City Council

City of Morgantown 430 Spruce Street, Morgantown, WV 26505 MINUTES REGULAR MEETING March 19, 2024 Regular Meeting: March 19, 2024: The regular meeting of the Common Council of the City of Morgantown was held in the Monongalia County Commission Chambers on Wednesday, March 19, 2024, at 7:07 pm. The meeting was called to order by Mayor Selin. Present: City Manager Kim Haws, Assistant City Manager Emily Muzzarelli, City Clerk Christine Wade, City Attorney Ryan Simonton, Mayor Jenny Selin, Deputy Mayor Joe Abu-Ghannam and Council Members: Bill Kawecki, Louise “Weez” Michael, Danielle Trumble, Dave Harshbarger, and Brian Butcher. Approval of Minutes: March 5, 2024, Special and Regular Meeting minutes were approved as printed by acclamation. Correspondence: None Public Hearing: An Ordinance providing for the Zoning Reclassification of certain parcels of Real Estate in the First Ward of the City of Morgantown, Tax District 9, Tax Map 48A, Parcel 12, Commonly known as 1433 Dorsey Avenue from A R-1, Single- Family Residential District to a B-2, Service Business District Amending Article 1331 of the Planning and Zoning Code of the City of Morgantown as shown on the exhibit hereto attached and declared to be a part of this Ordinance as if the same were fully set forth herein Mayor Selin declared this Public Hearing Open. There being no appearances. Mayor Selin declared the Public Hearing closed. Public Hearing: An Ordinance adopting the Annual Budget for the General Fund and the Coal Severance Fund of the City of Morgantown for the Fiscal Year 2024-2025 Mayor Selin declared this Public Hearing Open. There being no appearances. Mayor Selin declared the Public Hearing closed. Public Hearing: An Ordinance regarding Block 3 of the Brock & Anderson Addition to the City of Morgantown: Annulling existing 6' Alley; and Confirming Lot Configuration and Roads Revisions as set forth on June 1924 Plat of said Addition Mayor Selin declared this Public Hearing Open. There being no appearances. Mayor Selin declared the Public Hearing closed. Public Hearing: An Ordinance Annulling a 12-Foot-Wide Right of Way extending from University Avenue to the Boundary between Parcels 93 and 96 of Tax Map 28, First Ward District Mayor Selin declared this Public Hearing Open. There being no appearances. Mayor Selin declared the Public Hearing closed. Unfinished Business: An Ordinance providing for the Zoning Reclassification of certain parcels of Real Estate in the First Ward, commonly known as 1433 Dorsey Avenue: The below-entitled Ordinance is being presented for second reading.  City of Morgantown An Ordinance providing for the Zoning Reclassification of certain parcels of Real Estate in the First Ward of the City of Morgantown, Tax District 9, Tax Map 48A, Parcel 12, Commonly known as 1433 Dorsey Avenue from a R-1, Single-Family Residential District to a B-2, Service Business District Amending Article 1331 of the Planning and Zoning Code of the City of Morgantown as shown on the exhibit hereto attached and declared to be a part of this Ordinance as if the same were fully set forth herein City Attorney Ryan Simonton explained. After discussion, there was a motion by Councilor Harshbarger, second by Councilor Kawecki, to approve the above-entitled Ordinance. Motion failed 3-4 with Deputy Mayor Abu-Ghannam, Councilor Michael, Councilor Trumble, and Councilor Butcher voting no. An Ordinance annulling a 12-foot-wide Right-of-Way: The below-entitled Ordinance is being presented for approval. An Ordinance Annulling a 12-Foot-Wide Right of Way extending from University Avenue to the Boundary between Parcels 93 and 96 of Tax Map 28, First Ward District City Attorney Ryan Simonton explained. After discussion, there was a motion by Councilor Harshbarger, second by Deputy Mayor Abu-Ghannam, to approve the above-entitled Ordinance. Motion carried 7-0. Boards & Commissions: None Public Portion: Mayor Selin declared the Public Portion open. There being no individuals who spoke, Mayor Selin declared the public portion closed. Special Committee Reports: None Consent Agenda: An Ordinance adopting the Annual Budget for the General Fund and the Coal Severance Fund of the City of Morgantown for the Fiscal Year 2024-2025 An Ordinance regarding Block 3 of the Brock & Anderson Addition to the City of Morgantown: Annulling existing 6' Alley; and Confirming Lot Configuration and Roads Revisions as set forth on June 1924 Plat of said Addition Motion by Councilor Kawecki, second by Deputy Mayor Abu-Ghannam, to approve the above-entitled Ordinances. New Business: An Ordinance amending the FY 2023-2024 Annual Budget: The Ordinance below was presented for first reading. An Ordinance amending the FY 2023-2024 Annual Budget of the City of Morgantown as shown in the Revised Budget attached hereto and made a part of this Ordinance as the same applies to the General Fund Finance Director Kevin Tennant explained. Motion by Councilor Butcher, second by Deputy Mayor Abu-Ghannam, to approve the above-entitled Ordinance to second reading. Motion carried 7-0. A Resolution approving the 2024-2029 Capital Improvement Plan: The Resolution is being presented for approval. Finance Director Kevin Tennant explained. Motion by Deputy Mayor Abu-Ghannam, second by Councilor Harshbarger, to approve the above-entitled Resolution. Motion carried 7-0. A Resolution approving the 2024-2025 Budgets for the City of Morgantown’s Capital Escrow Fund, Municipal Airport Fund, Municipal Sales and Use Tax Fund, and the Arts and Cultural Funds (including MET and HRMP): The Resolution is being presented for approval.  