[7:23] Okay. Like to welcome everyone this
evening. Uh those that are viewing
[7:25] online and those that are here in
person. Uh we're going to start with our
[7:28] invitation which will be followed by the
pledge of allegiance. If you would
[7:31] please bow your heads.
Heavenly Father, we thank you for this
[7:35] day and all the blessings you've given
us. We thank you for the opportunity to
[7:38] serve the citizens development. We ask
that you help us open minds, civil
[7:42] tongues, and warm hearts as we work to
help our community grow. We also ask
[7:46] that you watch over and guide our
country's leaders. In Jesus name I pray.
[7:49] Amen.
>> I pledge algiance to the flag of the
[7:54] United States of America and to the
republic for which it stands, one nation
[8:00] under God, indivisible, with liberty and
justice for all. I would not call this
[8:04] meeting order and ask to take role.
[clears throat] Councelor Ross Friggera
[8:09] here.
>> Councelor Carol here. Councelor Chennawa
[8:12] here. Councelor Henchman
>> here. Councelor Kern.
[8:15] » Councelor Louder is absent. Councelor
Pushka
[8:18] » here.
>> Councelor Severino
[8:20] » here.
>> Councelor Thompson is absent. And
[8:23] councelor Woods
>> here.
[8:25] » Eight present. You have a four. Thank
you. No one has signed up for public
[8:28] comments and we'll move down to a
minutes portion. And I will entertain a
[8:31] motion to accept the minutes as
presented for the July 23rd, 2026
[8:36] meeting.
>> So moved.
[8:37] » We have a motion. Any questions or
comments?
[8:40] » If not, all in favor say I.
>> I. Those opposed nay. Motion carries. As
[8:45] you can see in your correspondence,
we've been busy with event requests,
[8:48] which is a good thing. And you also have
your building officers reporting.
[8:52] » We will start now with the council
reports and go to the council general.
[8:55] » Uh finance committee met on Monday. We
discussed several things, but the only
[9:00] thing we recommended to council at this
meeting was um spending money from the
[9:04] opioid settlement fund to help fund the
game changers program, which is a drug
[9:09] prevention program uh in the Elton
Middle School and opens high school.
[9:12] That's on the agenda tonight. Other than
that, that's my report.
[9:16] » Thank you, sir.
public session to meet on August the 3
[9:21] and main thing we went over was the
property on Main Street and we look for
[9:27] funding to go ahead and raise it and
>> thank you.
[9:34] » No report.
>> Thank you, Counc.
[9:36] » Um I just have a a few things to report
with my Forest Town since I'm the
[9:43] liaison between the city and that
organization. We had a quarterly meeting
[9:48] uh last month and some of the highlights
of that was um the Mont Forest Town
[9:55] Partnership has a um really substantial
grant uh working with West Virginia
[10:01] Tourism and um just this last period
they had over 6.3
[10:09] million [clears throat] social media
views of their site. They're really
[10:13] pushing outdoor recreation and of course
we're part of this group and so anytime
[10:19] you have anybody visit that page they're
also looking at all 11 of our towns and
[10:25] they [snorts] are putting together a uh
32page uh regional guide that will
[10:31] feature all 11 towns again. So, this is
all wonderful icing on the cake for all
[10:37] the other projects that are um that
we're working on that one of which we'll
[10:42] be talking about tonight. And um one
thing you may have noticed right in our
[10:47] downtown um uh visitors bureau are tear
off maps where it has the top cool
[10:55] things that you can do in Elkins where
where um where the best trail is some
[11:00] other substantial things. So, this is
really um really an organization that's
[11:07] doing stuff. It's it's um it's a very
powerful group and it was fun at the
[11:13] municipal league to to run into several
of those mayors and council members from
[11:19] that group. So,
>> and they can say I'm disappointed that
[11:22] attending a city council meeting didn't
make that list. I'm just going to be
[11:25] honest. So,
>> what [laughter]
[11:26] » I'm disappointed that attending a city
council meeting didn't make that top 10
[11:29] list.
Oh yes
[11:34] mouth.
>> Yeah but and and in in a related manner
[11:38] I I would really like to extend my
appreciation for the opportunity to
[11:43] attend the uh last conference. It was
really fantastic and inspirational to
[11:48] hear what other cities are doing and it
was um really kind of nice to hear that
[11:53] we're ahead of the game on some of the
things that with the foyer requests and
[11:58] um just hearing I think I I this was
only the second one I've been at but
[12:04] having it more open where there was much
more u questions and answers about what
[12:11] works, what doesn't work, what's your
biggest challenge, how did to uh answer
[12:15] that challenge was very informative. So
um thank you very much for that
[12:20] opportunity.
That's it.
[12:24] » Thank [clears throat] you, Councelor
Woods.
[12:25] » No report.
>> Thank you, Councelor Kern.
[12:28] » Uh I'm other Cody tonight. Personnel met
August 3rd. We discussed longevity pay
[12:34] options. Resolution 1941, planning for
interviews for the chief of police
[12:39] position. And our next meeting is
September 8th at 1 minute. Thank you,
[12:44] Council Sanino.
>> There is.
[12:45] » Thank you, Council Carol.
>> The planning commission met last week
[12:49] and Commissioner Coulson will be
presenting the comprehensive plan to us
[12:53] tonight. So, it's exciting that many,
many with about a year and a half, two
[12:58] years of conversation. Now, we have a
final product to share and continue
[13:02] with.
>> Thank you.
[13:06] » Okay, moving down to the officer
reports. We will start with our city
[13:09] treasur, Miss Jean.
>> Good evening. Um early on in this budget
[13:12] year, all funds remain in the black,
which is good. Um I want to call
[13:16] attention to the general fund revenue
detail. Uh that shows our first um
[13:22] quarterly deposit for the municipal
sales tax in the amount of $449,9746.
