MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — It was business as usual for Morgantown City Council during their regular meeting.
Four ordinances were passed unanimously, with three of them passed under their first reading. Among them, an ordinance which allows for the vacating, removing, or demolition of buildings and structures considered unsafe or dangerous.
“I understand that our city staff keeps a list of problematic buildings and at times we’ve had problems contacting owners, dealing with the property, either fixing it or knocking it down,” Councilman Ryan Wallace said.
Even though no buildings in particular were mentioned as part of the list held by city staff, Wallace said the ordinance won’t be the only one like it to give expanded authority to city staff.
“Talking with our attorney, it was something that we needed and we’re catching up on a lot of house keeping jobs of council, where we’re empowering the city staff to do what they need to do,” he said.
Two other ordinances that were passed included an issuance of up $13 million in bonds for Sunnyside Up Project and a non-exclusive telecommunications contract with DQE Communications to construct, install and maintain network facilities around town.
“I’m happy that they’re continuing to expand and to grow and it’s going to be beneficial for the project overall,” Wallace said.
The other ordinance that was passed under first reading was the creation of a Health and Wellness Commission, which was worked upon with Wallace and his wife, who he credited during the meeting.
“This will improve quality of life, it will reduce costs for healthcare, and it’ll help us focus on making a more walk-able aesthetic and more enjoyable city,” he said.
Council will next meet November 21.