2026-10-06 - City Council

15:13>> I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation.

15:30>> This meeting to order, this is Morgantown City Council regular meeting for Tuesday, October 6th.

15:37It is 704 PM.

15:40Clerk Wade, would you, I'm sorry, first is the oath of office for our new seventh board council member before the roll.

16:14>> State your name.

16:16>> I, Gail Taylor.

16:18>> Do solemnly swear.

16:19>> Do solemnly swear.

16:20>> That I will support the Constitution of the United States of America.

16:24>> That I will support the Constitution of the United States of America.

16:28>> The Constitution of the State of West Virginia.

16:30>> The Constitution of the State of West Virginia.

16:33>> And the Charter of the City of Morgantown.

16:35>> And the Charter of the City of Morgantown.

16:37>> And I will faithfully and impartially.

16:39>> And I will faithfully and impartially.

16:41>> Discharge the duties of office of council member.

16:44>> Discharge the duties of and the office of council member.

16:49>> For the seventh board.

16:51>> For the seventh board.

16:52>> For the best of my skill and judgment.

16:53>> For the best of my skill and judgment.

16:54>> Knowledge by saying I will.

16:57>> I will.

16:58>> Thank you.

17:00>> Thank you and thank you Morgantown for your support as we continue this journey together.

17:35>> I'd like to invite my friends and neighbors to come and take a photo with me because it's because of you that I'm here.

18:05>> Shout out to Bingons for my counselor Wendell.

18:08>> Right.

18:54>> Schedule the program.

18:55>> Clerk Wade, would you please call the roll?

18:57>> Mm-hm.

18:59>> All those in favor?

19:02>> Aye.

19:03>> Opposed?

19:05>> Aye.

19:08>> Opposed?

19:09>> Aye.

19:11>> Opposed?

19:13>> Aye.

19:14>> Opposed?

19:16>> Aye.

19:18>> Opposed?

19:19>> Aye.

19:20>> Opposed?

19:21>> Aye.

19:22>> Opposed?

19:23>> Aye.

19:24>> Opposed?

19:25>> Aye.

19:26>> Opposed?

19:27>> Aye.

19:28>> Opposed?

19:29>> Aye.

19:30>> Opposed?

19:31>> Aye.

19:33>> Opposed?

19:34>> Aye.

19:37>> Opposed?

19:38>> Aye.

19:40>> Opposed?

19:41>> Aye.

19:42>> Opposed?

19:43>> Aye.

19:44>> Opposed?

19:45>> Aye.

19:46>> Opposed?

19:47>> Aye.

19:48>> Opposed?

19:49>> Aye.

19:50>> Opposed?

19:51>> Aye.

19:52>> Opposed?

19:53>> Aye.

19:54>> Opposed?

19:55>> Aye.

19:56>> Opposed?

19:57>> Aye.

19:58>> Opposed?

19:59>> Aye.

20:00>> Opposed?

20:01>> Aye.

20:02>> Opposed?

20:03>> Aye.

20:04>> Opposed?

20:05>> Aye.

20:06>> Opposed?

20:07>> Aye.

20:08>> Opposed?

20:09>> Aye.

20:10>> Opposed?

20:11>> Aye.

20:12>> Opposed?

20:13>> Aye.

20:14>> Opposed?

20:15>> Aye.

20:16>> Opposed?

20:17>> Aye.

20:18>> Opposed?

20:19>> Aye.

20:20>> Opposed?

20:21>> Aye.

20:22>> Opposed?

20:24>> Aye.

20:25>> Opposed?

20:26>> Aye.

20:27>> Opposed?

20:29>> Aye.

20:30>> Opposed?

20:31>> Aye.

20:32>> Opposed?

20:33>> Aye.

20:34>> Opposed?

20:35>> Aye.

20:36>> Opposed?

20:37>> Aye.

20:38>> Opposed?

20:39>> Aye.

20:40>> Opposed?

20:41>> Aye.

20:42>> Opposed?

20:43>> Aye.

20:44>> Opposed?

20:45>> Aye.

20:46>> Opposed?

20:47>> Aye.

20:48>> Opposed?

20:49>> Aye.

20:50>> Opposed?

20:51>> Aye.

20:52>> Opposed?

20:53>> Aye.

20:54>> Opposed?

20:55>> Aye.

20:56>> Opposed?

20:57>> Aye.

20:58>> Opposed?

20:59>> Aye.

21:00>> Opposed?

21:02>> Aye.

21:03>> Opposed?

21:04>> Aye.

21:05>> Opposed?

21:06>> Aye.

21:07>> Opposed?

21:08>> Aye.

21:09>> Opposed?

21:10>> Aye.

21:11>> Opposed?

21:12>> Aye.

21:13>> Opposed?

21:15>> Aye.

21:16>> Opposed?

21:17>> Aye.

21:18>> Opposed?

21:19>> Aye.

21:20>> Opposed?

21:21>> Aye.

21:22>> Opposed?

21:23>> Aye.

21:25>> Opposed?

21:26>> Aye.

21:27>> Opposed?

21:28>> Aye.

21:30>> Opposed?

21:31>> Aye.

21:32>> Opposed?

21:33>> Aye.

21:35>> Opposed?

21:36>> Aye.

21:37>> Opposed?

21:38>> Aye.

21:39>> Opposed?

21:40>> Aye.

21:41>> Opposed?

21:42>> Aye.

21:43>> Opposed?

21:44>> Aye.

21:45>> Opposed?

21:46>> Aye.

21:47>> Opposed?

21:48>> Aye.

21:49>> Opposed?

21:51>> Aye.

21:55>> Opposed?

21:56>> Aye.

21:57>> Opposed?

21:58>> Aye.

21:59>> Opposed?

22:00>> Aye.

22:01>> Opposed?

22:02>> Aye.

22:03>> Opposed?

22:04>> Aye.

22:05>> Opposed?

22:06>> Aye.

22:07>> Opposed?

22:08>> Aye.

22:09>> Opposed?

22:10>> Aye.

22:11>> Opposed?

22:12>> Aye.

22:13>> Opposed?

22:14>> Aye.

22:15>> Opposed?

22:16>> Aye.

22:17>> Opposed?

22:18>> Aye.

22:19>> Opposed?

22:20>> Aye.

22:21>> Opposed?

22:22>> Aye.

22:23>> Opposed?

22:24>> Aye.

22:25>> Opposed?

22:26>> Aye.

22:27>> Opposed?

22:28>> Aye.

22:29>> Opposed?

22:30>> Aye.

22:31>> Opposed?

22:32>> Aye.

22:33>> Opposed?

22:34>> Aye.

22:35>> Opposed?

22:36>> Aye.

22:37>> Opposed?

22:38>> Aye.

22:39>> Opposed?

22:40>> Aye.

22:41>> Opposed?

22:42>> Aye.

22:43>> Opposed?

22:44>> Aye.

22:45>> Opposed?

22:47>> Aye.

22:48>> Opposed?

22:49>> Aye.

22:50>> Opposed?

22:51>> Aye.

22:52>> Opposed?

22:53>> Aye.

22:54>> Opposed?

22:55>> Aye.

22:56>> Opposed?

22:57>> Aye.

22:58>> Opposed?

22:59>> Aye.

23:00>> Opposed?

23:01>> Aye.

23:02>> Opposed?

23:03>> Aye.

23:04>> Opposed?

23:05>> Aye.

23:06>> Opposed?

23:07>> Aye.

23:08>> Opposed?

23:10>> Aye.

23:11>> Opposed?

23:12>> Aye.

23:13>> Opposed?

23:14>> Aye.

23:15>> Opposed?

23:16>> Aye.

23:17>> Opposed?

23:18>> Aye.

23:19>> Opposed?

23:20>> Aye.

23:21>> Opposed?

23:22>> Aye.

23:24>> Opposed?

23:25>> Aye.

23:27>> Opposed?

23:28>> Aye.

23:29>> Opposed?

23:30>> Aye.

23:31>> Opposed?

23:32>> Aye.

23:33>> Opposed?

23:34>> Aye.

23:35>> Opposed?

23:36>> Aye.

23:37>> Opposed?

23:38>> Aye.

23:39>> Opposed?

23:40>> Aye.

23:41>> Opposed?

23:42>> Aye.

23:43>> Opposed?

23:44>> Aye.

23:45>> Opposed?

23:46>> Aye.

23:47>> Opposed?

23:48>> Aye.

23:49>> Opposed?

23:51>> Aye.

23:52>> Opposed?

23:53>> Aye.

23:55>> Opposed?

23:56>> Aye.

23:57>> Opposed?

23:58>> Aye.

23:59>> Opposed?

24:00>> Aye.

24:01>> Opposed?

24:02>> Aye.

24:03>> Opposed?

24:04>> Aye.

24:05>> Opposed?

24:06>> Aye.

24:07>> Opposed?

24:08>> Aye.

24:09>> Opposed?

24:10>> Aye.

24:11>> Opposed?

24:12>> Aye.

24:13>> Opposed?

24:14>> Aye.

24:15>> Opposed?

24:16>> Aye.

24:17>> Opposed?

24:18>> Aye.

24:19>> Opposed?

24:20>> Aye.

24:21>> Opposed?

24:22>> Aye.

24:23>> Opposed?

24:24>> Aye.

24:25>> Opposed?

24:26>> Aye.

24:27>> Opposed?

24:28>> Aye.

24:29>> Opposed?

24:30>> Aye.

24:31>> Opposed?

24:32>> Aye.

24:33>> Opposed?

24:35>> Aye.

24:36>> Opposed?

24:37>> Aye.

24:38>> Opposed?

24:39>> Aye.

24:40>> Opposed?

24:41>> Aye.

24:42>> Opposed?

24:43>> Aye.

24:44>> Opposed?

24:45>> Aye.

24:46>> Opposed?

24:47>> Aye.

24:48>> Opposed?

24:51>> Aye.

24:52>> Opposed?

24:53>> Aye.

24:54>> Opposed?

24:55>> Aye.

24:56>> Opposed?

24:57>> Aye.

24:58>> Opposed?

24:59>> Aye.

25:00>> Opposed?

25:01>> Aye.

25:02>> Opposed?

25:03>> Aye.

25:04>> Opposed?

25:05>> Aye.

25:06>> Opposed?

25:07>> Aye.

25:08>> Opposed?

25:09>> Aye.

25:10>> Opposed?

25:11>> Aye.

25:12>> Opposed?

25:13>> Aye.

25:14>> Opposed?

25:15>> Aye.

25:16>> Opposed?

25:18>> Aye.

25:19>> Opposed?

25:23>> Aye.

25:24>> Opposed?

25:26>> Aye.

25:27>> Opposed?

25:28>> Aye.

25:29>> Opposed?

25:30>> Aye.

25:31>> Opposed?

25:32>> Aye.

25:33>> Opposed?

25:34>> Aye.

25:35>> Opposed?

25:36>> Aye.

25:37>> Opposed?

25:38>> Aye.

25:39>> Opposed?

25:40>> Aye.

25:41>> Opposed?

25:42>> Aye.

25:43>> Opposed?

25:44>> Aye.

25:45>> Opposed?

25:46>> Aye.

25:47>> Opposed?

25:48>> Aye.

25:49>> Opposed?

25:50>> Aye.

25:51>> Opposed?

25:52>> Aye.

25:53>> Opposed?

25:54>> Aye.

25:55>> Opposed?

25:56>> Aye.

25:57>> Opposed?

25:58>> Aye.

25:59>> Opposed?

26:00>> Aye.

26:01>> Opposed?

26:02>> Aye.

26:03>> Opposed?

26:04>> Aye.

26:05>> Opposed?

26:06>> Aye.

26:07>> Opposed?

26:08>> Aye.