[13:29] We received that the end of July.
Um
[13:33] » how does that compare last year, Tracy?
>> It's up a little bit. Good. Thank you.
[13:36] » Up a little bit. We every year we see an
increase. So, let's hope it continues
[13:41] that way.
>> Um, also in your packet, I've uh put the
[13:46] sewer sewer and water bond and USDA loan
information, what the balances are as of
[13:51] June 30th for all the sewer bonds um
that we have currently. The principal
[13:57] outstanding balance was 7,695,54139.
[14:03] There are um $1,38
38,000, excuse me, $32,328
[14:11] payments made annually out of the sewer
fund. For the water bond accounts, um
[14:16] there's a principal outstanding balance
of 12,573,65267.
[14:23] In the US uh DA loans, that balance
outstanding balance is 18,1094284.
[14:32] And annually the water fund has
1,486,66596
[14:38] payments that come out of that fund.
[14:45] » Tracy, one question. Are all these bonds
like uh the same year? Are these
[14:49] multiple years on
>> No. So if you look at like this the
[14:52] sewer bond where it has 06 was done in
2006, 2009,
[14:58] » 2015 and and 2020.
And the the reserve bonds um are
[15:04] payments for the first 10 years of that.
There's a minimum um balance that has to
[15:10] be kept. And then once that balance is
there,
[15:12] » it stays there, continues to draw
interest. Why? Then you're paying on the
[15:16] revenue bond.
>> Okay.
[15:18] » And what um
every spring usually the uh bond
[15:23] commission looks at that and if they can
take uh something and pay another bond
[15:28] off, they will do that and move money
around. So, um, yeah.
[15:32] » And then are the USDA water loans, are
those from 01023 or is that not follow
[15:36] that same naming convention?
>> Um, they are. So, that's kind of a
[15:41] little different than um the bond
payments, but those are three different
[15:45] types of um USDA loans that we had for
the water plant.
[15:49] » Oh, okay. Good. And they're all from the
water plant construction.
[15:52] » The USDA ones are Yes.
>> Any other questions for Tracy?
[15:58] » Thank you. Our operations manager, Mr.
Jessica,
[16:01] » good evening. So, I'm going to have to
wing this because technology isn't
[16:05] working for me. So, I'll be scrolling
through emails for my reports. Start
[16:09] with the street department. Uh,
obviously the street department's been
[16:12] very busy with the amount of rain and
storms we've had recently. Um, they have
[16:17] put down 17 tons of black top since the
last meeting. Um, patching some roads,
[16:22] uh, cot holes, things of that nature.
They repaired roads from the previous
[16:26] storms, Kirk Street, Slaughterhouse
Road, Thorn Avenue, Hill Lane, Lower
[16:31] Lincoln, and Whisperwood Drive. Uh
installed signage on Bruce Street for
[16:36] children at play and the 25 mile per
hour signs.
[16:39] » Thank you.
>> And they repainted the crosswalk at the
[16:42] middle school. Um they're currently
still working on cleaning catch basins,
[16:46] things of that nature, doing some storm
water work as well. So they've been
[16:49] extremely busy. um sanitation department
doing their thing, doing a great job. Um
[16:56] keeping up with things very well. I
commend those guys. You know, even when
[17:00] they're getting storms, they're out
there in it. I have, you know, we have
[17:03] had some safety talks about, you know,
lightning and things of that nature. If
[17:07] we have to shut down operations until a
storm passes through, that's what we
[17:11] have to do. We have to keep our
employees safe. So, they continue to do
[17:14] a great job. Um I don't know if anyone
could see when they pulled in, they're
[17:18] working on the roof of this building.
So, we finally got that project going.
[17:21] It'll be done soon and I have an update
from our code enforcement officer. Um,
[17:28] the this round of grant funding is
complete. Eight structures, 1091
[17:33] Harrison Avenue, 1303 Taylor, 129
Diamond, 414 Harpertown, 418 Harpertown,
[17:41] 12 Paul, 911 Street, 94 Ward are all
complete. and um funding for $99,216.82
[17:51] will be taken care of by the grant. So,
tremendous job by our code enforcement
[17:55] officer, by Miss Roberts, uh who we lean
on heavily when it comes to working with
[18:01] with D and making sure we we dot all the
eyes and cross all the tees. So, that uh
[18:07] that that's a successful program. I want
to remind everyone, please, if you know
[18:11] of any properties in your mind, send it
to Jesse and us. And I know I think
[18:16] Nancy you have um but anybody else,
please send us send us recommendations.
[18:20] We'll see where they fall and they may
be on the list we already have. So, but
[18:24] if they're not, we can add it to it and
then evaluate priorities from there. Um
[18:28] the rest
>> I was very happy to sign the closeout
[18:30] document yesterday.
>> Yes. It's great. It's great news. Yes,
[18:33] it was. and and and again, you know, you
know, we've talked about
[18:38] we do such a good job with this that we
we know when the next funding comes
[18:43] becomes available, we'll be able to jump
back in and get more funding and
[18:46] continue in the program. So, that's a
good feeling. Um, the rest of the
[18:50] update, I I'll start with the good news.
The carpet on the second floor is
[18:57] completely installed with everything but
council chambers. Looks phenomenal. They
[19:01] started on the third floor carpet looks
phenomenal. Um the back of the building
[19:07] where the ADA compliance ramp, the
stairs where they're putting the brick
[19:12] pavers in to marry that up and blend
that all in looks amazing and they're
[19:17] doing a great job on it. All the trim
work on every floor is done and it looks
[19:23] sharp. Looks really good. Um
>> that's the good news.
