brady of131Orchard Avenue said thatheneeds asituation regarding a fence that heandhisneighbor have been having issues overresolved. Heasked Chief Code Enforcement Officer Morgan toget back tohimregarding this. City Manager Jarrell said that hewould discuss itwithCode Enforcement. Christina Baisden expressed herdisagreement with theformat oftheAgenda forCity Council meetings. Shesaid thatthree appointments to various committees areonthe Agneda this evening and inarecent Council Meeting Councilwoman Shoemaker-Dingess requested thatCouncil bemade aware when terms on commissions andcommittees areabout toexpire sothatCouncil members canconsider new people toserve onthecommittees who have notserved inthepast. TheMayor asked if anyone was online requesting tospeak. There were noonline speakers. Next were Brief Comments from theMayor, Council Members, andtheCity Manager. Councilwoman Bullock aswell astheother Council members thanked Director ofBeckley Events, JillMoorefield, forthe great jobshe didwith Chili Night. Councilwoman Bullock said thatMrSpangler asked hertothank theBoard ofPublic Works department forhelping himrecently. Councilwoman Bullock thanked Code Enforcement andtheBPD fortheir help. Councilman Buchanan andother Council members thanked Recorder-Treasurer Jessica Chandler forhelping theCity during hertimeinthisposition andwished herthebest inher new endeavor assherecently gave herresignation effective inNovember. Councilman Williams thanked allthedepartment heads forwhat they dofortheCity andthanked Mr.File forhishard work. Mr.Filethanked Councilman Williams andexplained thattheformat oftheAgenda isthe format thatthe City will beusing and theformat isanoutline for business items tobe categorized. For example, when there arenoordinances orresolutions theformat willremain thesame. Councilwoman Shoemaker-Dingess said that City Manager Jarrell discussed with herLisa Strader’sinterest inbeing ontheBoard ofZoning Appeals, which resulted inher nomination. Councilwoman Coots requested thattheVape/Smoke Shop Ordinance be updated toinclude compliance checks tohold these stores accountable andaction needs tobe taken early on, thefirst time iftheyarenot incompliance. Sheasked Mr. Fileifthefirst reading ofanordinance regarding theLand Reuse Agency (LRA) willbeonanAgenda soon. Mr.Filesaid thatitwillbeonanAgenda soon. The Mayor encouraged everyone toattend Woodrow Wilson’shomecoming football game thisFriday andsaid theparade isSaturday. Hesaid that Halloween fortheCity ofBeckley willbeonFriday, October 31st from 6pm-8pm. Councilman Reedy said thathehasheard alotofexcitement from people insupport ofadog park intheCity. Hesaid thattheCounty passed anordinance pertaining topanhandling today andsaid the Cityneeds towork with theCounty regarding thisproblem because hedoesn’t think theCounty’sordinance applies inCity limits. City Manager Jarrell said thathewill work with BillRoop regarding this. Mr.Jarrell said itisalso asafety issue. Councilman Reedy said thathehasnoticed asignificant increase inpanhandling over thelastmonth. He said that hewatched abuspick upaman and woman onHarper Road after hesaw them panhandling. Hesaid thathewas told thatvans arebringing people into Beckley anddropping them offandpicking them upafter they panhandle. Councilman Reedy thanked BPW for their work ontheEarwood parking lot. City Manager Jarrell thanked the staff andJill Moorefield for agreat event last weekend, which was Chili Night. ENACTMENT OF ORDINANCES: There were noordinances. ADOPTION OFRESOLUTIONS: There were noresolutions. OLD BUSINESS: There was nooldbusiness. NEW BUSINESS: TheMayor asked foramotion toappoint Noah Kapp totheEmergency Operating Center Board (term 6-30-27). Councilman Buchanan made amotion, seconded by Councilman Reedy. The Mayor asked ifthere were anyquestions. There were noquestions. Council unanimously approved appointing Noah Kapp totheEmergency Operating Center Board ofDirectors. TheMayor asked foramotion toappoint Gary Sutphin totheBeckley Building Commission (term7-1-30). Councilwoman Coots made amotion, seconded byCouncilman Buchanan. The Mayor asked ifthere were anyquestions. There were noquestions. Council unanimously approved theappointment ofGary Sutphin totheBeckley Building Commission. Next, theMayor asked foramotion toappoint LisaStrader tothe Board ofZoning Appeals (term 6-30-27). Councilman Williams made amotion, seconded by Councilwoman Coots. The Mayor asked ifthere were anyquestions. There were noquestions. Council unanimously approved theappointment ofLisa Strader totheBoard ofZoning Appeals. POTENTIAL EXECUTIVE SESSION REGARDING PERSONNEL ISSUES: TheMayor said there was noneed forExecutive Session. The Mayor adjourned themeeting at 5:54p.m.onamotion byCouncilman Buchanan seconded byCouncilman Williams The Mayor stated theSpecial Parking Commission Meeting todiscuss the Earwood Parking Lotwillfollow theCouncil Meeting. Mayor City Manager