26:09>> Opposed?

26:10>> Aye.

26:11>> Opposed?

26:12>> Aye.

26:13>> Opposed?

26:14>> Aye.

26:15>> Opposed?

26:16>> Aye.

26:17>> Opposed?

26:18>> Aye.

26:19>> Opposed?

26:20>> Aye.

26:21>> Opposed?

26:24>> Aye.

26:25>> Opposed?

26:26>> Aye.

26:27>> Opposed?

26:28>> Aye.

26:29>> Opposed?

26:30>> Aye.

26:31>> Opposed?

26:32>> Aye.

26:33>> Opposed?

26:34>> Aye.

26:35>> Opposed?

26:36>> Aye.

26:37>> Opposed?

26:38>> Aye.

26:39>> Opposed?

26:40>> Aye.

26:41>> Opposed?

26:42>> Aye.

26:43>> Opposed?

26:44>> Aye.

26:45>> Opposed?

26:46>> Aye.

26:47>> Opposed?

26:48>> Aye.

26:49>> Opposed?

26:50>> Aye.

26:51>> Opposed?

26:52>> Aye.

26:53>> Opposed?

26:54>> Aye.

26:55>> Opposed?

26:56>> Aye.

26:57>> Opposed?

26:58>> Aye.

26:59>> Opposed?

27:00>> Aye.

27:01>> Opposed?

27:02>> Aye.

27:03>> Opposed?

27:04>> Aye.

27:05>> Opposed?

27:06>> Aye.

27:07>> Opposed?

27:08>> Aye.

27:09>> Opposed?

27:10>> Aye.

27:11>> Opposed?

27:12>> Aye.

27:13>> Opposed?

27:14>> Aye.

27:15>> Opposed?

27:16>> Aye.

27:17>> Opposed?

27:18>> Aye.

27:19>> Opposed?

27:21>> Aye.

27:22>> Opposed?

27:23>> Aye.

27:24>> Opposed?

27:25>> Aye.

27:26>> Opposed?

27:27>> Aye.

27:28>> Opposed?

27:29>> Aye.

27:30>> Opposed?

27:31>> Aye.

27:32>> Opposed?

27:33>> Aye.

27:34>> Opposed?

27:35>> Aye.

27:36>> Opposed?

27:37>> Aye.

27:38>> Opposed?

27:39>> Aye.

27:40>> Opposed?

27:41>> Aye.

27:42>> Opposed?

27:43>> Aye.

27:44>> Opposed?

27:45>> Aye.

27:46>> Opposed?

27:47>> Aye.

27:48>> Opposed?

27:49>> Aye.

27:50>> Opposed?

27:51>> Aye.

27:52>> Opposed?

27:53>> Aye.

27:54>> Opposed?

27:55>> Aye.

27:57>> Opposed?

27:58>> Aye.

27:59>> Opposed?

28:00>> Aye.

28:01>> Opposed?

28:02>> Aye.

28:03>> Opposed?

28:04>> Aye.

28:05>> Opposed?

28:06>> Aye.

28:07>> Opposed?

28:08>> Aye.

28:09>> Opposed?

28:10>> Aye.

28:11>> Opposed?

28:12>> Aye.

28:13>> Opposed?

28:14>> Aye.

28:15>> Opposed?

28:19>> Aye.

28:20>> Opposed?

28:21>> Aye.

28:22>> Opposed?

28:23>> Aye.

28:24>> Opposed?

28:25>> Aye.

28:26>> Opposed?

28:27>> Aye.

28:28>> Opposed?

28:29>> Aye.

28:30>> Opposed?

28:31>> Aye.

28:32>> Opposed?

28:33>> Aye.

28:34>> Opposed?

28:35>> Aye.

28:36>> We've had 40 free yoga classes so far with over 750 people.

28:55We've had over 54,000 people at just the summer concerts on the 4th of July from 37 states

29:02and three countries at least that we know of.

29:05We've had over -- we'll have over -- we've had right around 60,000 total for park attendance

29:10for the summer.

29:1185% of our summer concert series people come within 50 miles so we're serving local primarily

29:18but that means 6,000 people traveled more than 50 miles and clearly with 37 states

29:24we know that they're coming from at distance and it's always exciting to see that.

29:28And with Hanson we had at least three concerts in that concert.

29:32Using data from place or AI and working with CVB and using their calculations we estimated

29:41those 6,000 people just on one day each, 1.4 million dollars in economic impact and that's

29:48a formula that the state tourism uses.

29:50It's kind of right in the middle of $150 to $200 per day and that doesn't count for

29:55what local people are doing downtown on Friday nights either before or after so we think

30:00that's good.

30:02Our marketing partnership with WVRC Media generated over 6 million audio and digital

30:08impressions and for our own city communications teams I talked about it earlier.

30:12We had nearly 3 million views on our social media posts which is a 14% increase.

30:18Our interactions with those posts were up 50% to over 30,000 and our video content

30:25with it last year we had a total of 41 hours of video watch for people on Facebook.

30:32This year we had 572 hours which is 24 days, I had to write it down if you're doing the

30:39math which is a 1246% increase just in people watching our videos.

30:46Jordan Brown was really driving most of that effort so I want to make sure to call him

30:49out and thank him and reiterate what a great partnership we really have with the entire

30:53communications team because when summer hits we really put stress on them covering everything

30:59else that's going on the city so we appreciate that.

31:01Here's a snapshot of some of the financial data for the Ruby Summer Concert Series.

31:10Of course none of this would happen without a ton of local support and generosity of the

31:15Hazel Ruby McQueen Charitable Trust, our title sponsor, there's a list of our major corporate

31:21and other business sponsors all the way down and you can see that it's considerable.

31:26On the expense side I estimate city's salaried support from all the departments pretty conservatively

31:31at about $150,000 to $200,000 worth of when you try to clock all the man hours of all

31:37the people that work.

31:38I'm sure that that's probably light but we try to be conservative.

31:43You can see a breakdown of some of our artists and production costs as well.

31:47I think we're very proud about a lot of things about the Ruby Anthe Theater but I think

31:51it's worth noting that we directly generate about $20,000 in local hotel and hospitality

31:57spend through our artists.

32:00I don't know how much they spend for lunch at Dirty Bird and Iron Horse and everything

32:04on Fridays down here but we're very proud of that.

32:07Our local food and beverage vendors sold over $190,000 in concession sales at the park.

32:13That's 11 events for about four hours a night and they brought in or generated $190,000

32:19in sale.

32:20Artists sold around $46,000 in merchandise which is interesting because not as many

32:25are carrying merch as they used to and I don't know why.

32:31They sold about $46,000 in merchandise and we generated nearly $19,000 in parking revenues

32:37through the parking garage so that's always helped.

32:41So overall on a Friday night we're averaging about 4,000 people if you spread it out over

32:46the whole 11 concerts every Friday night that's definitely impacting restaurants, bars.

32:51We're putting heads in beds.

32:53I think now with the cell phone data that we can utilize we're really showing how much

32:58economic and social impact we're having on Morgantown and the Wharf and we're just very

33:03proud of all of that.

33:06In addition to cold hard cash, as I like to say, we have a lot of community involvement

33:10so approximately $125,000 in in-kind support.

33:14I think again it's important to point out our partnership with WVRC Media.

33:19They over what we invest in which is pretty small generated an $82,000 worth of airtime

33:26and digital and in our shared partnerships and we have all kinds of other in-kind donations

33:31from all of our partners, Hotel Morgan, Big Partner and of course our production partners.

33:37Active Air and RMA, they've been really critical to our success because they're actually involved

33:42as real partners.

33:43They're not in it just for the contract or the cash.

33:46They really contribute and we all kind of work in tandem together and it's been a really

33:50great partnership.

33:55This one gets challenging.

33:56In five years the Ruby Concert Series has grown to be one of the largest attended and

34:00probably best, in my opinion, music festivals and the venue in the state of West Virginia.

34:06So this year, if I can get this straight, we were again voted third best outdoor concert

34:10series by USA Today 10 Best Readers Poll.

34:14We're currently a top three finalist in the Dominion Post Readers Choice Poll, a finalist

34:19in best of West Virginia so you can still vote to the 12th for Best Fair Festival and

34:24I think we might be in live music venue.

34:26They're all blurring together because Best of Morgantown is, we are a finalist in Best

34:30of Morgantown as well.

34:32I just found out today for Fair and Festival and Performing Arts Facility.

34:36In West Virginia Living, Morgantown is listed as best town for the arts.

34:40We are a finalist there and a new one, Best Municipal Fireworks Display.

34:45So our annual assault on Westover has been noticed and we might get some accolades for

34:50that.

34:52As always, we'd like to have a little recap video and Emily's going to figure out how

34:58to get that going.

37:00We're not done yet though.

37:05As always, we will again have our Halloween spooktacular on Saturday, October 31st this

37:11year so we anticipate being the first wave of trick or treaters that day.

37:16From four to six at five we'll show Nightmare Before Christmas and then at seven we'll be

37:20showing Rocky Horror Picture Show again.

37:22So come out if you want to participate in some of that.

37:26And just quick updates on the Metropolitan Theater.

37:30This year with the Met it's been a mixed results.

37:33Use and event days as well as attendance have decreased slightly but we're seeing that

37:38across venues across the entire country, especially venues smaller in similar size.

37:44We have generated over $100,000 in revenues and a ton of Maun County students have either

37:50performed or attended shows at the Met, which is another ROI that we're proud of.

37:56It doesn't translate into the rental and use days we'd like but, you know, 3500 kids being

38:01there is a good thing and we'll celebrate that.

38:04We did complete our capital project to repair and upgrade our rigging system.

38:07We also partnered with the comms department again to launch Mic'd Up Morgantown.

38:11We shot that at the Met on the stage for the city's podcast and we'll continue to

38:15support them if they want to move forward with that.

38:18I would, there's a lot of shows coming up at the Met so I'd invite you to come out for

38:21one of those.

38:22The Met is also, again, nominated for the Best in Morgantown Best Performing Arts venue.

38:27You can see they've won it, I don't know, four or five or six times in the last few

38:30years.

38:31So we're proud of the work we're doing there as well.

38:35And the History Museum continues to grow.

38:37We've had an increased number of events, exhibits and partnerships with other organizations.

38:42Attendance is great.

38:43We've had about 3,500 people since January visit the museum and/or one of the events.

38:48The staff created the Semiquincentennial or 250th exhibit for this summer and they're

38:54currently working on relocation plans for the museum by the end of the year because

38:59of expected construction at the HPO.

39:02So that's where we are with the museum.

39:04At the Eastern Roller Mill we're equally busy.

39:07We took possession and I want to really call out the museum staff because they worked really

39:11hard to get it open by the 4th of July and really transform the inside.

39:16For those of you who might have seen it before, the after is so much nicer and it is a living

39:20history museum.

39:21They did a lot of really great work.

39:22So Jason Burns and Katie Donnelly and all of our staff really worked on that.

39:27We've had about 300 people visit the mill since we opened in July, which I think is

39:32pretty good.

39:33The roof replacement literally started this morning because I was out there and they're

39:37tearing it off.

39:38We should have the soffits, gutters and downspouts done by the end of next week or the week

39:42after and that will kind of close out the major capital investments that we wanted to

39:48do this year, all of which have been funded through grants.

39:52The staff are working on a final fall festival event.

39:56Also on Halloween we like to double up on holidays because if we're going to work we

39:59might as well call it work.

40:01We were awarded for next year 1.75 AmeriCorps positions from Preservation Alliance of West

40:08Virginia.

40:09We had one because we took on the mill.

40:11They're like, "Yeah, we'd love to give you another one."

40:13So the friends of the museum help pay for that through grants that they get and that

40:17gives us another warm body to really help us with the work of the museum and the mill.