[19:30] the bad news. I hope everyone saw the
email I sent out yesterday. So,
[19:35] yesterday morning I uh
received a text message about did you
[19:42] see what happened to the front of city
hall? [clears throat]
[19:46] » Oh my gosh, [laughter]
>> I felt sickness in my stomach. So, we
[19:50] had a uh a hydraulic lift that they were
using on the front of the building to do
[19:55] the stone work and to do work on the
roof as far as cleaning and things of
[19:59] that nature. The lift malfunctioned.
When it malfunctioned, it caught part of
[20:03] the [snorts] concrete barrier uh rail,
for lack of better words, on the top of
[20:08] city hall and pulled it off into Davis
Avenue.
[20:12] [snorts]
Ronnie, you said you could hear your
[20:14] office when it hit the ground.
>> Oh my gosh.
[20:17] » Unfortunately, when it hit the ground,
it hit the granite steps in front of the
[20:21] main entrance and damage those as well.
The good news is comes to no expense of
[20:28] us because it was not our fault. The
very good news is no one was hurt.
[20:34] » No injuries whatsoever. The guy in the
lift wasn't hurt. No passers by were
[20:38] hurt. Everybody's fine.
Bad news is
[20:45] to get this completely finished
and make it look like it's supposed to
[20:50] look because the concrete is so old and
we're going to have to special order
[20:55] things for it.
3 to four months to get that railing
[20:59] fixed. Now, what we are doing, we are
meeting OSHA guidelines and installing a
[21:05] temporary railing around the entire top
of city hall. And we are also going to
[21:10] have a concrete expert inspect the
entire railing across city hall to make
[21:14] sure there was no further structural
damage when it branched out.
[21:19] » Um
probably going to delay the move in by
[21:24] 10 to 14 days is all we're thinking. So
I don't think that's horrible news. And
[21:29] the only [clears throat] reason why
we're thinking it's going to delay it is
[21:32] with all the work being done on the top
of the building.
[21:36] There are still pieces of concrete up
there that are still very tedious.
[21:41] » We don't want anyone around the building
when the company comes in and starts
[21:45] removing those off and the contractor uh
doesn't want any any sort of liability
[21:51] whatsoever with people around the
building. And we don't know to what
[21:54] extent they're going to have to set
stuff around the building to remove this
[21:57] off. um in an email today, in a
conversation today, we're thinking
[22:04] we should be able to move in by
September 15th. We still feel very
[22:08] confident with that. So, the 3 to four
month process, it'll just have to happen
[22:13] while we're in the building. Um but, um
the one company that is going to inspect
[22:18] it and and try to move some of the stuff
off. We're going to try to coordinate
[22:21] some of that work to be done on the
weekends just
[22:26] to make it, you know, less inconvenient
for for those of us that are around the
[22:30] building. I I apologize that I have to
report that it was no fault of the
[22:35] cities. It was no fault of the
contractor. It was a freak thing that
[22:38] happened. And as Tracy and I were
talking before the meeting, one thing
[22:42] I'm very thankful for is that Mountain
Valley Bank stepped up the way they did
[22:46] because had we been going through USDA,
we would be in a complete pickle right
[22:50] now because we would have lost the
deadline. We would have lost the funding
[22:53] [laughter]
>> because we wouldn't have been able.
[22:57] » Yeah.
>> So, Mountain Valley Bank has really been
[22:59] a a blessing in disguise for this.
>> I didn't realize. I will gladly answer
[23:04] any questions anyone has from any of my
report. Anything about city hall, please
[23:08] ask away and I'll answer anything you
may have.
[23:11] » Mine's just a comments. I'm sorry you're
stuck with me two more weeks. [laughter]
[23:17] So,
you know, it's uh
[23:21] [clears throat]
>> but it's it's ple the fib.
[23:24] » I was afraid [laughter] it was going to
be far worse. I really was.
[23:27] » I was afraid in the meetings yesterday.
I was I was really afraid they were
[23:31] looking, you know, but um there are a
few fly in the ointments that the chief
[23:35] and I have to work through and I I know
I can rely on him to to help with us as
[23:40] far as we we need help when it comes to
different aspects as far as that goes.
[23:45] But uh but it thank God no one was hurt
or killed. That is really thank god that
[23:52] did not happen cuz I mean it took those
solid granite steps and just did that.
[23:58] Oh,
>> is the repair on the stuff going to be
[24:00] pretty extensive or?
>> Right now, we're thinking probably going
[24:04] to be well over $100,000 [snorts]
worth of damage.
[24:10] » So, like those steps will probably come
all the way off and new. Oh,
[24:14] » the company said that they can match it.
>> Whoa.
[24:16] » Yeah, they can match it. So,
>> I'm not sure we can replace that. That's
[24:20] just it. We have to. So there's going to
be a lot of cutting, jigsaw puzzling
[24:25] going in, you know, because of the
historic value of the building. We just
[24:29] can't dig it up, put new ones in. We
have to and and you know, we feel
[24:33] confident that Keystone are the experts
in this and they have told us,
[24:37] » give us time. We will make it work and
and that's, you know, we're going to
[24:42] move forward. Again, no no money out of
our pocket, no money out of our budget
[24:47] for this project. So that that's good as
well.
[24:50] will make for a good story.
>> Yeah,
[24:53] » it's like the cracked liberty now.
[laughter]
[24:58] » Mike,
>> thank you.
[25:01] » See pounds. Now that I've pressed you,
you have a report for us tonight.
[25:04] » Yeah, just a brief one. Um here today,
call volume, we're sitting at 401 as of
[25:11] today. Um,
the application process for our
[25:17] entrylevel exam
uh that's scheduled for September the
[25:21] 12th has been open since
last Monday.
[25:26] Uh, last I looked was last evening or
this morning. We have 11 applicants so
[25:33] far.
