MORGANTOWN — An ordinance continuing the state of emergency and authorizing city measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 was passed on first reading by Morgantown City Council during Tuesday’s regular meeting.
City Manager Kim Haws explained that the original ordinance passed by council in March authorized the implementation of Gov. Jim Justice’s COVID-19 guidelines, but also gave discretion to the city manager’s office to issue public health orders specific to the city.
As an example, in July, the city put an indoor mask mandate in place making it a misdemeanor to be inside a public building without a mask or face shield.
According to information previously provided by the city, that order was set to expire on Tuesday without council action.
“This isn’t the time to let down our guard,” Councilor Bill Kawecki said.
The emergency ordinance will expire on Feb. 17, 2021 without further council action.
Also on Tuesday, Morgantown City Clerk Christine Wade said she’s looking to make the city council candidate nominating process more COVID-19 friendly heading into the city’s April 2021 election.
The city’s charter mandates a council candidate acquire 75 signatures from voters within their respective wards in order to get on the ballot. Typically, that means candidates, and/or circulators assisting candidates, go door-to-door collecting signatures.
Wade said her office has been working with the West Virginia Secretary of State’s office, the West Virginia Municipal League and the city’s legal council to come up with a online nominating form that could be downloaded and mailed or otherwise delivered to the clerk’s office.
There were questions about whether multiple members of a household could sign. They can as long as one person signs off as the circulator, meaning they witness the signatures.
Questions were also raised about digital signatures as well as whether candidates could make COVID-compliant arrangements to hand deliver and retrieve nominating forms.
“It sounds like maybe there’s a few more questions that need to be answered, but it sounds like you’ve put us in a very good starting place,” Mayor Ron Dulaney said.
The filing period for city council candidates begins Jan. 4 and ends Feb. 8.
Also on Tuesday, council:
- Passed a resolution recognizing Dec. 10 as International Human Rights Day. As part of the annual recognition of the event, the Morgantown Human Rights Commission recognized Mavis Grant-Lilly and the First Presbyterian Church of Morgantown with its Human Rights Day Awards.
- Recognized Code Enforcement Director Mike Stone, who is retiring at the end of the month. Stone began on Dec. 17, 1979 as the city’s first rental housing inspector.
- Approved a bid of $115,000 from Parrotta Paving to reconstruct the front entrance of 430 Spruce Street, known as the City Hall Annex. The work will include a “parklet” with seating in front of the building, which was the first acquisition of the Morgantown Land Reuse and Preservation Agency, in 2019. The LRPA financed the purchase through a $1,661,507 loan with Community Bank. The cost of the work described above was considered in that financing.
- Approved a bid from Laurel Aggregates to purchase treated rock salt at a cost of $86.15 per ton. That’s down from a cost of $99.94/ton last year. The city has 2,400 tons on hand and is looking to purchase about 1,000 tons to top off its supply
- Approved the purchase of a new truck (International CV 515) and needed plow/ accessories for the city’s pubic works department at a cost of $91,031.80