40:22The museum is currently a finalist for best museum in the West Virginia Living magazine.

40:27We won the bronze last year.

40:29Just go online and look for awards and try to vote for us if you can because I can't

40:34keep it.

40:35I try to vote three or four times a day so I'm sure it's challenging.

40:39Once with every email address.

40:41Every email?

40:42You're right.

40:43You know the secret.

40:44But, yes, any email you have, you can vote.

40:47Mayor, if I may, before we turn it over to Council, I would be remiss, I know Vincent

40:52has done a great job to highlight his team as well as the rest of the city team that

40:56is so integral in making everything happen but would be remiss to not acknowledge Vincent

41:03and really the leadership that he's provided not only certainly of the Ruby Concert Series

41:09but everything that he's really touched but particularly I do want to talk about the Ruby

41:13Summer Concert Series which is something incredibly special that this community has

41:19to offer to its citizens and I think Vincent was a big part of envisioning what that could

41:25be and making those big swings to say we can do something really great and special

41:29here and as joining your community you have done something great and special so I certainly

41:34want to recognize Vincent and the part he's played in that.

41:38Thank you.

41:39It takes a village.

41:40But thank you.

41:41It's great to be in the business of smiling faces.

41:45But, I mean, Vincent, you and the team and the entire, all the other city departments

41:56that support you and what you're doing are clearly doing a great job.

42:02To your point about the Met, I mean, it's community space, right?

42:06It's part of its job and its role and our role in supporting that asset is for it to

42:14foster and grow more talent in and around and make culture and arts available for the

42:21community so that we end up with more people on the stage, right?

42:25Like Charles Wesley Godwin, you know, people that come up here.

42:30We want to be, I want to see this community known as a community that produces, you know,

42:38talent and we have that opportunity here.

42:46Jason's doing a great job at the museum and I look forward to seeing how that evolves

42:51through some of the transitions that are coming up.

42:53I think the museum has a ton of opportunity there.

43:00I just want to say I appreciate you.

43:02I think you strive for excellence.

43:05You push for excellence, you demand excellence and I think that's a great characteristic

43:09of yours.

43:10I really appreciate it and every year this just keeps getting better and better.

43:17I do want to thank the Hazel Ruby McQueen Charitable Trust with their investment makes

43:25this --

43:26It's made everything possible.

43:28I think we'd be remiss if we didn't recognize they're believing in you and the city and

43:37this community and I just think we owe them a tremendous debt of gratitude for what they've

43:42done.

43:43We do.

43:44You're absolutely right.

43:45Thank you.

43:46Thanks.

43:47One of the things I did want to say because you mentioned that ticket sales are down across

43:49the board everywhere and if anyone ever looks online, all we hear about is how expensive

43:54it is to go everywhere but we are the benefit of being a community that has been able to

43:59offer through your efforts with the Ruby McQueen Trust a free concert series to our community

44:05and I don't think a lot of people realize too is just how affordable it is to go to

44:09the Met.

44:11So really I just wanted to take this opportunity to speak on the affordability.

44:14I went to the Napoleon Dynamite presentation where we watched the movie and the cast answered

44:24questions.

44:25It was a fantastic experience that I've never been a part of where it was kind of like

44:29I got to be 17 all over again and pretend that nobody aged, myself included and I saw

44:36that Steve-O is coming.

44:37I was going to say Steve-O is coming, got to be 18 and over, it's an adult show, don't

44:40bring your kids, please, we just found out.

44:43But the most expensive ticket is $75 and that is the cheapest lawn seat you can get

44:52anywhere else and so I just wanted to make sure that people knew that it is affordable

44:56and this is something that's made for our community and I just appreciate all the effort

45:01you put in.

45:02And I think particularly because of the economy, the fact that what we can do with the world

45:05class talent we bring in the summer for free, that is a real gift.

45:08That's how we all view it.

45:09We're giving this to the community because they might not get to go to a show or a concert

45:13like that otherwise.

45:14Yeah, I appreciate you saying that out loud.

45:18I just, I know that that is a driving force and one of your north stars and it's incredibly

45:24apparent in all your work, I just, I also want to join the bandwagon and just tell

45:30you how much I appreciate you and your team.

45:34So many of the reasons I am so thankful to be raising my girls here are things that

45:40you and your team produce.

45:42We'll be at Mary Poppins this weekend, we'll be at the Nutcracker, we'll be, it means

45:48a lot to me to be able to walk downtown in my town and take my girls to a show and it's

45:54just magical for them and I know we're not the only family experiencing that on a regular

45:58basis.

45:59So, thank you.

46:00Absolutely.

46:01And what a venue for the local youth to get to participate, the students that get to act

46:07on that stage or perform on that stage are very lucky.

46:10Well even WVU comes every year and rents them out and they put on the whole shebang

46:13with the puppets and the music, I mean, because they want those students to see what it's

46:17like to be outside of the CAC and have that experience.

46:20So I was on the Cultural Arts Commission.

46:22Yes.

46:23So it was Gayle.

46:24And now Gayle is on the Cultural Arts Commission.

46:27Yes.

46:28Yeah, so.

46:29What's happening?

46:30What's your secret?

46:31I don't know, I just like get people there for a meeting once a quarter, that'd be great

46:36for me.

46:37You know, it gets harder and harder with people's lives but you know, we have a lot of passionate

46:41people I think that are involved in arts and culture in this community and I'm involved

46:44with the university at a number of levels, I'm on the visiting committee of the CAC and

46:48so we have a real town and gown partnership, we do a lot, all our kids are recruited out

46:52of there, mostly, I mean, you know, it's been tremendous for what we try to do and

46:57I think it opens a lot of doors.

46:59And I just want to jump in and say, you know, I'm biased because I was on the Cultural

47:02Arts Commission, yes, but anybody who has not had the opportunity or the advantage

47:07to go to the riverfront to see the summer concert series, please take out your calendar

47:13for when the shows are announced next year and just mark off your Friday and because

47:19and tell all your friends, tell all your associates, just plan around the three months

47:27of excellent programming that we offer and also know that the city of Morgantown does

47:35so much with college students who want to learn music production and the ins and outs

47:41from taking out the trash to setting up a soundboard, this is also an educational opportunity.

47:50It's unofficial, but we're hoping Switchfoot will be back early and I'm not going to announce

47:54soon as I feel comfortable enough, but we agreed on a date and a number so I think it

47:58will probably happen.

47:59I think it's going to be tentative, don't worry, it'll be tentative.

48:04I think we've all kind of highlighted small different pieces of what you do and I really

48:15noticed the work at the Rowland Mill and I've appreciated it and appreciated keeping

48:23it up, roofing, things that preserve something for the future and recognizing that as some

48:31of your first things that needed to happen aside from getting the dust out and working

48:37with the previous nonprofit that put a lot of love and effort into it and then the transition

48:43to our ownership or stewardship of it.

48:49I think it's important both with Rowland Mill and the museum to note we have very kind

48:56of historic downtown, but we don't have a lot of other historic assets that I see.

49:04There are a few here and there, but this is one historic asset that you can really

49:10go in, you can see the Rowland Mill actually work, move, and I think for kids that's really

49:19important to see something mechanical moving and think about how things were done in the

49:27past and kind of honor that.

49:30I like when you're doing the summer series how you have a local and a national mix.

49:36I think that's really appropriate and forward thinking to have that mix every time so you're

49:47just makes the series more special.

49:53And then some of the users of the Met that are local that get people on the stage even

50:00though they may not generate a lot of income sometimes is another kind of way that we

50:08make sure that we're offering shows that are national or regional in scope, but also

50:15getting the kids and adults on the stage is an important function of a theater of that

50:24size, so appreciate your work as everyone else has.

50:30Thank you.

50:31See you next year.

50:32I'm sure we'll see you before that, but thank you.

50:39The next item of correspondence is National Community Planning Month Proclamation.

50:45I see Director Yeager wandering around outside, I assume he or someone from his team is here

50:51to receive?

50:52Yes ma'am, thank you.

51:13Yes, whereas change is constant and affects all cities, towns, suburbs, counties, boroughs,

51:16townships, rural areas and other places, and whereas planners can help navigate this change

51:22with data driven insights and expertise that provide better choices for how people work

51:27and live, and whereas community planning provides an opportunity for all residents to be meaningfully

51:32involved in making choices that determine the future of their community, and whereas

51:37the full benefits of planning require public elected and appointed officials who understand,

51:43support and demand excellence in planning and plan implementation, and whereas the

51:47month of October is designated as National Community Planning Month throughout the United

51:52States of America and its territories, and whereas the American Planning Association

51:57endorses National Community Planning Month as an opportunity to highlight how planning

52:01is essential to every community and how planners are uniquely positioned to identify solutions

52:07to communities most difficult housing, transportation and land use questions, and whereas the celebration

52:13of National Community Planning Month gives us the opportunity to publicly recognize the

52:18participation and dedication of appointed planning commission and board of zoning appeal

52:23members and other citizen planners who have contributed their time and expertise to the

52:28improvement of the city of Morgantown through their work and participation on various boards

52:32and commissions in the community, and whereas we recognize the many valuable contributions

52:37made by the professional community and regional planners throughout the Mountain State and

52:41extend our heartfelt thanks for the continued commitment to public service by these professionals.

52:46Now therefore, be it resolved that the month of October, 2026 is hereby designated as

52:51Community Planning Month in the city of Morgantown in conjunction with the celebration of National

52:56Community Planning Month adopted the sixth day of October.

52:59Thank you, ma'am.

53:01Appreciate it.

53:02Appreciate it.

53:12Let's turn this to the planning commission meeting on Thursday.

53:14Absolutely will do.

53:15And if I may just say thank you, mayor and council, for the proclamation.

53:19I just want to thank our team for all the good work they do in development services

53:22and thank all the people who volunteer their time to serve on all those boards and commissions,

53:27including neighborhood coordinating councils, neighborhood associations.

53:31And this was not in the proclamation but also to thank council for all the work you

53:35do on seating people to serve on these boards.

53:37I know you guys have a rigorous process that you go through and it takes a lot of time

53:41on your part, so really appreciate all the work you do on putting people on these boards

53:44to serve our community.

53:45So thank you very much.

53:46Thank you.

53:47Thank you, Ricky.

53:50The next item of correspondence is the Municipal Government Week Proclamation.

53:54Clerk Wade, do you usually receive this?

53:57Sure.

53:58[Laughter]

53:59Why ever not.

54:01[Laughter]

54:11Whereas the city of Morgantown is proud to join in celebrating the 31st annual Municipal

54:16Government Week from October 12th to 18th, 2026, and whereas this week-long observance

54:22highlights the vital role municipalities play in strengthening communities across

54:26the state of West Virginia, and whereas Municipal Government provides services and programs

54:31that enhance the quality of life for residents, making their city their home, and whereas

54:36many citizens are not always aware of the full range of services their municipalities

54:40provide or the officials and employees who ensure these services are delivered effectively,

54:46and whereas Municipal Government is administered for and by its citizens and is dependent on

54:50public commitment to and understanding of its many responsibilities, and whereas Municipal

54:56officials desire to inform residents of the important investments made on their behalf

55:00and to strengthen understanding of how local government impacts daily life, and whereas

55:05Municipal Government Week provides opportunities for schools, residents, and community leaders

55:09to participate in activities that showcase the work of municipal government and its positive

55:14impact on the quality of life for all West Virginians, and whereas the city of Morgantown

55:19strives to teach citizens about municipal government through a variety of activities,

55:24including a mock city council meeting with area high school students on October 8th

55:28in city council chambers, a touch-a-truck event at a local elementary school on October

55:3213th, read aloud events featuring city staff at area schools, a coloring contest open

55:39to all students in Montingalia County, and the inaugural city of Morgantown Wiener Dog

55:43Races and Voter Education event on October 15th. Now therefore I, Danielle Trumbull,

55:49Mayor of the city of Morgantown, West Virginia, hereby proclaim the week of October 12th to

55:5418th, 2026 as Municipal Government Week in the city of Morgantown and encourage all citizens

56:00to engage in this celebration, learn more about their local government, and recognize

56:04the dedication of those who serve their community. Now just say, Clerk Wade, every year puts

56:09together a fabulous lineup for Municipal Government Week, and all of those lovely events that

56:14were mentioned in the proclamation are a direct result of her involvement, so we thank her

56:20for that every year. That's our last item of correspondence. We have a report of proclamations.