City of Morgantown Finance Director Kevin Tennant explained. Motion by Deputy Mayor Abu-Ghannam, second by Councilor Michael, to approve the above-entitled Resolution. Motion carried 7-0. A Resolution approving and authorizing the submittal to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) of the Substantial Amendment to the FY 2020 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Annual Action Plan: The Resolution is being presented for approval. Assistant City Manager Emily Muzzarelli explained. After discussion, there was a motion by Councilor Harshbarger, second by Councilor Michael, to approve the above-entitled Resolution. Motion carried 7-0. Ruby Summer Concert Series Catering Event Permit: The Ruby Summer Concert Series Catering Event Permit was presented for approval. City Manager Kim Haws explained. After discussion, there was a motion by Councilor Butcher, second by Councilor Trumble, to table. More information is needed. Motion carried 7-0. Appointment of PODA Committee Members: Councilor Trumble explained. After discussion, there was a motion by Councilor Trumble, second by Councilor Harshbarger, to appoint the following as members: Danielle Trumble (City), Steve Bennett (Main Street Morgantown), Grace Hutchens, Steven Wilson, Stephanie Swan, and Shannon Dowling. Motion carried 7-0. City Manager’s Report: No report Report from City Clerk: shared that the police entry level exams were held this past weekend. 20 people applied, 3 people withdrew, 8 people took the test, and 4 passed. Interviews were handled by the Police Civil Service Commission (PCSC) on that day, and they went well. The PCSC will be holding entry level testing again in June. On Saturday, March 16, the PCSC held a Sergeant’s promotional exam, and Joseph bridges will be promoted to sergeant after a successful five-day review and medical exam. Congratulations to Officer Bridges. The Morgantown Fire Civil Service Commission, in conjunction with Morgantown Fire Department will be hosting an agility open house for prospective firefighter candidates on Saturday, April 6, beginning at 10am. This event will take place at the North Side fire station located at 1000 Van Voorhis Road. For those who wish to participate in the open house, please email her or go to the city’s website. There is a job interest form that can be found on the city's Morgantown Fire Department page. About 175 emails were sent out to those folks who have expressed interest in being a firefighter in the past two years. The Communication Center employees made notice on the city's website on the Fire Department page, the city's LinkedIn page, the city's Facebook page, and Twitter. Report from City Attorney: shared there are many city staff working to implement the Private Outdoor Designated Area by its planned start date for May 15. Our GIS staffer Marvin Davis is working on a landing page for the district that will give patrons of businesses information. The Development Services Director has begun working on an application form with councilors’ appointment of that committee to review applications. They can get that process in place so hopefully interested businesses can begin to apply and get their applications together to the Alcohol Beverage Control administration. They are also in progress on a logo and design and a vendor for cups that will be used in the district. There has been state legislation adopted changing the requirements for this district. They anticipate bringing a revised ordinance to council next month to incorporate those revisions into council’s own authorizing ordinance. Report from Council Members: Councilor Michael: shared that there were some issues with ice this morning on a state level. There were 38 accidents and unfortunately a fatality. She wanted to get this information on record and shared that this is unacceptable that the roads were not treated. It mostly occurred on our bridges between 5:30am to 10:30am. Deputy Mayor Abu-Ghannam: shared that he attended his first National League of Cities conference. He had an opportunity to learn a lot and gain a lot of experience and meet a lot of wonderful people. Their next neighborhood meeting is March 25. If you're a member of the First Ward, try to make sure that you can attend, it will be at M Tech as usual. The room will not be posted until the night of, and they will be discussing landscaping, trees, and Jack Roberts Park. They will also be planning their yearly yard sale which we have tentatively penciled in for June 8. Councilor Kawecki: shared that several of his neighborhood meetings have been canceled or postponed. He puts a high value on neighborhood participation and our boards and commissions are extremely valuable in terms of keeping council working in the right  City of Morgantown direction and making sure that the community is really heard. He is disappointed when those activities are curtailed, and he hopes that as the administration that they do more to make sure that they are promoted. He thanked the DOH for doing the patch work that they did last month, but he is surprised to find that the railroad tracks on Route 7 are again exposed, and the Walnut Street Bridge seems to have a hole in the concrete. These things are difficult to accept. Again, he does appreciate their initial attempt, but he hopes that they can come up with better solutions. Councilor Trumble: shared that the BOPARC meeting this month was postponed because she and the mayor were out of town last week. BOPARC will meet on Wednesday, March 20 at 3pm at the Marilla Center. There is also a Ward Boundary Commission meeting on Wednesday, March 20 at 1pm. The Urban Landscape Commission will be meeting for the first time in a long time after their recent appointment of another member on Wednesday, March 27 at 5pm at the Public Safety building. She has received many calls, participated in many meetings, and has been working