That's [clears throat] about the norm
[25:37] for us. Um,
[25:41] I think the because of the uh
displacement of all folks involved
[25:48] and kind of not having a I Sutton and I
the civil service commission had this
[25:53] conversation great detail and the last
thing we need to do is get somebody that
[25:58] would have brought a paper application
to city hall that gets lost in the sauce
[26:03] somewhere and now our testing process is
gone. compromised and that's the last
[26:09] thing we want. So, we we did electronic
uh applications
[26:14] this time around and so far it seems to
have worked out pretty good.
[26:20] Haven't had any complaints so far, but
um it'll be it will close next Friday,
[26:28] the 21st with the test scheduled
September the 12th.
[26:32] So other than that, um the state fire
marshall's office does a small training
[26:40] and equipment grant every year and
historically it has only been open to
[26:47] 100% volunteer fire departments and uh
for some reason within the last year and
[26:55] due to a code interpretation they are
letting park pay departments apply. So,
[27:01] um, we're going to we're going to apply
for some additional, uh, ice rescue
[27:05] suits
on [clears throat] that grant. We have
[27:09] two now. And thought this would, you
know, like I said, it's a it's a small
[27:14] grant.
Usually $1,500 to $6,000. Because I've
[27:19] never applied, I don't know a whole lot
about it. But, um, we're going to try to
[27:24] get some more of those ice rescue suits.
They're they're a universal fit. They
[27:28] can obviously be used with water for
um shoreline rocks and and things of
[27:35] that nature because they're legitimately
a one sizefits-all. When you when you
[27:40] read the advertisement from the
manufacturer
[27:44] says anywhere from 5' 11 to 7 feet, 110
to 330 lbs. It's pretty big range
[27:50] window.
So [laughter]
[27:53] me and Ronnie can probably both get it.
>> But u
[27:58] » I would hate to see that [laughter]
>> he's
[28:03] we're shoot for that. Uh it's got a
September deadline
[28:07] stuff that we were
funded from the TC Energy Grant. That
[28:12] stuff's on the way and um there's more
to come
[28:18] down the pike. volunteers are working on
some things to improve and enhance the
[28:25] uh water side of our business based on
historical events and I'm going to be
[28:33] bringing more some of that
[28:37] council in the future.
[28:42] That's
>> all questions.
[28:45] » Thank you sir. Representing Elton
please. Captain Bill. Uh the last few
[28:49] weeks we've had 816 calls for service.
We're getting ready to move into course
[28:54] festival time. So we're getting
everything prepped for that.
[28:58] » All we got
>> and we will be testing in the future
[29:00] near future hope. So
>> hopefully in the next month or so at
[29:04] least
>> try to fill the piece spots that we
[29:06] have.
>> Anything else?
[29:10] » Any questions for Ronnie? Yeah. Our city
clerk, Mr. Stokes.
[29:14] » Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Um well latest
update uh on the streetscape and
[29:19] riverfront projects uh did submit two
additional do grant applications
[29:25] um targeting transportation alternative
side and the recreational trail project
[29:31] side. Um this year there's no local
match required so
[29:36] » shoot the moon. Um I went ahead and put
in for 250,000 for each. Um, we got
[29:42] 150,000 a year ago on the transportation
alternatives grant. Um, once again
[29:46] targeting engineering because I hear
that's probably the better use for DOH.
[29:51] Um, avoiding some of the hoops they have
to jump through for construction
[29:56] funding. Um, working on that. I did I
was trying to think through, you know,
[30:03] this is just sort of another grant a
year later, same project, same part of
[30:08] the funding. and I was trying to think
of a way to articulate to do the
[30:12] um bigger picture. I came up with the
project uh delivery strategy memo that's
[30:18] attached to the report. Um I was kind of
thinking through that not having a ton
[30:22] of money all at once is sort of a
feature, not a bug. Um these are
[30:26] multi-million dollar plans. Never get
multi-million dollar grants. And
[30:31] instead, I think as we get an engineer
on board later this fall, goal will be
[30:35] to kind of have this pipeline of
construction ready components get
[30:39] different pieces of funding. Um, and
anyway, you can review that memo. Uh, as
[30:47] an ongoing feature in the report, I'm
going to keep this funding picture in
[30:53] one place because you hear this amount,
that amount. It's hard to kind of um
[30:58] keep track of the stack. But basically,
we have about $900,000.
[31:03] They're awarded
uh or in hand through the um TIFF
[31:08] revenues. Um
[31:13] um
and roughly 1 to two million in
[31:17] potential TIFF bonding capacity. It just
depends how far off in the future we do
[31:20] our first bond as the revenue is
building up. Um so basically between
[31:25] cash that we can say is either in hand
or on the way. Um, and depending on the
[31:31] size of that bond, 2.9 to 3.9 million
total for the next year could be in
[31:37] hand. Not to get ahead of, you know,
some of these uh applications that are
[31:41] pending, but you know, that's um clearly
not enough. You know, the best case
[31:47] scenario if we somehow got all of that.
That's still not enough to do one of
[31:51] those projects at a maximal stage. But
again, citizen components along the way
[31:56] um uh should should begin to look
viable.
[32:00] Um still
uh have the ward boundary adjustment in
[32:05] mind that we'll be meeting with Stacy
McDaniel uh from region 7 late next
[32:11] week. Kind of go over a uh a GIS
population analysis she did to start
[32:16] thinking about how those boundaries
might might shift to get us a more equal
[32:20] population in each board. Um, I'll try
and have some maps or diagrams to look
[32:26] at later this fall.
Uh, police testing, fire testing already
[32:32] mentioned and then I also attended last
week's municipal league conference. I
[32:36] put some notes on the report as well.
Very interesting sessions on how
[32:40] governments are using AI,
interesting ideas about housing and
[32:44] blight, community art, accessing federal
funding, um, engagement and finance. Um,
[32:51] so [snorts] I did note some ideas on
there that you might try to follow up on
[32:54] or research further. Great, great
conference this year. I would call it
[33:00] even inspiring.