56:46The Hispanic and Latino Heritage Month proclamation was presented by Deputy Mayor Downs at the

56:54Sister Cities Commission Community Fiesta. I believe that was a joint proclamation with

57:00Sister Cities and Human Rights Commission. It was. It was a tremendous affair. There

57:07was, there was Latin music, food, food trucks, and just, you know, a good community gathering.

57:18It was a great event, and I look forward to that next year. Fantastic. Thank you for

57:23attending and presenting that in my absence. We have one public hearing this evening. This

57:32is for anyone wishing to speak on this item and this item alone. There is a public comment

57:37portion later in the meeting. This public hearing is specifically for an ordinance authorizing

57:43the Morgan's Run Water Extension Project. We will open this public hearing. Is there

57:48anyone wishing to speak on this item? Good evening. Eric Carlson, chair of the

57:59MUB Board, 278 Green Bag. You'll be taking up here in a few moments the two ordinances related to the bond

58:11issuance for Morgan's Run. As we recall, that's a total of 26 homes out in the Cheat

58:15Lake area. We've argued with them for the last few years. The water that they had been

58:21utilizing there via wells has failed, and a number of residents, we have some here,

58:27have been getting water trucked in to their homes and paying a large amount for each of

58:34those deliveries, and so we've worked with the state and worked with grantees to have

58:45this project come into place, and I've got some excellent news that our bids have come

58:48in, and we are below where we're anticipating. BC Allen was a low bidder at a little bit

58:56over $2 million and $90,000, which will bring the total cost, the total anticipated cost

59:03of the project, to $2.87 million in change, down from $4.6 million. So I think, as I

59:13stated previously, one anytime you go to public bid, who knows what's going to happen, but

59:19the federal dollars that were out there recently with water and sewer, everything was coming

59:24in high because it could. Those dollars have dried up. They already have to have been allocated.

59:30They have to be spent by the end of the year, and so these people who brought a lot of

59:33other folks on, I think are looking to keep them all employed, and so we're very, very

59:36excited about getting that project done. If you have received your MUB bill, you've undoubtedly

59:41got this in the mail with it. It talks about the $77.13 surcharge under schedule one and

59:48the potential of schedule two up to $154. We're at the $77. Unfortunately, though, came

59:55in below the way the waterfall works with the funding from the state.

1:00:00The grant gets scaled back when the funding -- when the budget is below, not the loan.

1:00:07Though that's something that our team at MOB did work on trying to get the state to lower

1:00:14that surcharge for the 26 customers out there, but weren't able to get that done.

1:00:19However, on an annual basis, if we have brought on five more people, five more houses out

1:00:26there, there will be a recalculation of that $77 as it will be spread across to the new

1:00:32folks that would be on that line as well.

1:00:34So it won't be above $77.13, and we hopefully will see it in the future years going down

1:00:42below that.

1:00:43So I appreciate your support on this, and appreciate the support you guys have given

1:00:46so far.

1:00:47>> Thank you.

1:00:50Is there anyone else wishing to speak on this item?

1:00:52Seeing none, we will close that public hearing and move into unfinished.

1:01:00The first item of which is consideration of approval of second reading of an ordinance

1:01:07authorizing the series 2026A utility system revenue bonds.

1:01:12For Morgan's run water line extension, we had our first reading on September 15, 2026.

1:01:19>> Thank you, Mayor, and thank you, Mr. Carlson, for the presentation on this item.

1:01:23I certainly won't rebrief on any of the product.

1:01:26I just wanted to make a couple of quick notes as you look to consider the next two approval

1:01:31items.

1:01:32Procedurally, normally you see items go forward on second reading on the majority of items

1:01:39that you consider.

1:01:40With the bond issuance, there will be a third reading.

1:01:43So the bond issuance item will come forward for a third reading at the end of October,

1:01:48and then the project establishment ordinance that you are considering today will just have

1:01:52the two readings, which is why we had the public hearing today for one of the items

1:01:56and not the other item.

1:01:59And then further at a future meeting, the rate setting for the surcharge that was discussed

1:02:04will formally come before you all as well.

1:02:07>> Thank you.

1:02:09>> Is there any specific question for Manager Miller?

1:02:14>> Move to approve.

1:02:15>> Second.

1:02:16>> Thank you.

1:02:17Any discussion?

1:02:21Seeing none.

1:02:22>> Clerk, wait.

1:02:23>> Yes.

1:02:25>> Joe Bugonim.

1:02:26>> Yes.

1:02:29>> Jodie Hollingshead.

1:02:30>> Yes.

1:02:32>> Wheezy Michael.

1:02:34>> Yes.

1:02:35>> Jenny Saline.

1:02:37>> Yes.

1:02:38>> Mary Treble.

1:02:39>> Yes.

1:02:41>> Passes 7-0 again.

1:02:42We're back to a full capsule.

1:02:45>> Item B, consideration of approval of second reading of an ordinance authorizing the Morgan's

1:02:50Run Water Extension Project.

1:02:52The first reading was also September 15, 2026.

1:02:56>> Thank you.

1:02:57May or no further brief on this item?

1:02:58>> Move to approve.

1:03:00>> Thank you.

1:03:01>> Second.

1:03:02>> Thank you.

1:03:03Discussion?

1:03:07Seeing none.

1:03:08Clerk, wait.

1:03:09>> Yes.

1:03:11>> Joe Bugonim.

1:03:12>> Yes.

1:03:14>> Jenny Saline.

1:03:16>> Yes.

1:03:17>> Gail Taylor.

1:03:19>> Yes.

1:03:21>> Deputy Mayor Downs.

1:03:22>> Yes.

1:03:24>> Mayor Treble.

1:03:25>> Yes.

1:03:26Passes 7-0.

1:03:27Item C, unfinished business, boards and commissions, I believe we do have a few appointments

1:03:33this evening.

1:03:34>> If I may nominate, and forgive me if I say this incorrectly, Mayla Caballao, for

1:03:46the City Sister Cities Commission.

1:03:53>> Second.

1:03:54>> Thank you.

1:03:55>> And I'll nominate Patrick Smith for the RCC.

1:03:56>> Second.

1:03:58>> Thank you.

1:03:59Everyone in favor of those appointments?

1:04:01Yes.

1:04:02I don't believe we have other appointments to be made at this time.

1:04:08Which brings us into the next item on the agenda.

1:04:11Thank you, gentlemen.

1:04:15The public portion, subject to rules established by Council adopted by resolution.

1:04:19Please approach the podium.

1:04:20You can get your name and some form of address.

1:04:22You're given four minutes to speak.

1:04:24There is a sign-up sheet.

1:04:25We will go by the sign-up sheet first.

1:04:29But anyone, you do not have to be signed up in order to speak.

1:04:34The first name on the sign-up sheet is Theo Webb.

1:04:44>> Which microphone?

1:04:45>> I'm Theo Webb.

1:04:47I live here just outside of Morgantown City limits on Hartman Run Road.

1:04:54And I'm here to speak on the new business, an ordinance providing for release -- excuse

1:05:00me -- approval of an ordinance regulating surveillance systems by city officials on

1:05:05city property.

1:05:09So I want to thank the council for taking this issue seriously.

1:05:13It's a very important issue.

1:05:15You may have been watching the news.

1:05:19Some cities have gone forward with this mass surveillance and there's been a huge backlash

1:05:27by the communities and dozens of cities have had to retract what they're doing and cancel

1:05:35those contracts.

1:05:37There are also problems with lawsuits.

1:05:41But this ordinance, I appreciate that you guys have taken a look at this issue.

1:05:52I can't speak to the ordinance itself at this point because I'm here to learn.

1:05:57I'm here to learn about what you're doing with it.

1:06:01But generally, what I want to say is I'm here to speak for the Fourth Amendment of

1:06:08our Constitution.

1:06:11Many of us have worked in government, taken that oath to the Constitution, which is very

1:06:15important to all of us.

1:06:18The Fourth Amendment, our civil liberties are important, as you all know.

1:06:23And city councils are like our last line of defense.

1:06:29I'm very concerned about the rise of this mass surveillance industrial complex.

1:06:37There are big corporations that have a big interest in collecting our data.

1:06:44And when you combine that with artificial intelligence, creating a profile of the entire

1:06:54population, that's a serious matter.

1:06:57And these are warrantless searches.

1:07:01So this is a clear violation of the Fourth Amendment, you're creating a mass surveillance

1:07:06dragnet, and a lot of Americans won't stand for that.

1:07:14But again, I thank you for taking this issue seriously, and thank you for listening.

1:07:18Thank you.

1:07:19There is no one else signed up to speak.

1:07:23Is there anyone else wishing to speak this evening?

1:07:26Seeing none.

1:07:32There's a theory.

1:07:33Sorry, my name is Harrison York.

1:07:43I really didn't prepare anything to say today.

1:07:45I did.

1:07:46I'm here to talk about the flock ordinance.

1:07:50Reading through it, it seems like it's a pretty solid start.

1:07:54I appreciate the council taking this issue seriously.

1:07:58I appreciate the fact that you actually have it addressing all ALPRs and not just flock

1:08:07cameras because they're trying to put other ones in as well.

1:08:13One issue I do kind of have with the ordinance is it seems like it doesn't outright ban

1:08:20this technology.

1:08:21It leaves it open to the whims of future councils who may be less opposed to this issue.

1:08:30And it kind of leaves the door open for it to still be put into this community on city

1:08:35property.

1:08:36And I guess I just feel like it doesn't go far enough overall.

1:08:41That's really all I have to say.

1:08:54Hi, I'm Nicholas Turner, and I'm a resident of Morgantown.

1:08:59I'm here today to once again call on the mayor and council to stop the complacency

1:09:03and harmful, violent, oppressive systems and ordinances.

1:09:07When folks talk about flock and ALPRs denying our rights with more or less mass surveillance,

1:09:12we should also be talking about all of the other inhumane and abhorrent ordinances that

1:09:16we already have in place that also deny vulnerable groups their constitutional rights and allow

1:09:21an overfunded police state to run rampant with warrantless search and seizures like

1:09:25the camping ban.

1:09:26The camping ban was the beginning of this police overreach in Morgantown and is allowed

1:09:30to be used as a pretext to stop, harass and arrest on house folks for simply having nowhere

1:09:35else to go.

1:09:37This is especially bad as I have addressed council previously about the county's inability

1:09:41to fund jails, the city's failing to properly fund social services or cutting them completely.

1:09:47Moving their services outside of city limits makes the symptoms of being unhoused worse.

1:09:52Numerous reports and studies have shown that moving people makes conditions worse and allows

1:09:56for more overdoses if using.

1:09:59So we can see the city overfunds the punishment, so we can see the city overfunds the punishments

1:10:05but cannot fund solutions.

1:10:06So why have the ban?

1:10:09But they refuse to get help.

1:10:11This claim leaves a lot of context out.

1:10:14Shelters have restrictions, they are constantly full or have rules that make folks unable

1:10:18to go because they would be required to give up pets or their belongings.

