MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The City of Morgantown has taken the first step to host its final two independent municipal elections in 2027 and 2029.
In response to state legislation mandating that all West Virginia municipalities align their elections with the state by 2032, the Morgantown City Council unanimously approved the first reading of a charter change that would move the municipal elections to the May primary, starting in 2030.City Attorney Ryan Simonton, detailed the aspects of the charter change during the council’s regular meeting on Tuesday.
“This ordinance proposes an amendment to the city’s charter to bring it into compliance with the 2025 legislation,” said Simonton. “Which requires all municipal elections statewide to be held concurrently with either the statewide May primary election or the statewide November election.”
The charter change will affect the terms of the councilors elected to the 1st, 3rd, 5th, and 7th ward Morgantown City Council seats, which are up for a vote in April 2027. Those elected will be limited to a three-year term, with the same taking place for those elected to the 2nd, 4th, and 6th ward council seats that would be decided in April 2029. According to Simonton, the terms would then be aligned to be in place on the normal, staggered year placement for Morgantown City Council seats up for a vote after 2032.
“This change would put Morgantown in a place where it would hold those elections on the May primary date starting in 2030,” said Simonton. “The next two terms of council would be elected for three-year terms, then returning to the current four-year schedule with the 2030 election.”
The council also unanimously approved the submission of an application to the West Virginia Department of Economic Development that would remove four pieces of property from the Sunnyside Tax Increment Financing (TIF) District. The approximately 4.3 acres of property that would be removed if approved on a state level accounts for the Beechurst Power Plant, which has stopped producing electricity since 2020. The application was approved by the council at the request of the Campus Neighborhood Revitalization Corporation and will also include a TIF extension that is also subject to state approval.
“Generally, the changes made are to remove four parcels of property, then plan to extend the term of the district by 15 years,” said Simonton. “Then request that the Department of Economic Development increase the bonding capacity for that district.”
Morgantown City Councilor Brian Butcher also made a note to his colleagues during the final minutes of the meeting of impending federal cuts related to the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development. According to Butcher, budget discussions on a federal level have resulted in cuts as high as $33 billion, which in turn would affect the ability to support independent social service agencies that are operating within Morgantown city limits. While federal budget discussions remain ongoing in Washington, D.C., Butcher advises anyone focused on social service funding to potentially see long-term consequences.
“People ought to keep this in mind when we talk about referring people to support and what we’re likely to see in terms of support going forward,” said Butcher. “And the kind of organizations that we’re going to lose in the next three to four years because there’s not going to be any federal funding for them.”