It really
[33:02] » they really um took it past your
standard conference of like, you know,
[33:07] maybe you've heard this topic before or
this presentation's basically a vendor
[33:12] ad. And [snorts] I think they they wrote
the same thought and passion into it. So
[33:16] really glad to see all that. I'll be
happy to answer any questions. Any
[33:21] questions? Sorry.
If not, we'll move down to the approval
[33:25] of the vendor invoice payments. I will
entertain a motion to accept the invoice
[33:29] without submitted. So,
>> we have a motion. Any questions or
[33:32] comments?
All those in favor say I. Those
[33:36] » oppos. Motion carried. Now, we have a
presentation by the planning commission
[33:41] of the May 2026 draft [snorts]
comprehensive plan. I feel like I should
[33:45] say 2023 [clears throat]
comprehensive plan to be honest.
[33:51] And we have those goals.
[33:56] » Yes.
[34:11] » Brought clicker.
[34:21] Can you
[34:34] » My internet keeps going.
>> Yeah, me too.
[34:38] » I just downloaded it. That was that was
>> Well, mine's like clicking off and on.
[34:42] » Yeah, me too.
>> Pardon me.
[34:45] » That's why this
>> Yeah, mine isn't. That's why I'm on his
[34:53] » do that, but
I stop sharing.
[35:03] Forget it at home. That way if something
happened to worry about it.
[35:10] I had another meeting before this one.
>> We tested this before so we wouldn't
[35:14] have
>> I know. I know.
[35:16] » Well, all of our
mine is not connected connecting.
[35:30] » Oh, it's back [clears throat] on again.
>> Download it real quick.
[35:35] » It came back.
>> Download it real quick. All righty.
[35:42] Okay.
[35:46] All right. So, good evening, um, mayor,
members of city council, city staff, and
[35:49] members of the public, and those folks
watching online. My name is Phip
[35:53] Coulson. I'm president of the Elkins
Planning Commission. And joining me this
[35:56] evening is Andrew Carroll, uh, vice
president of the Elkins Planning
[35:59] Commission. Um on behalf of the planning
commission, we appreciate the
[36:02] opportunity to present the Elkins uh the
city of Elkins comprehensive plan to
[36:06] council. Before we begin, I just want to
take a moment to recognize the many
[36:10] people who have contributed to the
process. This plan has been developed
[36:13] over an extended period of time and the
membership of the planning commission
[36:17] has changed during that process. Um I'd
first like to recognize the
[36:21] commissioners who were serving when this
process began. Duke Talbbit, Councelor
[36:25] Girly Woods, uh Kate Summers, Mayor
Jerry Marco, and Vance Jackson, as well
[36:31] as Andrew and myself.
>> Um, and I would also like to recognize
[36:36] our current commissioners who have
joined the commission during the
[36:39] process, which is Susan Evik, uh, Dustin
Smith, and Eric Armstrong. And Eric has
[36:44] actually moved on as well.
And finally, we owe owe a special thank
[36:47] you to Christy Booth from the Land Use
and Sustainment Development Law Clinic,
[36:52] Sutton Stokes, Jerry Roberts for their
time, expertise, guidance, and
[36:55] assistance throughout this process. This
has truly been a collaborative effort,
[36:59] and I want to personally thank everyone
who contributed uh their time and
[37:03] knowledge in developing this plan. With
that, I'd like to give council a brief
[37:06] overview of the comprehensive plan and
the priorities that have emerged from
[37:11] the plan.
Before getting into the recommend
[37:15] recommendations, I think it's important
to establish what adoption of a
[37:18] comprehensive plan actually means. At it
at its core, this is a long range policy
[37:24] document.
Uh it guides future development and
[37:28] investment and provides a policy
framework for future decisions. One
[37:33] point is especially important for
council. Adoption does not automatically
[37:36] fund or implement every recommendation.
Individual ordinances, projects,
[37:42] expenditures, and policy changes will
still follow their normal review and
[37:46] approval process.
[37:50] The plan was developed through an
extended public process. The planning
[37:54] commission held 15 meetings open to the
public. We received 166 online survey
[37:59] responses and we received survey input
from 30 stakeholders. The process also
[38:05] included a community openhouse and a
formal review. Tonight is therefore not
[38:10] the beginning of the planning process.
It represents one of its final steps.
[38:16] Six broad areas consistently emerged.
Those were public safety,
[38:23] housing, infrastructure, economic
development, land use, and technology.
[38:29] These issues are interconnected. Housing
affects the workforce and economic
[38:34] development. Infrastructure affects
growth. Public safety affects quality of
[38:38] life. The plan looks at these issues
together rather than treating them as
[38:42] isolated concerns.
[38:46] for public safety. The plan emphasizes
ensuring the fire ensuring the fire
[38:50] department is fully equipped and
supported, strengthening coordination
[38:54] with county with the county, uh
considering future service needs as
[38:59] quarter H is completed, and continuing
regional work on addiction,
[39:04] homelessness, and mental health. for
housing. The plan focuses on dilapidated
[39:09] and unsafe structures, um accessible
landlord requirements,
[39:16] um home ownership, property
rehabilitation,
[39:20] and partnerships that can support
quality and affordable housing.
[39:26] Infrastructure recommendations cover
both utilities and transportation. The
[39:31] plan [snorts] calls for continued water
and sewer improvements, service
[39:35] expansion where appropriate,
consideration of storm water measures,
[39:39] and updated GIS mapping. It also
recommends implementing the streetscape
[39:45] master plan, installing wayfinding
signage, improving sidewalks and
[39:49] pedestrian safety, working with the West
Virginia Department of Transportation,
[39:53] and continuing bicycle friendly
improvements.