1:10:22Many, maybe the few shelters we have aren't safe for them because of gender, sexuality

1:10:26or race.

1:10:27Refusing one option doesn't necessarily mean refusing help.

1:10:31Sometimes the options afforded simply are not realistic, safe or accessible, which you

1:10:35know the city services are continually moved out of side city limits and bus pass programs

1:10:40cut.

1:10:42We keep pushing the programs outside of town fine.

1:10:45We cut services to help folks recover, that's cool.

1:10:48We push the funding and solutions to other jurisdictions, nonprofits and churches, wonderful.

1:10:53How about we do the bare minimum and not arrest folks for surviving on the fucking

1:10:57streets while we are playing not my problem.

1:11:00I'm aware of members wanting to speak one on one or want to seek my opinion on these

1:11:04issues but much like your opinions on Unhoused, my opinion doesn't mean jack shit.

1:11:09How about we actually get involved with folks affected by the ban, the ones suffering on

1:11:13the street while you rather care about your career or bootlicking the police.

1:11:18I invite you all to come out and talk to our Unhoused neighbors, get to know them and

1:11:22gain some humanity.

1:11:23I do what I can as a private citizen but you can do more.

1:11:27Make decisions based on material conditions and not your feelings.

1:11:31Repeal the camping ban, abolish ALPRs in Morgantown, this is the bare minimum, nothing less.

1:11:38Thank you.

1:11:39Is there anyone else wishing to speak?

1:11:49I am Lindsay, I live in Woodburn.

1:11:55I sent you all an email today, sort of last minute so it's possible that you haven't

1:11:59had a chance to look at it yet but it contained a lot of pictures and some videos.

1:12:04I'm not a photographer.

1:12:05I don't think that they fully represent the thing that I want to talk about tonight which

1:12:09is Whitmore Park in Woodburn and then some of the infrastructure concerns I have living

1:12:15in Woodburn.

1:12:16So I suppose I will start with the park.

1:12:20I love Whitmore.

1:12:21I walk, I'm really challenging myself to stick with the walking routine and I've done that

1:12:25for about six months now and part of my walk is going through Whitmore, sometimes down

1:12:30to the railroad but sometimes out through Forest Avenue, right?

1:12:42And Whitmore is scary and not for the reason that you might imagine I'm going to say but

1:12:47Whitmore is scary because it's pretty dangerous physically.

1:12:52I mean I think I'm like a pretty able walker or hiker and the footing in Whitmore is just

1:13:00asking for somebody to fall and see the city, truly.

1:13:03I'm surprised that some other trails are actually open.

1:13:05I suppose I'm glad they are because I can get down to the rail trail but I haven't really

1:13:10seen any improvement or any work.

1:13:13Mayor Trumbull did get, there's a picnic table down there that's like a really nice

1:13:17shady spot and Mayor Trumbull did get work to get the picnic table fixed because it

1:13:22was in bad shape but the park itself, the trails itself have degraded consistently since

1:13:28I moved to Morgantown.

1:13:30I think there are lots of opportunities for Whitmore.

1:13:32There's the pump track down at the bottom so it provides really great connectivity

1:13:36from our neighborhood up on that hill down to the rail trail, Greenmont.

1:13:41We're getting the bridge across Deckers Creek that will connect the rail trail to Greenmont

1:13:46so I am sort of tired of Whitmore being ignored.

1:13:50I don't, you know, I'm happy to talk to whoever I need to talk to and I know there are other

1:13:54folks in our community we're getting together to do some advocacy around the park but we'd

1:13:58love to see some investment, some better lighting.

1:14:01It's the saddest playground I've ever laid eyes on.

1:14:03I can't imagine a child wanting to hang out down there and then of course the trail building

1:14:09just absolutely needs some work.

1:14:11It's a real liability.

1:14:13The second thing that I'd love to, I've realized that Whitmore, it says Morgantown's oldest

1:14:20park and I think that's funny because it really looks like it.

1:14:23Yeah, it just does not get the love that other parks around the city get and I think

1:14:28that's a real shame given how many of us live in Woodburn and love Woodburn.

1:14:33The sidewalks, sort of a separate issue but I think tangential because a lot of them

1:14:37provide connectivity to the park.

1:14:39The sidewalks, particularly along Richwood, also a huge liability.

1:14:43I know I've seen you the pictures, it's actually really hard to tell depth of the holes on

1:14:48the sidewalks there on Richwood but the sidewalk on Richwood is dangerous.

1:14:52I'm not a runner.

1:14:53If I was, I probably would kill myself.

1:14:55I'm a walker so I can go a little bit more slowly and be careful but if I were somebody

1:14:59who had accessibility challenges, that's not really a useful sidewalk, both the sidewalk

1:15:05but also getting down into, like the steps getting down into Whitmore Park.

1:15:11You can't even really tell there's a park there because there's a sign but it's a really

1:15:15nice sign but it kind of sits back.

1:15:17I think there's a real opportunity for placemaking both at the playground, the top entrance

1:15:23to Whitmore from Richwood and then also down around Forest.

1:15:26There's plenty of room for like picnic tables and other infrastructure.

1:15:31This is totally unrelated to those two things but I'd love for you guys to come to the

1:15:34neighborhood and do a walk with me and Leslie, we'd love to show you around.

1:15:38The last thing I'll say is not related.

1:15:40On the way over here, I passed through two different plumes of pot smoke, one behind

1:15:45Brock Green Wade where I parked and one in front of Apothecary.

1:15:49I don't care if people smoke pot, that's really not my point but I will say it's interesting

1:15:54what privileged people with means have because if my friends who live outside were doing

1:15:58drugs in the open air, they absolutely would be ticketed or arrested but we have people

1:16:02who look like me who are allowed to just do drugs wherever they want to.

1:16:06I mean, I don't think it should be illegal but it is, I think that's a real problem.

1:16:11So I just wanted to point out that we don't treat people equally in the city of Morgantown.

1:16:15Thank you guys.

1:16:16Thank you.

1:16:19Anyone else wishing to speak?

1:16:26I don't know which one I'm speaking into actually.

1:16:29Hi everyone, Leslie Nash.

1:16:31I also live in Woodburn, just came up for a couple of reasons, won't take the full

1:16:36four minutes hopefully.

1:16:38I do want to second what Lindsay's just said about some of the park and sidewalk issues.

1:16:45I am a runner.

1:16:46I spend a lot of time on the roads and trails in Morgantown.

1:16:50I have probably nearly run into several of you several times and I do find it a bit

1:16:56of a struggle, especially this time of year as it gets darker earlier.

1:17:00Once you're on the rail trail, it's kind of past the paved part where it's gravel,

1:17:03you kind of know what you're getting yourself into but on the rail trail and especially

1:17:07on the sidewalks on Richwood, even going into downtown, some of that I have fallen

1:17:12flat on my face multiple times because of branches have come up, caused the sidewalks

1:17:17to buckle or we have large like five inch holes.

1:17:21I'm talking about Richwood here specifically that I have like definitely fallen on my

1:17:25face and so I really do encourage areas where the city is able to kind of keep those spaces

1:17:31up both for folks like me who are running late at night because we're too busy or for

1:17:38folks who are just walking around during the day.

1:17:40People with kids, accessibility issues, strollers, like I think there are a lot of places that

1:17:43are difficult to get to that make it just a little bit harder for people to get to

1:17:47some of the nice areas of Morgantown.

1:17:52Also in that vein, I will also put out a pitch.

1:17:54I know that it is getting towards the late fall and winter and soon we will be turning

1:17:58off the water fountains downtown which makes me very sad.

1:18:01Star City has already turned off their water fountain next to Terra which is very depressing

1:18:06but anything I can do to encourage the city to keep the water fountains on over by like

1:18:11the Greer factory and downtown like right at the amphitheater for longer, strongly support

1:18:18that people also get thirsty in the winter.

1:18:21And completely unrelated but just sort of the last thing I also want to echo my appreciation

1:18:27for City Council's sort of consideration of some of these surveillance tech issues.

1:18:32I know it's just the first reading of the ordinance tonight I expect there will be some

1:18:36changes and amendments to it and some discussion over how to fine tune it but I think it's

1:18:42a really important issue and I think it is very forward thinking of the city to try

1:18:47to get a jump on some of these things before the tech is already here and we're having

1:18:51to think through it as a lawsuit or a sort of looking back and regretting not doing

1:18:57this beforehand.

1:18:58So thank you guys.

1:18:59>> Anyone else wishing to speak this evening?

1:19:12Hello, everyone.

1:19:13Page rearing.

1:19:14Spruce Street.

1:19:15So I also wanted to come talk about the flop cameras in the ordinance that is being proposed.

1:19:19I read through it and obviously it's a lot of legalese but there were just a couple

1:19:24of questions or maybe concerns that I had.

1:19:27I'm really glad that this was being brought up and that we're talking about this.

1:19:32As many of you know, I've been talking about this with the county every single week.

1:19:37So I was really excited to see this ordinance up for a reading.

1:19:42So one thing that I was a little bit concerned about just looking at potential loopholes

1:19:48that there could be was that there is the section C, council determination vendor certification.

1:19:57And when I was reading through it, I was a little concerned that I think that this

1:20:02will do a lot to prevent the technology from coming into our communities which I'm definitely

1:20:08a fan of keeping them out.

1:20:11My only concern would be maybe we'd want to include something about interpretations

1:20:17of data.

1:20:19The way that flocks, terms and services describes this.

1:20:23This is how they were able to in Wisconsin after this town in Wisconsin voted to take

1:20:29down their flock cameras, flock said no, no, no, please wait.

1:20:33What if we sell you back five years of your traffic data?

1:20:37The reason that they were able to do that even though they said we only keep the data

1:20:41for 30 days or whatever is because they keep interpretations of data.

1:20:48The flock section 1.12 of their terms and conditions defines all data analysis and derivative

1:20:57works from customer data as flocks own property.

1:21:01Obviously it's not just flock we need to worry about, it's all ALPRs and surveillance

1:21:06tech.

1:21:07But I think it might be a good idea to just think about including language about derivatives

1:21:13of customer data, derivative works, just kind of seal up that loophole, just make

1:21:18sure that there's no wiggle room for that.

1:21:22But otherwise, like I was very happy with this ordinance.

1:21:26I'm glad that we're looking at all technology, not just specifically ALPRs.

1:21:31I know that ALPRs are kind of like the big headline right now but it is all of the surveillance

1:21:36as the country becomes increasingly scary and we see people using power in ways that

1:21:45until now we kind of thought were unprecedented.

1:21:48I'm glad to see all of y'all taking that step forward to nip this in the bud as soon

1:21:53as possible.

1:21:54I'm very thankful to all of you and I will yield my time.

1:21:57Thank you.

1:22:01Any other member of the public wishing to speak?

1:22:07None.

1:22:09We will close the public portion.

1:22:15We have no special committee reports this evening.

1:22:19There is one item on the consent agenda.

1:22:22As a reminder, the consent agenda is voted upon with no deliberation as long as no member

1:22:29of council requests items to be pulled off of the consent agenda.

1:22:34The item on the consent agenda this evening is consideration of approval of a resolution

1:22:38amending fiscal year 2026, 2027, budget revision for the Morgantown capital escrow fund which

1:22:44would be revision number three.

1:22:46To approve?

1:22:49Second.

1:22:51Thank you.

1:22:52Clerk wait.

1:22:56Joe Buganum.

1:22:58Yes.

1:22:59Jody Hollingshead.

1:23:01Yes.

1:23:03Wheezy Michael.

1:23:04Yes.

1:23:06Ginny Celine.

1:23:08Yes.

1:23:09Gail Taylor.

1:23:11Yes.

1:23:12Deputy Mayor Nouns.

1:23:13Yes.

1:23:14Mayor Trumbull.

