MORGANTOWN — The City of Morgantown will join cities across the state at the request of the West Virginia Municipal League to ask legislators to make the state’s Home Rule Pilot Program permanent.
Morgantown City Council unanimously passed a resolution to that end during Tuesday’s regular meeting.
The pilot program was initially created in 2007, allowing participating cities to operate outside state code to address specific issues. A second phase of Home Rule cities was added in 2014, including Morgantown. The program is slated to end in June 2019.
The municipal league is advocating for legislation in the upcoming legislative session that would make the program permanent.
“This program has been dramatically successful, from repairing our roads to getting our arson problem under control, it’s made a dramatic difference to the lives of our residents,” Councilor Rachel Fetty said.
Morgantown has used Home Rule on a number of initiatives including the granting of arrest powers to fire marshals, the removal of upholstered furniture from porches, removal of residency requirements for BOPARC board members, expedited implementation of the brunch bill and the authority to implement a 1 percent sales tax, among others.
The meeting also saw council vote unanimously on first reading to approve a fourth amendment to its Home Rule plan.
If passed by council, and later by the state’s Home Rule oversight board — likely in January — the city would gain the ability to implement its own campaign finance regulations, and allow its existing board of zoning appeals to oversee future subdivision and land development laws.
The city’s campaign finance laws are currently pulled directly from state code.
Councilor Ryan Wallace said council doesn’t want to rewrite the laws, just ensure campaign donations are disclosed prior to voters going to the polls.
“We are simply seeking an additional campaign finance report close to the election date,” Wallace said.
In other city news, an ordinance that will flesh out the city’s law regarding cruel treatment of animals was passed on first reading.
It was explained that the law doesn’t substantially change what’s already in place other than to provide additional definition when considering things like what constitutes proper shelter, when and under what weather conditions animals can be tethered outdoors and what constitutes “cruelly tethering.”
It will also allow law enforcement and animal control to intervene immediately if they believe an animal to be in distress.
Council also:
Passed on first reading an ordinance giving the city manager’s office discretion to limit or prohibit parking.
“Under this proposed ordinance, the city manager may limit parking to very specific areas and remove that limitation,” City Manager Paul Brake said, explaining that the law is an effort expedite minor issues that can be handled administratively.
He also noted council will retain the authority to reverse such decisions. An amendment was passed stating council must be made aware of any such actions taken by the city manager’s office.
Passed on first reading a zoning reclassification for 14 parcels in the city’s 3rd Ward.
Development Services Director Chris Fletcher said that due to a past cartography error the parcels sit partially in an R-1 district and an R-1A district.
The change will zone the parcels R-1A
Approved $36,699.40 for the purchase of a Kubota Tractor for the city’s public works department through the National Joint Powers Alliance.
Approved up to $8,510 for the Morgantown Monongalia Metropolitan Planning Organization’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation Plan.
The total cost of the plan is estimated at $290,000.
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