[39:59] One of the most significant
recommendations is to evaluate strategic
[40:03] annexation opportunities. This is not
annexation simply for the sake of
[40:07] becoming geographically larger. It's
about evaluating the opportunities
[40:13] where expansion makes practical and
economical sense. The plan also
[40:17] recommends strengthening economic
development within the city limits,
[40:22] maximizing the impact of the tiff
district, encouraging property
[40:26] investment, supporting local events, and
increasing public understanding of local
[40:31] government.
[40:34] The land use goal is to enhance and
protect the characteristics of Elkins
[40:39] through proactive planning.
Recommendations include considering
[40:43] zoning revisions as needed
um and as needs evolve, implementing the
[40:48] riverfront master plan, improving parks
and recreation,
[40:52] collaborating with the historical
landmarks commission, supporting
[40:56] recreational organizations, and
continuing community cleanup
[40:59] partnerships. Growth and preservation do
not have to compete. Good planning
[41:03] allows us to pursue both.
[41:08] technology.
Technology in this plan is a tool for
[41:13] better government. Recommendations
include improving the city website,
[41:17] which this was also in our last plan.
And I think we we've checked this off
[41:21] our list, but I think as a website, it's
a living a living item, so it's always
[41:26] going to be continuously improving. So
certainly no uh no shade thrown at the
[41:30] city website. It's been improving
wonderfully. um making public um
[41:35] processes more accessible, exploring
appropriate smart city technology, and
[41:40] improving city data storage. And then
the there at the bottom, the practical
[41:44] question um should always be whether a
technology makes a city service better,
[41:48] more accessible, more reliable, or more
efficient.
[41:54] The planning process identified eight
priorities. Um, they include fully
[41:59] equipping and supporting the fire
department, making landlord code
[42:03] requirements readily accessible,
exploring home ownership support,
[42:07] considering a storm water ordinance,
implementing the street state master
[42:11] plan, installing wayfinding signage,
developing sustainable approaches to
[42:16] sidewalks, and evaluating strategic
annexation opportunities. These
[42:19] priorities provide a starting point.
They're not an immediate commitment to
[42:24] fund and there's not an immediate
commitment to fund every item.
[42:30] The comprehensive plan provides
direction. Implementation happens
[42:34] through future decisions. Council and
staff can use the plan when prioritizing
[42:38] annual budgets, capital improvements,
ordinances, grant applications,
[42:42] partnerships, and other initiatives.
Individual actions still require the
[42:48] appropriate review, funding, and
approval. In simple terms, the plan
[42:52] helps us decide where we want to go.
Future actions determine how and when we
[42:57] get there.
[43:01] The planning commission has completed
its review and is presenting the
[43:05] recommended comprehensive plan to city
council. Council's role is to conduct
[43:09] the required public hearing, review the
plan, and then determine the appropriate
[43:14] action under the process described in
the plan. Council may adopt the plan,
[43:19] amend it, reject it, or defer action.
[43:24] And finally, I just want to close by
thanking the planning commission, city
[43:28] staff, our consultants, stakeholders,
and residents who participated. A
[43:32] comprehensive plan is about looking
beyond the immediate issues in front of
[43:36] us and asking what kind of community we
want Elitz to be in the years ahead. Its
[43:40] value will come from using it as a guide
as as circumstances and opportunities
[43:46] change. M of the planning commission. I
respectfully present the city of Elkins
[43:50] comprehensive plan to city council for
its consideration. Thank you.
[43:54] » Any questions for folks?
>> Uh I just you all all had numerous
[44:01] opportunities for public input and I I
went to one of those um but I think you
[44:07] also had some other ones. Um, was there
anything that that popped out that you
[44:13] did tweak after hearing um any public
feedback on any issues?
[44:22] » I mean, I think and Andrew and I just
talked about this a little bit, you
[44:24] know, we we were able to
>> all of the all of the um feedback that
[44:30] we received,
>> you know, it didn't just we didn't just
[44:32] look at it and say, "Okay, you know, we
[laughter] looked at it. We we discussed
[44:36] it. we determined whether or not it was
something that needed to be in the plan.
[44:39] Um, some of it was implemented in the
plan. Some of it, you know, was not
[44:43] necessarily for this plan, but may maybe
could have been, you know, deferred to a
[44:47] municipal properties issue or or to
something else.
[44:51] » That's how I would characterize like the
last set of public comment we got was
[44:56] great idea, just needed to go down some
other channels.
[45:00] » Mhm. Um,
>> but I think I just I'll just add a
[45:03] couple comments here is I think the the
greatest thing about this plan and I
[45:06] think this goes for the the public too
and I would encourage everybody to not
[45:10] only read like the body text of the plan
but the tables and attachments at the
[45:14] end that kind of lay out how we've
prioritized goals. I think it's really
[45:19] cool to look at because it allows us to
be proactive and then it also allows us
[45:23] to actually take action. you know, there
was a great plan and so now we just have
[45:28] to steward ideas forward and then the
other thing I would call forward in the
[45:32] plan I think is really cool and I think
if you look at you know Elkins strategic
[45:36] positioning as a community the best one
of the well I think that the secret
[45:39] sauce of Elkins especially in making big
project h projects happen is we've got a
[45:43] lot of organizations to collaborate with
that punch above their weight and that
[45:47] do incredible work and so I think the
plan calls forward lots of space to not
[45:52] just go it alone but to work with other
people to make stuff happen for to
[45:55] enable the environment so other people
can you know do what they need to do to
[45:59] start their business to to live a great
life those kinds of things so there's
[46:03] some pretty excellent details to to look
forward and it's uh I could encourage
[46:08] everyone the public like sit down and
read all of it there's a lot there a lot
[46:12] of time attention went into it um and
this is this is a a great summary uh the
[46:19] this is only the cliff notes of it so
this just barely scratches the surface
[46:23] of what's there
>> presentation that was presented to the
[46:25] public was was double the the number of
slides and a lot more text. Um, but I I
[46:29] didn't want to I didn't want to re, you
know, reinvent the wheel with that. I
[46:33] wanted to kind of give you the high
points. The other thing that is and I
[46:36] think this was in one of the the drafts
of the plan. I think it's still in
[46:39] there, but at the beginning of the plan,
it kind of does a comparison of what we
[46:43] did from the last comprehensive plan and
those action items and which ones we've
[46:48] actually completed. And you know, we've
done a lot in the last 10 is it 10
[46:52] years? The last 10 years. um to check
off a lot of those boxes. So, I think,
[46:56] you know, we are to be commended, the
city's to be commended for that as well.