1:23:15Yes.

1:23:17The item of new business is seventh board council member board and commission assignments.

1:23:22Council each splits up boards and commissions and with the departure of councilor Butcher,

1:23:31we have his commission assignments.

1:23:34I believe that Gail Taylor will be continuing her service on the cultural arts commission

1:23:40as now the council representative on that commission.

1:23:44Yes.

1:23:45Thank you.

1:23:46Fantastic.

1:23:47And for the time being, I will take over attendance for the human rights commission.

1:23:53That.

1:23:55Thank you.

1:23:57Fantastic.

1:23:58All right.

1:24:00Thank you.

1:24:01I believe those were, I know we also had him listed as housing advisory but that one

1:24:05is no longer in service, correct?

1:24:09Right.

1:24:10Item B, consideration of approval of first reading of an ordinance providing for release

1:24:14of an easement and acceptance of a modified easement over parcel 50, sorry, 45.4 of tax

1:24:20map 15.

1:24:23Thank you, Mayor.

1:24:24This ordinance would authorize the city manager to release an existing easement and accept

1:24:28a new easement over a portion of hillside property in the Evansdale area that is commonly

1:24:35known as part of the campus connector trail.

1:24:37It's a path that connects between 8th Street and the Evansdale neighborhood and campus.

1:24:44There are a couple of utility easements in the area, but it's a path that is regularly

1:24:49used by the public.

1:24:52City Council previously authorized acceptance of a current easement that is recorded from

1:24:57the prior owners of this property.

1:25:00Council has to authorize those documents by ordinance which requires a period of several

1:25:05weeks in the interim between the ordinance being delivered for city consideration and

1:25:12its approval and recording that property was sold by the owners who granted the easement

1:25:16to new owners whose deed was recorded first.

1:25:20So based on our notice and reporting laws, the easement would not be effective unless

1:25:27they had notice of it.

1:25:31The owners reached out to the city asking if that easement would be released or if it

1:25:35could be modified so it covers less of this hillside portion of their property.

1:25:40What this ordinance would propose to do is authorize the city manager to obtain a modified

1:25:46easement that still preserves the ability to have a trail across that portion of property

1:25:51and release the prior easement that covered the entire hillside portion.

1:25:54Are there any specific questions for Attorney Simonson on the easement?

1:26:03You mentioned that the trail is still accessible regardless.

1:26:08In terms of by accessible, I mean people can still walk the trail.

1:26:14I should say, I know that people walk the trail.

1:26:18It's a commonly used path.

1:26:19There's not a, other than this easement we're talking about, there's not a recorded easement

1:26:25making this a dedicated pedestrian path.

1:26:28There are easements in the area for both a steam line and a gas line.

1:26:33Oh, actually.

1:26:34Which are not the same as the right to walk over it.

1:26:38So this would obtain the right to walk over it.

1:26:41People who are already walking over it.

1:26:46No, it's complicated because I think people assume that.

1:26:49If we're going to have discussion, might we have a motion?

1:26:52We have to approve.

1:26:54Second.

1:26:55Continue your discussion.

1:26:56Thank you.

1:26:57So this would formally and in perpetuity allow people to walk across it.

1:27:04Which would be, in my point of view, very desirable.

1:27:10Thank you for that elicitation.

1:27:12It's very confusing and it's been used for decades.

1:27:17So it's just, this is an easement over one life.

1:27:21Thank you.

1:27:24Further discussion?

1:27:28I like trails.

1:27:29Oh, sorry.

1:27:30That's it.

1:27:31I like trails.

1:27:32I like trails too.

1:27:34Joe Bugano?

1:27:35Yes.

1:27:37Jodie Hollington?

1:27:40Yes.

1:27:41Wendy Michael?

1:27:43Yes.

1:27:44Jenny Selene?

1:27:45Yes.

1:27:47Gail Taylor?

1:27:48Yes.

1:27:50Deputy Mayor Downs?

1:27:51Yes.

1:27:52Mayor Trumbull?

1:27:54Yes.

1:27:55Passes 7-0.

1:27:56Item C, consideration of approval of a first reading of an ordinance regulating surveillance

1:28:00system by city officials and on city property.

1:28:03Yes.

1:28:04Thank you, Mayor.

1:28:05Members of City Council has requested that legislation be drafted to address privacy

1:28:10interests of citizens in light of the increasing capabilities of technology, including systems

1:28:16that utilize facial recognition, ALPR and other surveillance technologies.

1:28:22Several communities have begun the process of establishing frameworks that govern these

1:28:26types of technologies and Attorney Simonson will go into a little further about how we

1:28:30are seeing some of these different communities approach this.

1:28:35So the attached ordinance draws from some of these examples and is intended to provide

1:28:40a starting point for council to discuss the opportunity to establish clear and a reasonable

1:28:44path forward for how the city evaluates, acquires, uses, audits and manages surveillance technologies

1:28:51as these technologies continue to rapidly advance.

1:28:55So when I think of technology as a whole, we often see that there are some very legitimate

1:29:02operational benefits that come with technology advances, but technology advances come very

1:29:08quickly.

1:29:09But I think the issue for local government is we're often found that we now have to

1:29:13think of therefore not simply whether a technology is useful, but whether there are clear rules

1:29:20on governing, when it may be used, how we access it, how the information is protected,

1:29:27how long it's retained and making sure that the public as well as elected officials understand

1:29:32how it is used as well.

1:29:34So that is what part of this ordinance is intended to address on these types of technologies.

1:29:39Attorney Simonson, if you'd like to add anything.

1:29:43Thank you, Jamie.

1:29:44As the city manager mentioned, there are a few models that municipalities across the

1:29:48country have pursued in trying to regulate technologies for appropriate use in their

1:29:54governments.

1:29:55They sort of fall into three categories where there are prohibitions on face recognition

1:30:01with a pretty common definition and certain exceptions.

1:30:05There are regulations of ALPR systems with data retention, destruction and access requirements,

1:30:11as well as data sharing and other provisions.

1:30:14And then there are sort of global reviews of all surveillance technology that provide

1:30:21like this ordinance for a public hearing and a public approval if that technology is going

1:30:26to be used.

1:30:27The city has an ordinance in front of it that takes a bit from those models and incorporates

1:30:33some other details as well.

1:30:36I understand that council members have received questions about this since the ordinance has

1:30:42been published and we've heard some tonight and as mentioned, both the contractual terms

1:30:48governing these technologies and the systems themselves can be both a little complex and

1:30:55changing rapidly.

1:30:56So you have the ordinance on first reading tonight.

1:31:00Any kind of amendment can be made as we have discussion tonight and we can work through

1:31:05those as you'd like, but you also, if you have more questions or more substantive amendments

1:31:10that might take some time, we can just take a look at those and bring back an updated

1:31:16version if you prefer.

1:31:20I feel like everything is going to lead to discussion.

1:31:24So is there a motion to continue to...

1:31:27Move to a group.

1:31:30Second.

1:31:31Thank you.

1:31:32Okay.

1:31:33That's for discussion purposes.

1:31:34Everything's going to lead to discussion.

1:31:35Well, I was going to ask if we needed to make the motion or if we were allowed to talk

1:31:39because I still had wanted to interact, like I didn't want to run the risk of not being

1:31:44able to bring this back later by making that motion.

1:31:47Oh, that won't impact your ability.

1:31:49Okay.

1:31:50Next, then.

1:31:55First, let me thank the public that came out to speak tonight.

1:31:57I appreciate everything that everyone did have to say.

1:32:00I've been working with Councilor Downs and our city attorney, Ryan Simonson, and previously

1:32:06Councilor Butcher since March, I believe it was, was when we first had our first discussion.

1:32:15And it is a lot of information that I've learned about and I appreciate your attention to detail.

1:32:26I also recognize that there were concerns that were brought up because, I mean, we read

1:32:31through this so many times now that some of the things have been sort of overlooked

1:32:39accidentally in terms of the different definitions.

1:32:43So I know that some of the things we talked about in terms of making those changes may

1:32:50have been more substantial.

1:32:52So I would look to the rest of Council and also before I move anything else, I really

1:32:59appreciate that we brought this to the agenda because I've been asking for it since August

1:33:04to be here.

1:33:06So I am very grateful for that and I'm glad that we are having these discussions.

1:33:11But I wouldn't, I'm good to move forward, but I also feel there are some substantial

1:33:17changes that I would also like to see in terms of some of our very specific terminology.

1:33:23Yeah.

1:33:24And thanks.

1:33:25You know, we have been doing onboarding with Councilor Taylor.

1:33:32And one of the things that the Mayor Trumbull said that resonates now is that, and with

1:33:39public feedback, hearing public feedback and just, you know, as we've iterated through

1:33:44this process on this specific issue is when the Mayor was asked about what one of the

1:33:51biggest surprises to her for serving in this capacity is that the public a lot of times

1:33:58expects us to be experts in everything related that comes before us, right?

1:34:03None of us are experts in this issue, but we care about your privacy, we care about

1:34:10your safety and there's some intersection here, doesn't mean we have to compromise

1:34:16one to have the other.

1:34:19But I think this is a real example where what you said resonates to what Joe and Attorney

1:34:28Simonson said, you know, there are some changes.

1:34:32This is a work in progress.

1:34:33I think it's directionally where I'd like it to be heading, but there are still some,

1:34:44you know, still some things that I'd like to clean up, you know.

1:34:49So I was comfortable with voting for it and seeing some changes and tweaks between that

1:34:57first and second reading, but I'm also comfortable seeing --

1:35:02>> I guess my concern would be a question to Attorney Simonson, how -- Simonson, sorry.

1:35:09I'm thinking one thing and looking at substantial changes would require two readings.

1:35:19So it does not do us procedurally any good to vote now if we intend to make substantial

1:35:29changes.

1:35:30>> Well, you can't make those material changes on second reading and adoption, but I would

1:35:36just say, if you're making a lot of changes to this ordinance, it'd be easy to miss something

1:35:42doing that on the fly and it might be better to just reintroduce something on first reading

1:35:48if there -- you know, one change might affect another provision here and there.

1:35:52I think somebody described it as a lot.

1:35:57>> I would say, because I know that we talked about it, and there were three things that

1:36:05I had discussed with you earlier that I wanted to see stronger definitions and specifics.

1:36:16So I would still like to see this on October 20th for the first reading, if possible.

1:36:25>> I had a list of six and I'm up to nine now, so --

1:36:30>> This was three before everybody came out and spoke, so I would still like to try to

1:36:37see this get moving because I would like to be forward moving with this.

1:36:44>> And I think we are moving to, you know, and I think it's important to keep moving,

1:36:50but I also like the idea of our business being, you know, put out -- I'm more comfortable

1:37:01with us bringing it back to a first reading given the public, you know, more of an opportunity

1:37:06to engage with it and interact with us.

1:37:11>> And I think one of the big things to say to the public that I heard several times

1:37:15is a matter of the data, because we do not want our data sold, and we want to ensure

1:37:21that what we do protects the privacy of our residents and our citizens.

1:37:30>> Would it be best to just take no action on this item and bring it back for a first

1:37:35reading in two weeks at our next meeting, or should we table, just no action is easier

1:37:43than --

1:37:44>> Taking no action would be fine, we can just plan to have that on Council's next

1:37:48agenda with any updates.

1:37:50>> Happy to withdraw the motion unless we've had our full discussion.

1:37:56>> I'm going to say, mm-hmm.

1:37:59>> Okay, so we just will take no action on that item and see it again with some updates

1:38:07on the next agenda.

1:38:11Report from the City Manager.

1:38:12>> Yes, thank you, Mayor.

1:38:13I do have several items tonight, but I will try to be brief.

