Beckley City Council Regular Meeting - August 4, 2026
Beckley City Council Regular Meeting - August 4, 2026
The Beckley City Council met on August 4, 2026, for a regular meeting. The council approved the minutes from the July 21 meeting, heard public comments from five residents, discussed various community issues, and passed several ordinances and resolutions. All votes were unanimous.
Approval of Minutes
- The council approved the minutes of the July 21, 2026, regular meeting as presented by a voice vote (all ayes, no nays).
Public Comments & Testimony
- Mary West expressed frustration with street patching on LaRue Avenue, stating it "has more cracks than the people on crack" and requested full resurfacing and asphalt for the public parking lot. She also complained about unsupervised children with toy guns at a park and lifeguards allegedly encouraging fights, urging the city to address park safety.
- Tom Mosley thanked Councilman Darrell for keeping Kanawha Street a two-way street. He reported illegal signage by roofing companies on Kanawha Street (citing state code 1719-1) and requested enforcement. He also thanked Mr. Bowling's crew for cleaning up an encampment behind a resident's house and pleaded for action on speeding citywide, noting police efforts but asking for more.
- Christina Basin raised concerns about two aggressive dogs (a white pit bull and a brown-and-white dog) in the Bowling Addition neighborhood that had been killing cats. She criticized the animal control response, but the mayor and councilman Cody reported that the dogs were picked up on Sunday, August 2, and that the city had authorized purchase of three additional kennels due to shelter capacity. She offered to share ownership information.
- Lisa Dowden complained about potholes, particularly near Walmart and on Queen Anne Street (noted to be outside city limits). She requested repair of the basketball court at East Park on Broadway Street (half the court is slanted and broken). She also thanked the Lily Lion Roaring initiative and the Linda Kipling Stadium event for distributing school supplies and showing a movie.
- Lane Acred (of 421 Hall Street) pleaded for action on speeding on his street, which was recently reduced from 25 mph to 15 mph but remains hazardous. He reported vehicles leaving the road and entering his yard, and requested speed humps (as opposed to speed bumps) and expressed frustration with lack of response from his ward representative.
Council and City Manager Comments
- Council members thanked department heads, Chief Bailey, and the city manager for their work. They noted the soft opening of Jack's Cafe uptown, upcoming Appalachian Arts and Crafts Fair (over 200 vendors, expected 5,000+ attendees), and the 25th anniversary 9/11 memorial service.
- Councilman Cody reported on dog issues, requested a turn signal study for Third and Fourth Avenues from Robert C. Byrd Drive, and praised Pastor Lusk for beautifying Maxwell Hill.
- City Manager Gerald thanked his staff, mentioned paving projects (including Lincoln Street via community grant), and proposed a beautification award program for each ward, recalling a past practice of planting trees.
- Councilwoman Barbera shared that her parents received a white dogwood tree from the city in 1982 for their lawn.
Ordinances - First Readings
- Property Transfer & Donation Agreement: The council approved a first reading of an ordinance authorizing acceptance of a 4.75-acre surface property in Glen Morgan Edition (tax map parcel ID 24-00440) donated by Tim Bucklin. The property is near the sewage treatment plant. Motion carried (all ayes).
- Recreational Trail Lease Agreement: The council approved a first reading of an ordinance authorizing a lease with Beaver Coal Company for property to develop non-motorized recreational trails open to the public. Motion carried (all ayes).
Ordinances - Second Reading & Public Hearing
- Minnesota Avenue Transfer to WVDOT: The council held a public hearing (no public comments) and approved a second reading of an ordinance transferring Minnesota Avenue to the West Virginia Department of Transportation Division of Highways. The state will assume maintenance and snow removal. Councilman Reedy confirmed in writing that the state will not change the two-way traffic flow on South Kanawha Street. Motion carried (all ayes).
Resolution
- FY2026 Annual Action Plan for CDBG Funding: The council adopted a resolution approving the annual action plan for the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) from HUD. Treasurer Evan Dewey explained the plan is required to draw down federal funds and will be used primarily for paving and road reconstruction. Motion carried (all ayes).
Old Business
- CDBG Consulting Services Award: The council awarded the bid for community development consulting services to Urban Design Ventures, which scored highest on qualifications, experience, and price. Motion by Councilwoman Sherry Hunter, seconded, and carried (all ayes).
New Business
- City Manager Contract Renewal: The council approved a one-year employment agreement renewal for City Manager Philip T. Gerald, effective immediately through June 30, 2027. The salary remains $110,000 with no increase. Motion carried (all ayes).
Adjournment
- The meeting adjourned by motion with no executive session.
Meeting Transcript
Order. First item on the agenda is a reading and approval of the minutes for the July 21st, 2026 regular council meeting. May I have a motion to approve the July 21st minutes as presented. So moved. So move. May I have a second? Second. Were there any questions or comments from council on the minutes? No, then with that, uh all those in favor of approval say aye. Aye. If there's anyone opposed, say nay. Minutes are approved. Thank you, council. Next up is public comments. We've got five that want to be heard tonight. As always, please speak clearly into the microphone. I know we say this all the time. People can hear you fine and here, but on the internet we get so many complaints because people talk and then they they nobody can hear them online. So and I know we usually do have a lot of people listening in. And if you want to speak at public comments after our five speakers, if you're calling by phone, Dall star three to raise your hand. If you're connected by computer, click the hand icon on your participants panel, and we will recognize you after the five that's here tonight. Three minutes, Evan Dewey will keep a clock running when it gets down to 30 seconds. One of us will let you know, and please try to wrap up in that amount of time. Okay, Mary West, you're up first. Good evening, everyone. Good evening. Good evening. Back again. Same old same old, but a different day. So first thing, I would like to know why all this patching is going on in the city of Beckley. If y'all resurfaced these streets, you wouldn't have to do the patch, and they got to come back and repatch. But LaRue is beginning to look like to me, they have joined the drug people here in West Virginia. It's got more cracks than the people on crack got. So if you all can fix LaRue Avenue and the public parking on LaRue, some of it gravel, some of it dirt. It should be all asphalt. But it's looking ridiculous out there. So if you all can do that. The cops were called. I came up right after it happened. Then they allow kids that have been coming up there all summer with little toy gun things, and then they want to get mad with them all of a sudden after they have allowed it all summer and throw them out. You all need to do something about that park and get it the right way. Because we don't need to keep going up there hearing this kind of situation. Now, I don't know whether law enforcement reported to you all about the lifeguards trying to get the two kids to fight. Because it I mean they should be have some kind of parent or something with them at all times up there, but they're allowing them to come without it. Because I caught my grandson up there and I threatened to tear his little behind up. He's supposed to have somebody with him. So therefore, if you all can do that and get things better here in Beckley, because our children really don't have anything to do. That's about all they got really. So I would appreciate you all looking into those two items. 30 seconds.
openpublica.com