MORGANTOWN — Morgantown City Council voted unanimously on Tuesday to adopt a new law setting a $15 fine as the penalty for possession of up to 15 grams of cannabis if prosecuted in municipal court.
This would only be applicable to the Morgantown Police Department, the officers from which will still have the individual discretion to follow state code.
The other law enforcement agencies operating in Morgantown — University Police, West Virginia State Police and the Monongalia County Sheriff’s Department — will continue to follow state law, under which possession of marijuana is a misdemeanor punishable by not less than 90 days, nor more than six months in jail and/or a fine of up to $1,000. Penalties double for a second offense.
“This is making a statement on a societal issue. We hope that it draws a broader conversation with our state elected leaders,” City Manager Paul Brake said. “We should be proud that we’re leaders in that regard. The conversation begins today.”
Also on Tuesday, council unanimously approved a $221,000 expenditure from the city’s capital escrow fund to build a kayak rental facility as part of the ongoing riverfront overhaul.
Brake explained that the 400-square foot building will have a brick facade, wooden trusses and a shingled roof as well as bathroom facilities.
“This particular space will be rented out, bringing in $24,000 a year, so that equates to $60 a square foot,” Brake said, adding “We’re, in essence, creating a loan and we’ll have that paid back in seven and a half years.”
Brake went on to say that the building will be constructed in such a way that a second floor could be added at a future date.
In other city news, council passed a resolution giving the city’s firefighters 24 hours of time off for each of the 14 civil services holidays in 2020.
The move is a step toward resolving issues spelled out in June, when president of the International Association of Firefighters Local 313, Jayson Nicewarner, and 57 other firefighters filed a lawsuit against the city, alleging they weren’t being properly compensated for working on holidays.
It was noted that the resolution only addresses 2020 and does not address any of the back pay the lawsuit claims the city owes, meaning the litigation continues for now.
“It sounds like it’s a temporary fix for the year of 2020. So, there’s still a lot of work that needs to be done as far as issues of back pay,” Nicewarner told The Dominion Post, adding “It’s definitely a step in the right direction.”
Council also approved a resolution expanding firefighter residency limits from 15 nautical miles to one hour of drive time at the request of the Fire Civil Service Commission.
Council approved the same residency expansion for police personnel during its previous regular meeting.
Lastly, Brake said the anticipated timeline for placement of needle disposal boxes in and around downtown Morgantown has stretched out to April.
He explained that Milan Puskar Health Right, which will purchase and maintain the boxes, is in the process of getting site-specific insurance coverage and must also undergo a 45-day publication period.