1:38:18First, I want to say welcome to Councillor Taylor, certainly the last two days from

1:38:23an orientation standpoint has been wonderful to spend that time with you.

1:38:27I want to thank the rest of the Council that had come out to support the orientation as

1:38:32well as as Bow Park for their participation in making sure that we were sustained over

1:38:36the last two days, so that was a great, I feel, use of everybody's time for the last

1:38:43two days.

1:38:44So thank you for sticking with us.

1:38:45>> You're welcome, and thank you.

1:38:47>> Yes, thank you.

1:38:49Was so glad to bring Brian before you all to introduce.

1:38:52I'm excited about the team that we have as well as the team that we're building, but

1:38:56I certainly want to take a moment to recognize that in that period of time before Brian had

1:39:02joined us, Emily had been doing Yeoman's work as far as filling in, not only in her

1:39:07regular duty as the Assistant City Manager, which is a big lift on its own, but filling

1:39:11in as our Acting Airport Director during that time, so thank you for your leadership

1:39:16and the guidance.

1:39:17The team continued to do great things under your time there, and I know certainly the

1:39:23staff had expressed to me the appreciation for the support they felt all the way you

1:39:27were over there, so.

1:39:34We are headed into the time of year where we get to recognize a lot of great opportunities,

1:39:41so you heard some of them tonight, including municipal government, including our planning.

1:39:46It's always great to be able to recognize our staff.

1:39:49I do want to mention this week.

1:39:50It's also Fire Prevention Week, so it's one of the longest standing educational campaigns

1:39:56that is out there, and we certainly thank our Fire Department who is supporting those

1:40:01education efforts.

1:40:02We love any opportunity to get out into the school and engage as well, so you likely will

1:40:07see the Fire Department doing some of those initiatives this week, but adding on to Municipal

1:40:12Government Week, and I too wanted to thank Christine for her work on that, but overall

1:40:17really when we talk about Municipal Government Week and the intent of having that recognition

1:40:24is to help the community understand a little bit about the services that the municipal

1:40:30government provide to the citizens, and none of that could happen without the staff and

1:40:36the public servants behind what drives that every day, so I want to make sure that as

1:40:40we are recognizing Municipal Government Week, we certainly do recognize the staff that

1:40:45pour day in and day out into this community.

1:40:49They are extremely proud and dedicated, and I am thankful to get to work besides such

1:40:54a wonderful group of individuals.

1:40:56I'm almost to my end, so keep going.

1:41:00As part of that we do have the MOC City Council meeting coming up, and Christine, I'm sure

1:41:05we'll brief on that in her report to you all, but I do want to call out that staff

1:41:11is also doing a Wear Pink Day for that, sorry our firefighters do breast cancer awareness

1:41:17t-shirts, you don't have to wear a firefighter shirt, but certainly staff will be wearing

1:41:22pink on Thursday, and as part of that we will take a brief picture at the kickoff of

1:41:31the MOC City Council meeting for that, so if you are attending that, consider wearing

1:41:36pink, we'd love to grab a quick photo and communications will be taking pictures of

1:41:42staff in different departments throughout the day to celebrate that.

1:41:47As a reminder, offices are closed next Monday for Columbus Day or Indigenous Peoples Day,

1:41:53and as we head into November we have a little bit of a change in our schedule, so our next

1:41:57meeting will be October 20th, with October 27th being our next workshop where we will

1:42:03discuss strategic priorities, thank you for completing that survey, and then as we head

1:42:09into November, November 3rd is election day, which would normally be when we have our

1:42:15City Council meeting, so we will not be having that, and so our first meeting in November

1:42:19will be November 10th, so just wanted to make sure everybody remembered that change coming

1:42:24up, so that concludes my report.

1:42:27So the meetings in November will be November 10th and November 24th, that is correct, also

1:42:34misses the National League of Cities conference.

1:42:39Report from the City Clerk.

1:42:40Thank you Mayor.

1:42:42To Councillor Taylor, welcome, you're so glad you're here.

1:42:45Thank you very much, I appreciate it, thank you.

1:42:49I also want to say thank you to Eureka Cafe for providing their amazing menu the last

1:42:56two days, it was wonderful.

1:43:00The Fire Civil Service Commission held promotional exams on August 27th, 2026, following the

1:43:06examination process.

1:43:08I'm pleased to announce the following promotions within the Fire Department.

1:43:12Jason Nice-Warner, Captain, Joe Bragg, Lieutenant, and Nick Wright, Lieutenant, congratulations

1:43:19to Jason, Joe, and Nick on these recent promotions.

1:43:23These achievements reflect their hard work, dedication, and commitment to the Fire Department

1:43:28and the citizens that they serve.

1:43:31On behalf of the City, I'd like to say thank you to each of them for their continued service

1:43:35to our community and congratulate them as they take on their new responsibilities.

1:43:42We have some upcoming service anniversaries coming up within the City that will be recognizing

1:43:51those letters of appreciation and that will go on your calendars as soon as we have that

1:43:55set up.

1:43:58Captain Jason Quinn will celebrate 25 years of service with the City on October 8th, 2026.

1:44:05Captain Quinn began his career with the City on October 8th, 2001.

1:44:10Also Captain Mark Thalman will also celebrate 25 years of service with the Fire Department

1:44:15on October 8th, 2026.

1:44:18Captain Thalman began his career with the Fire Department on the same day, October 8th,

1:44:212001.

1:44:23Reaching 25 years of service is a tremendous milestone and we are grateful for the dedication,

1:44:28professionalism, and commitment that both Captain Quinn and Captain Thalman have demonstrated

1:44:33throughout their careers.

1:44:35If you see them, congratulate them for their service.

1:44:38We appreciate them.

1:44:40A little bit about Municipal Government Week.

1:44:44As we recognize Municipal Government Week this week and next week, we have several opportunities

1:44:49to highlight the work of our local government and the people who help make our community

1:44:53a great place to live, work, and visit.

1:44:57Currently, we have a community collaring contest.

1:45:00Montgomery County students in kindergarten through 8th grade, including public, private,

1:45:05and homeschool students, have been invited to participate in the Municipal Government

1:45:09Week Collaring Contest.

1:45:11Entries will be judged in three age divisions, kindergarten through second grade, third through

1:45:16fifth, and sixth through eighth.

1:45:19Contest entries will be accepted up until October 8th.

1:45:25We, like City Manager Miller explained, we will have our Mark City Council meeting on

1:45:30Thursday, October 8th.

1:45:34Municipal Government read aloud.

1:45:35We have city employees will visit local elementary schools and child care centers to read to

1:45:42read to children and share information about their careers and services in Municipal Government.

1:45:49We have our inaugural wiener dog race, which will be Thursday, October 15th, and that

1:45:54starts at 5 p.m., and that's at Liberatore Field in Bow Park.

1:46:01This will feature dog races, costume contests, children's activities, community vendors,

1:46:08pet-related organizations, and opportunities to meet our city officials.

1:46:11Participants will also have the chance to learn more about elections and city engagement,

1:46:17including the process of registering to vote, becoming a poll worker, running for City Council,

1:46:21and more.

1:46:22Attendees will also have the opportunity to enjoy an interactive vote for your favorite

1:46:25weenie polling booth experience.

1:46:29For event details and registration, visit our website at MorgantownWV.gov.

1:46:35Lastly, on Saturday, October 24th, the Police Simple Service Commission will hold entry-level

1:46:41police officer exams, and that will be at 9 a.m., and if folks are interested, please

1:46:46check out our website, go to departments and the police department, and there is information

1:46:51there on how to apply, and of course, as always, they can always reach out to the clerks.

1:46:56We're here for them.

1:46:57And that concludes my report.

1:46:58Thank you.

1:47:00Report from the City Attorney.

1:47:01Thank you, Mayor.

1:47:03I'd like to also welcome Councillor Taylor.

1:47:05I've enjoyed working with you already.

1:47:06I'm looking forward to continuing to do that.

1:47:09Thank you.

1:47:10Thank you.

1:47:11The City Council, a while back now, made a determination that one of the supplemental

1:47:19regulations relating to restaurant and private clubs in the downtown, relating to the amount

1:47:24of revenue generated by food sales versus alcohol sales, could not be enforced with

1:47:29the intention to revisit the supplemental regulations by ordinance, and I received a

1:47:34request and reminder recently to update those to remove references to those same financial

1:47:41provisions.

1:47:42We also have a draft version kind of updating the supplemental regulations in whole, so

1:47:46I'll have that out to Council to consider in the near future with options to move forward

1:47:51should you choose to do that.

1:47:54We had also presented to Council on downtown vending, nighttime vending, by mobile food

1:47:59vendors, and got a request for follow-up on the Council direction and action items.

1:48:05So I know the City Manager's Office is getting a meeting together of the staff group working

1:48:10on that, and we'll look at those notes in Council direction with some options as well

1:48:15for some follow-up.

1:48:16And that concludes my report.

1:48:19Thank you.

1:48:20Move into reports from Council members.

1:48:22Councillor Abagana, would you like to go first?

1:48:24First, I guess, thank you -- well, no, I guess -- I should -- let me -- hold on.

1:48:34Welcome.

1:48:35Thank you.

1:48:36Let me start with that.

1:48:38That would probably be easier for me.

1:48:39Welcome, and hopefully today doesn't scare your way.

1:48:45It's been great.

1:48:49I wanted to say we had the Hispanic and Latino Heritage Month that was here at the farmer's

1:48:56market on Sunday, and I wanted to commend Ms. Barnes, who ran everything.

1:49:05Sarah Barnes -- I almost said Hannah, who's her sister, and I work with her at Morgantown

1:49:10High School, so I have to get my location and my bonds correct.

1:49:14To Sarah Barnes, who did a fantastic job organizing the event for the day.

1:49:19It's a lot of work and a lot of pressure, and she did a wonderful job with that.

1:49:24And I know that sometimes we give credit to the group as a whole, but I just wanted

1:49:30to express my appreciation for all that she went through in terms of putting it together

1:49:34and organizing everything.

1:49:36I also want to say thank you to our city attorney for the never-ending work that we've

1:49:42been doing on the AI surveillance ordinance.

1:49:48It has got a lot of details, very intricate, and I appreciate you helping me at least understand

1:49:55everything and walking through it.

1:49:57As for Municipal Government Week, thank you to City Clerk Wade for all that you have

1:50:02done to organize this year, and I should add the Mox City Council.

1:50:07Students out there doing the high school pep rally at the exact same time.

1:50:12So we are planning to still do it.

1:50:15We just may have to change our time, so we're going to try to figure out a time that works

1:50:20best with the pep rally to make sure that we're here, and I'll try to make sure everybody

1:50:23is informed of that as well because the kids were excited to come because they love coming

1:50:28here every year, mainly to hear about robot birds.

1:50:36And I am looking forward to Halloween, even though I'll talk about that next time, because

1:50:42it's my favorite, and that's my report.

1:50:48Thank you.

1:50:50Thanks, Jim.

1:50:51Gail, I just want to say welcome.

1:50:57I wanted to mention that the celebration of Morgantown's 2025 Municipal Equality Index

1:51:08score is tomorrow night at 7 p.m. at the Glock Theatre, and yeah, it'll be at the Mount

1:51:17Layer at the Glock Theatre.

1:51:20So I also wanted to mention the race, but the dog race, but Christina mentioned it,

1:51:27and I'll be a judge, I believe, along with Mayor Trumbull, I think.

1:51:33I'm there.

1:51:34I'm doing things.

1:51:35My son's doing things.

1:51:36Yeah, we're all doing it.

1:51:38So I'm looking really forward to that.

1:51:41It's going to be a fun time, and I believe that's all I have in announcement for tonight.

1:51:47You mean Buddy's not going to be in it?

1:51:50No, she's too fat.

