MORGANTOWN — Ever wonder how an item gets placed on a Morgantown City Council agenda?
That’s a question the body intends to address in the New Year.
Currently, an item can be placed on an agenda by the city manager, the mayor or a consensus of four council members — a majority of the seven-member council.
“I’ve found, in practice, that requiring four members of council to place something on an agenda often feels, to me, like we’re already pre-voting on an issue,” Councilor Brian Butcher said during a discussion of council meeting rules. “I feel like that requirement, in and of itself … feels a little bit restrictive. It feels like we’re voting on something in just setting the agenda.”
Councilor Bill Kawecki agreed, noting that once an issue comes before council, it will either get the four votes needed for adoption, or it won’t.
“Why shop it around first?” he asked.
Mayor Jenny Selin said agreeing to support the inclusion of an item on an agenda is not a guarantee of support.
Further, Selin said the process of how council selects items for consideration shouldn’t be confused with whether said items are ready to be considered.
“It’s not to hold something up, but sometimes a little bit of time for either the development of the item or for it to go through one of our boards or commissions, or someone on staff to do some research behind it so that when it comes to an agenda, it’s as fully formed as it can be,” Selin said. “I’ve always appreciated an agenda item that’s ready.”
Deputy Mayor Danielle Trumble said she’d also like to see council be a little more punctual in 2022.
Based on the publicly available minutes for 13 meetings of this council in 2021, meetings started, on average, just over 19 minutes past the posted 7 p.m. start time.
Closed sessions, during which council interviews candidates for volunteer boards and commissions, precede council meetings, and often run long, leaving attendees to gather outside council chambers.
Trumble said council should either reduce the number of interviews it conducts prior to meetings or start those interviews earlier.
“I appreciate all of the people who show an interest in our boards and commissions,” she said. “I also appreciate everyone who takes time out of their day, their evening, to show up at a council meeting.”