on the raised concerns for the Bartlett house as they have lost a portion of their funding. She was concerned that that would indicate a closure or less than two weeks later, they are now closed to new clients. They are working to try to find placements for all their current clients. As of last Friday, they are no longer accepting any new clients. It was snowing today, and people were struggling to find shelter. She noted that council needs to make sure this is something that they are all paying attention to. This does create an emergency in our community to keep other services open. Councilor Trumble stated that it is her understanding that the Governor's office did extend an offer to reinstate some of that funding. It is yet to be determined if that will make any type of difference in their timeline or not. But currently, they are closed, and they are having a lot of internal organizational transitions. She has been talking to a lot of people lately about what we would do for a warming shelter for next winter because we cannot assume that sobering center space would be available. She feels the city should put out an RFP for a warming shelter to tell people here's potential funding that we could have available, come to us with your plans now. Really put it out there and ask for ideas now so that they have time to work on it. She spoke about the free bus line. Since the last city council meeting the mayor has had a few conversations with the members of the Morgantown Community Resources board, conversations internally, and with the Mountain Line, and the cost of that bus line is going up. They anticipate based on numbers to date that by the end of this fiscal year, there will be well over 80,000 rides which would result in a bill of $65,000 or so for next year. She doesn’t know where that's going to come from since our social services funding is being cut. Everyone is struggling, everyone is trying to stretch their dollars, and she would love nothing more than to see the city pull back a little of their yearly allocation and keep that tight to help pay some of this bill. Councilor Harshbarger: shared that for those who were able to attend the National League Cities conference, he is glad they were able to, and as somebody that wasn't, he is happy to see we had four representatives. Last week, it was learned that the Mon Rail Trail Conservancy received a $220,000 congressionally directed spending award, targeted towards repaving, but they may have some flexibility on how that's used if they feel there's another need that can be used first. He is happy to see the Marilla Park pool construction rolling along. He lives a few 100 yards above the construction site, and he can listen and see the progress. He provided an update with the Morgantown Utility Board’s meeting last week. They heard from the city attorney of Westover, Tim Stranko, outlining the steps that need to happen before that project comes back to the city. MUB will be responsible for the sewage. The two main projects need to be completed, the new sewer line under Holland Avenue and a lift station. The Holland Avenue will happen first, the lift station second. It is projected that both those projects will be completed probably late spring of next year. His proposal was because MUB already does a lot of the operations and maintenance for the city of Westover and then bills for that. And some point soon MUB will enter into a contract with Westover for the operation and maintenance agreement, but the transition to acquisition of the Westover system does not occur until completion of these projects. Councilor Butcher: shared that the triage shelter at Bartlett closed on Friday. He has been in contact with six individuals since then seeking shelter. He stated that the idea was to try to get these people resourced around the state with different places they could go, and that's not working now. Everywhere they look is full, including Charleston. This is a bit of a dire situation in terms of what's going on there. The hotel program that he helped oversee will have funding in about two to four weeks before that happens. They have already been waiting about six months for a portion of this funding, but that's how funding goes. A bottleneck that they are running into is a lack of case management. The coalition caseworker is already at a full caseload, and they had relied on Bartlett or other services to provide case management. Whenever there's a deficiency in one agency, that tends to trickle down to everybody else. The biggest thing he is facing now is even if they had hotel dollars open, it's difficult to place people in hotels without a prior history of case management, because if they do, they run a high risk of somebody not being appropriate for hotel space, and therefore risking the entire project wholesale. He believes that the council should have a joint meeting with the county to discuss this issue, and perhaps another meeting with service providers, or one joint meeting. He feels that this is a community crisis as we are 152 people into this homeless population, and we just had a shelter of 20 beds shut down. He was talking about this earlier and was advised that somebody was sent here from Pittsburgh because they were full in Pittsburgh. He recommended that they determine if Bartlett has the funding for an employee for at least the next six months and help them with funding to get an employee that does case management. He has a neighborhood meeting on Thursday at 7pm and they will be talking about signs. He has three submissions for sign design from three different local artists. He believes that Matt is also planning on having the volunteer fire department from Star City speak about some of the issues they're having.