1:51:51Or maybe too tall.

1:51:52She's a little overweight.

1:51:53She could be a crowd favorite.

1:51:54I know.

1:51:55I tried.

1:51:56I tried.

1:51:57I still wear a costume last night.

1:52:01She's a little...

1:52:02I don't want a car.

1:52:04She's a little hefty.

1:52:05Sturdy.

1:52:06She's too calm.

1:52:07She's my little chicken.

1:52:08Sturdy.

1:52:09Gail, welcome.

1:52:10I'm so pleased to have you, and if there's anything any of us can do to help you, please

1:52:16ask.

1:52:17I know as not the new kid anymore, but staff has been amazing, and so has the rest of council,

1:52:24so don't hesitate to reach out.

1:52:26Welcome.

1:52:27We're so excited to have you.

1:52:28Thank you.

1:52:29South Park News, we re-elected almost all of our officers, so I just wanted to publicly

1:52:37thank them for being willing to serve another year for the South Park Area Neighborhood

1:52:44Association.

1:52:45We're also moving to quarterly meetings for SPAN instead of monthly meetings, so we'll

1:52:52be in the process of rolling out those dates for everyone to see.

1:52:57I would love to take you up on the Whitmore Park invitation.

1:53:02Thank you so much.

1:53:03So if anybody wants to join us, I'll make sure you're on that email.

1:53:08I also wanted to remind everyone that the deadline to register to vote in the state

1:53:15of West Virginia is October 13th, which is quickly approaching.

1:53:21And even if you think your registration is good to go, I encourage you to double check.

1:53:27I've heard of more than one instance where they were not up to date and they wouldn't

1:53:32have been able to vote.

1:53:33This is an important one.

1:53:35Please get out there and vote, check your registration, vote on November 3rd.

1:53:40And then I just wanted to, since we got to meet Brian Belcher today, I'm so pleased

1:53:48to have him.

1:53:49I feel so optimistic about the future of the airport, and that is entirely due to you

1:53:56all on staff, the staff at the airport, I'm looking forward to that tour as well.

1:54:01And I think that's all I have.

1:54:06Well, let's make it four in a row, or we're ready to stay here.

1:54:11Congratulations, Milt Hiller, that was really cool that you brought part of the neighborhood

1:54:18with you.

1:54:19I thought that that was a really classic act to get, not an act, but a classy moment

1:54:24to bring part of the neighborhood with you.

1:54:27So I think it just speaks well of a good beginning.

1:54:34I'm looking forward to those dog races, and that's another, like, why not have a little

1:54:42fun with the public and with talking about voting, talking about getting outside into

1:54:49one of our parks, and talking about cute little dachshunds?

1:54:53I don't know, what else could an event possibly need?

1:54:59And the talk about park safety, lighting, sidewalks, trails, they're speaking my language.

1:55:12And I know just to talk about Woodburn a little bit and talk about a huge advocate for Woodburn

1:55:20who's sitting next to me, I have heard discussion about those sidewalks several times and some,

1:55:31and I don't know what the solution is short of completely redoing them.

1:55:36I don't know if they can be ground down to level, I don't know if they can be partially

1:55:40replaced or what the solution is, because I've walked them, but not recently.

1:55:47So I would walk when you all walk if that can be arranged, and it's just a really good

1:55:56example of advocacy for meeting those things repaired in areas where they have not been

1:56:06repaired yet, and appreciated Vincent Kitsch's presentation and also recognizing the planning

1:56:18department because I think that that's part of what makes the city great is if we can

1:56:24plan ahead and figure out ahead what it is that we need to move forward and do that.

1:56:31So thank you.

1:56:36Okay, I don't want to, I don't want to get, you know, make you feel flighted.

1:56:44It's just gonna continue.

1:56:49Well, glad you're here.

1:56:54It was a privilege to attend and support the community for us to echo Joe's comment

1:57:00about Sarah Barnes, she did a great job.

1:57:06I want to thank staff for making the opportunity for neighborhood budget meetings available

1:57:17and moving towards more some participatory budgeting, you know, a lot of us, I think

1:57:27all of us on council or take transparency seriously, and this is a great step forward

1:57:38in that regard.

1:57:42So I want to recognize it when we do things that, you know, we should be doing Harrison,

1:57:53you brought up a point about future councils, and it's a great point, but everything we

1:58:04do is subject to the whims of future councils, right?

1:58:07So that's why it's important for us to get out and vote.

1:58:12That's why it's, you know, things if you're passionate about issues and passionate about

1:58:17your community, get engaged, run to serve.

1:58:23All of you showing up and people that, you know, and being here is another step in that

1:58:33regard.

1:58:34So thank you all.

1:58:37I've been doing a lot of work, I think you all know, a lot of work with staff on compliance,

1:58:45compliance systems, and working with some data from the city and from the state and

1:58:54just have gotten some interesting insights into that that I want to share a little bit

1:58:59on.

1:59:01So I pulled down almost 7,000 registered businesses that have Morgantown listed as

1:59:09an address.

1:59:11And again, working with staff, we were able to geocode those addresses and overlay those

1:59:19geocoded addresses into a polygon that represents city limits, and there are about 3,500-ish

1:59:29differences in that that fall within our boundaries.

1:59:35And then when I cross-reference those to our city database, there's about 1,300 businesses

1:59:43of those 3,400 that potentially aren't registered, are registered with the state, have filed

1:59:52a annual report within the last 12 months, but are not registered in our system.

2:00:00Now, there are certainly reasons that that may be valid, but it's a big population.

2:00:07It's a bigger population than I expected.

2:00:15I think when we're talking about fiscal sustainability and services,

2:00:31it's critical that we work through that backlog.

2:00:40It's critical that we make sure we put in place systems whereby everybody is playing on the same playing field

2:00:49and that we're holding everyone accountable to play on the same playing field.

2:00:53So I just wanted to provide some update into how that was going, hopeful been in discussions with the county

2:01:04and hopeful that we're going to get that there's some movement through.

2:01:10Magic is a team, a collaborative team between the county and the city that I became aware of through this engagement

2:01:22that already works real well together and that we're going to be able to leverage to make more progress in this regard.

2:01:31Does MUB still have a GIS person in that as well?

2:01:34It was originally magic with Morgantown, Monongahelia County, and MUB.

2:01:41At one point, there were three.

2:01:45It would be good. Maybe we could clarify that.

2:01:47Yeah, I don't know if MUB does, but that's, you know, I know some people over there.

2:01:54But I think I'm real excited about I'm real excited directionally about where this is going.

2:02:01And I just wanted to share an update because I'm optimistic about it. Thanks.

2:02:10Councillor Taylor, you know, I'll be brief, but I just wanted to say thank you so much.

2:02:14It's been a wonderful introduction to City Council.

2:02:17We spent time together on Friday.

2:02:18We spent time together, not with everybody, but different parts of the organization.

2:02:23Just gradually getting to know you from Friday through Monday and today has been wonderful in our small group settings.

2:02:30And the orientation was fantastic.

2:02:32So Ryan and Jamie and Joe and Lizzie and Jodi and Daniel and Jenny and Mark, Christina and Emily.

2:02:42Thank you for, you know, this welcoming experience.

2:02:46And to the members of the public whom I'm meeting today and my first meeting, thank you.

2:02:51Your voice matters.

2:02:53You may, if you ever have reservation about whether or not you want to share a concern and speak for up to four minutes, don't have that reservation.

2:03:06Please come forward and share your thoughts and your opinions on the legislation that we're discussing or maybe ideas, concerns,

2:03:17comments that you have, because it's often the case that, you know, the saying is all politics are local, but you're part of the politic.

2:03:28You're part of that neighborhood group that helps to set the tone and set the pace for legislation that can catch a wave and influence positive decisions for many people beyond the space that we share in the city.

2:03:50Toward that end, the minimum age for participation as a poll worker is 18 years of age.

2:03:59So if, you know, becoming a poll worker or joining one of the boards and the commissions that we have, I think we have a total of about 33 boards and commissions.

2:04:13And oftentimes we're looking for people to take a seat on one of those boards and commissions you go through the interview process and then get involved.

2:04:24And that's just a really good way to continue to have in depth conversations about issues and topics that matter to all of us. Thank you very much for welcoming me.

2:04:35Thank you. I can also welcome Gail. I've spent the last two days welcoming Gail extensively from 830 a.m. to 430 p.m. both days, listening to Manager Miller and Attorney Simonton talk, get us.

2:04:57We've, it was a great, provide good information for you.

2:05:02Oh, yeah, most of it they prepared for it was a great orientation and Councilor Holling said participated yesterday. Deputy Mayor Downs and I were there for both days.

2:05:16It was kind of a trial run for future council orientations under Manager Miller and we were able to give some feedback. But overall, I thought it was an excellent experience and definitely the most intensive orientation that I've participated in and I've participated in several.

2:05:40So thank you for that. And I do think that that will be a good introduction to the city for future council members moving forward.

2:05:50I wanted to thank city staff, particularly Shannon, the special projects coordinator for helping to coordinate a field trip with a local group of students this week. I was able to step out of orientation and participate in that yesterday. So very excited. And to both managers for scheduling those neighborhood budget listening sessions.

2:06:16I was able to attend both sessions that happened within my ward Woodburn and Jerome Park. And I hear we had the best turnout of all the wards. So definitely it was brought up about the Woodburn trails, which we discussed at that meeting.

2:06:36The Richwood sidewalks, which we discussed at that meeting. A neighborhood walking tour, which I think we discussed at that meeting but we also discussed at neighborhood coordinating council last night.

2:06:47So definitely something we will work to set up. Yeah, I was really hoping to get those sidewalks addressed with the remaining TIF funds but the retaining wall took the majority of the funds.

2:07:03Definitely a priority for the neighborhood moving forward. And I think that the neighborhood overall had that same feeling. Just wanted to bring to the member of the public's attention who said that they emailed.

2:07:20This is the second time this week that someone said they emailed me and I found it in my junk folder. The first one was someone who said, I'm having an issue. Can you please call me?

2:07:32And this one, I don't know if it was because there was like a link to a folder that had pictures in it. But I think that our cybersecurity is filtering out some emails that, you know, sometimes those types of things are spam.

2:07:51There it is. I was like, I did not get that. So I sat here and went through all the folders and found it in the junk folder. So however we can maybe try. I understand that our cybersecurity doesn't want us clicking random links or a lot of times people say, I need an Amazon gift card. Can you call and give me your credit card information?

2:08:12But I think that some things are good. And I know Councillor Butcher had brought that up in the past finding some important emails in the junk folder. And I am definitely guilty of not always remembering to check my junk folder more than once every week or two.

2:08:29So if you've tried to email me and I didn't respond, my apologies. It could be there waiting for me. Just a couple of things coming up. Mary Poppins is at the Met this weekend. I'm going to go and visit them during their tech week wrap up tomorrow evening.

2:08:49I'm very excited about that. Looking forward to all of the municipal government week things. But people have already brought that up. And the Woodburn Association of Neighbors has its quarterly meeting on Wednesday, October 21st at the Woodburn Community Complex.

2:09:07I believe there will be some discussion of neighborhood items and a briefing on the budget input session. But we will also be working on our scarecrow for Bow Parks Fall Festival. So if you're into arts and crafts more than I am, come on out.

2:09:27I think that's all I had. Is there anything else for the good of Council? Or we can move to enter executive session? Anyone?

2:09:47I move that we go into executive session to discuss legislative items and to seek legal guidance anticipated. We will discuss this item and executive session permitted by West Virginia Code 69A4B12 to discuss matters protected by attorney client privileges pursuant to West Virginia Code Section 69A4B2A to discuss personal matters for boards and commission.

2:10:09Thank you. I second. Thank you. All right. We will take a brief recess.