MORGANTOWN — Upon the recommendation of city administration, Morgantown City Council opted Tuesday to postpone its second reading of an ordinance that would make the current Defense in Depth facility a training center for the city’s first responders.
That ordinance spells out the terms of the city’s initial $500,000 price tag for the firearm range’s equipment as well as a 10-year lease totaling $240,000 annually for the 19,938 square-foot facility.
While public pushback against the deal — including that of three speakers on Tuesday — has centered primarily on whether it’s a wise long-term investment for the city and whether the city would allow the public to access the shooting range, City Manager Kim Haws said he was requesting council delay the matter after a citizen’s letter questioned the city’s purchasing rules.
“This is an acquisition of real estate that cannot be accomplished by competitive bidding because the site and installed facilities are unique in nature. However, we recognize that the purchasing rules may be vague in stating they apply to purchases over $25,000,” Haws explained.
As part of Tuesday’s consent agenda — meaning typically procedural items read by title and voted upon without further discussion — council passed an ordinance amending the city code section pertaining to purchasing procedures.
Part of that amendment clarifies when competitive bidding can be used and when it cannot.
The acquisition of the Defense in Depth facility is expected to have a second reading at council’s Nov. 15 meeting. The issued passed 6-1 on first reading on Oct. 18 with Deputy Mayor Danielle Trumble voting in the minority.
Also on Tuesday, council voted 4-3 to pass on first reading an ordinance amending City Code Section 121.24 regarding the applicability of Robert’s Rules of Order — a widely used guide on parliamentary procedure dating back to the late 1800’s.
Trumble, who pulled the item from the meeting’s consent agenda for further discussion, was joined by councilors Ixya Vega and Brian Butcher in voting against the change.
Council is under no obligation to use Robert’s Rules, particularly as Section 121 of city code spells out how the body is to conduct its meetings.
This change will replace the old language from code section 121.24 — “Robert’s Rules of Order shall govern the proceedings of Council except as otherwise specifically provided by this article or by ordinance” — with “Council will conduct its meetings in accordance with the procedures established by this Article, and questions of procedure will be decided by the Mayor or person acting instead of the Mayor … In deciding questions of procedure, the person making the decision will use Robert’s Rules of Order as a guide …”
City Attorney Ryan Simonton has explained the change is in line with the more informal way council typically conducts its meetings as opposed to the more strict, and complicated, rules laid out in Robert’s Rules of Order, which are more suited to larger bodies.
Trumble said she believes the move is premature.
“I think that until such time that council does adopt rules for governing meetings in one place at one time, and has those written and readily available, not only to members of council or administration or the public, I think having Robert’s Rules of Order in place is good,” she said.
This issue will be up for a second reading and public comment on Nov. 15.