[47:01] » One one interesting side note is that
you can if you're thinking about moving
[47:06] to a community, it's significant to look
at what that community's vision is and
[47:14] and make a decision that says, "This
looks like a place that's really has the
[47:20] same sort of uh priorities that I do."
So I it was a great document. Super.
[47:26] » And I will say this was not as fun as
the uh planning document that uh we
[47:31] worked on. [laughter]
>> You mean the zoning
[47:35] » zoning? The zoning. Yes. Yeah. The
zoning document. Yes. The zoning
[47:38] document we worked on. Ordinance
document. But um but yes, there was a
[47:41] lot of a lot of thought and
consideration went into this plan and um
[47:45] that's it. So
>> in your hands now.
[47:49] » Thank you.
[47:57] » [clears throat]
[48:00] » signed.
>> Okay, moving down to new business.
[48:05] We'll start with ordinance 5 or sorry
352, an ordinance of the common council
[48:10] of the city of Elkins, Washington,
approving the formation of a joint
[48:13] development entity, the Randolph County
Development Authority to be known as
[48:17] Elkins Development LLC. Yeah.
>> Approving the articles of organization
[48:21] of Elkins Development LLC, approving the
operating agreement for the Elkins
[48:26] Development LLC and providing for other
matters and the connect connection
[48:31] therewith. This is the second and final
reading. Thank
[48:34] [clears throat and snorts] goodness. I
will entertain the motion.
[48:37] » We have a motion. Any questions or
comments? If not, all those in favor say
[48:41] I. I those opposed name. Motion carries.
Resolution 1941 establishing a new
[48:47] compensation level for the fire chief
effective July 5th, 2026. I will
[48:52] entertain a motion to accept. Please
move.
[48:54] » We have a motion. Any questions or
comments?
[48:57] » If none, all those in favor say I.
>> Those opposed, nay. Motion carries.
[49:02] Resolution 1942 acknowledging the
receipt of the planning commission's
[49:06] draft comprehensive plan and setting the
date for public forum hearing thereon. I
[49:11] will entertain a motion. So moved.
>> Are we setting a date though?
[49:16] » Are we resolution uh directs that the
hearing will be at the next well at the
[49:21] September 3rd council meeting which
allows time for the 15-day period which
[49:26] will be noticed um by legal ad Saturday
which is already pending. Um and that's
[49:33] what that's what needs to happen at this
point. See it and separates the process
[49:37] of your motion.
>> So councelor Wood is that your motion?
[49:39] » That is my motion.
Are there any other questions or
[49:42] comments? If not, all those in favor say
I.
[49:46] » I.
>> Post nay. Motion carries. Resolution
[49:50] 1943, addendum to smart contract adding
YouTube archiving. I will entertain a
[49:55] motion to accept, please.
>> We have a motion. Any questions or
[49:59] comments?
>> Uh, can we get a little bit? [laughter]
[50:03] » I left YouTube off. Uh, as you know, the
SMARS archiving solution captures all of
[50:08] our social media channels, which is
public records we're supposed to retain
[50:11] along with other things. Frankly, when
we when I first started talking to
[50:14] Smarsh in December, we had kind of
fallen off from using YouTube. We
[50:18] weren't doing the um sending our stream
out to two different channels. We were
[50:23] only doing Facebook at the time. Wasn't
part of the initial conversation, so it
[50:27] wasn't in the proposal that eventually
came to council. So, it's oversight on
[50:30] my part. It's basically going to add
after a with the addition of an
[50:35] onboarding fee this year, it'll add
about $400 to the um $12,000 annual cost
[50:41] of
>> Are we um so we're live streaming to
[50:45] YouTube now, too?
>> Yep.
[50:47] » We send out to two channels and could do
more if we had them, I guess. But
[50:54] » that's nice that someone can watch it
and not have to log into
[50:56] » Facebook.
>> Yeah.
[50:58] » Yeah.
>> Cool. for those of us that don't do
[51:00] Facebook today.
>> That's right. Yeah.
[51:03] » Any other questions or comments? If
none, all those in favor say I.
[51:07] » I.
>> Those opposed, nay. Motion carries.
[51:10] Resolution 1944, authoriz authorization
to expend opioid settlement funds to
[51:16] implement the game changanger substance
misuse prevention program at the Elkins
[51:20] Middle School for a second year. I will
entertain a motion to accept, please.
[51:23] » So moved.
>> We have a motion. Any questions or
[51:26] comments?
>> If none, all those in favor say I. I
[51:29] oppose nay. Motion carries. Resolution
1945 appointing Daniel Fischer to the
[51:35] Elkins Building Commission for an
unexpired term ending August 31st, 2029.
[51:40] I would entertain a motion to accept,
please.
[51:43] » So moved.
>> We have a motion. Any questions or
[51:45] comments?
If not, all those in favor say I.
[51:49] » I. Those oppose nay.
>> Motion carries. Resolution 1946,
[51:54] proposal to extend $6,600 in city code
31-07
[52:01] funds for cooperative advertising
campaign and Tyson's Courtney through
[52:04] collaboration with the city of Banan. I
will note before I ask for a motion, the
[52:09] city of Banan had a special call meeting
today and voted to pass this as well. So
[52:14] now I'll entertain a motion to accept
this.
[52:16] » Moved.
>> We have a motion.
[52:19] Now we did hear from our attorney.
Correct, Tracy?
[52:22] » Yes. And um
>> she had a recommendation.
[52:24] » She had a recommendation of $7,000 and I
will say I had budgeted 6,900. I believe
[52:30] it was $34. Um and I I believe you said
Buchanan approved $7,000.
[52:36] » Uh they did six, which is what they did
last year. Okay.
[52:38] » They did six, which is what they did
last year. So
[52:41] » I mean that's what our recommendation is
from Jerry. So I guess I need to know if
[52:46] that's
>> the amended motion then.
[52:48] » Yes. I guess why?
>> Why? Oh, I would
[52:52] » have a higher amount
>> 34 39.
[52:55] » She just said match what we did last
year is what she said to be consistent
[52:58] with it is what she had recommended.
[53:03] » Okay.
>> Or I guess what's the wait I guess I
[53:07] have three questions. Um one this this
budget line is the one that is has to be
[53:11] used for the advertising, right? That
was like a percent.
[53:14] » It's civic promotions.
>> Okay. And then um I guess I would be
[53:19] curious. Yeah. What is the difference
between
[53:22] the amount on the item or 7,000? Like if
>> they match this dollar for Walmart.
[53:27] » Oh, the state. The states match the
state. Okay.
[53:30] » State will match whatever you put in.
>> Okay. I was thinking
[53:32] » I was just like what's the service like
the match whatever the two cities put
[53:36] in.
>> Okay.
[53:37] » Okay.
>> Gotcha.
[53:39] » So then at the end of the day, we'll
just have like a longer ad buy at the
[53:43] » $300.
>> Well, actually, she had already budgeted
[53:46] for 69 based on what your calculations
were. Correct. That's correct.
[53:49] » So, do we need to amend the
>> 69 or the I when I did the budget?
[53:56] » Yeah, I look and see what the population
is since it's a dollar per head and
[54:01] that's that's where I came up with my
number.
[54:03] » Oh,
>> so can we spend more than that or
[54:10] » she can confirm that. So, if you want to
make the motion that we'll hit that
[54:13] unless Jerry comes back and says no, we
can't. That would be my recommendation.
[54:17] And then we lower it back down at that
point.
[54:22] » Easier just to do what?
>> Yeah. Just do what the what we're
[54:25] allowed to do.
>> The budget
[54:30] 6900.
>> Okay.
[54:32] » Yeah.
>> So,
[54:34] okay. Entertain a motion for the
amendment. Please don't amend.
[54:37] » I think you just say without objection
whatever the new
[54:40] » What is it?
>> 69.
[54:42] » 6934.
>> 6934 I believe. without 6934.
[54:49] » Okay, so we have a motion. All those in
favor say I. Those oppos.
[54:52] [clears throat]
>> Motion carries.
[54:55] » Eight. Proposal of Mountain Valley Banks
lease office based in city hall pending
[54:59] review by municipal properties committee
on August 12th. I will entertain a
[55:03] motion to
>> I just I left this on as a placeholder
[55:06] from for the municipal properties
meeting. I wasn't sure if an action was
[55:08] needed at this point, but it's there if
you need it. I mean, I know Jerry was
[55:12] going to work on the terms of the lease,
so there's no to
[55:16] » really there is no action at this point
in time, right?
[55:19] » So, it's probably for more for nothing
else.
[55:23] » Okay. Um,
so we're doing the German before.
[55:30] [laughter]
>> I had a double that's rearranging
[55:33] things, trying to fit the presentation.
[55:39] » Good job.
>> [laughter]
[55:42] » Uh want to point [snorts] out that our
college students David Davis and these
[55:46] college students are coming back. We
have freshman metriculation tomorrow. So
[55:50] very excited about that. Uh next
Wednesday the 19th we are doing our
[55:54] athletes student athletes community
cleanup. So please do me a favor. If you
[55:57] see the athletes out there, thank them
because they come down and it's a red
[56:00] wave going through our community and
it's a pretty awesome site to see. Uh
[56:04] when they're in session, our population
goes up around 10%. So please make them
[56:09] feel welcome. this is their home away
from home when they're here. So, we want
[56:12] them to understand we do welcome, we
appreciate you coming here and you
[56:15] selected Elkins as your home further
your education. I also was at the
[56:20] municipal conference last um and it was
a very emotional time for me um being
[56:28] sworn in as municipal president. It's I
take great pride in that because I get
[56:32] to share that with you guys because
we're a team and I can't take all the
[56:37] credit of the accolades for that because
without your guys support without our
[56:40] community partners without the
volunteers without the workers that we
[56:43] have here none of this happens. I mean
all the feedback I received about the
[56:47] city of Elkins last week is nothing but
possible. I mean, people are so excited
[56:51] about where we're going and what we're
doing. And comment typically is I love
[56:55] Elks because and it's still in the blank
and it's usually something different
[56:59] every time. I mean, Nancy, you said the
same thing when we were talking on the
[57:02] street one evening. People have such a
good impression of us right now and
[57:06] we're definitely heading in the right
direction and it's kind of affirmation
[57:09] that we have people kind of growing in
the same direction. We're doing things
[57:12] the right way and we are ahead of other
cities with what we're doing right now.
[57:16] Um, so thanks to you as well. Uh it's an
honor to represent this council in this
[57:22] city and as the president. So I take
honor in that. So thank you for your
[57:26] support with that and for the people
that has reaching out to me. Thank you
[57:30] for that as well. With that we adjourn.