Beckley City Council Business Meeting - September 2, 2026
Beckley City Council Business Meeting - September 2, 2026
The Beckley City Council met on September 2, 2026, at 2:51 PM for a business meeting. The meeting included recognition of police officers for lifesaving actions, public comments on streets and parking, council member updates, first reading of an ordinance amending the vape/smoke shop code, approval of grant resolutions and the open burning ordinance, and new business items including a library board appointment and road salt procurement.
Police Department Lifesaving Awards
Chief Bailey presented plaques to four officers for their actions in two incidents. On June 9, 2026, Sergeant Hudnell, Patrolman First Class Redden, Patrolman First Class Winnell, and Patrolman First Class Burgess responded to a welfare check on the Cranberry Creek Bridge involving a suicidal individual. The officers coordinated without verbal communication to pull the individual back over the guardrail and safely detain them after a struggle. On July 12, 2026, Patrolman First Class Redden and Patrolman First Class Winnell responded to roadway flooding at Robert Seabird Drive and Newton Avenue, rescuing occupants from a submerged vehicle. Additionally, Sergeant Hudnell was recognized for a separate August 16, 2026 incident at the same intersection where he rescued two elderly females from a submerged vehicle. The chief also announced the retirement of Deputy Chief David Albert and the swearing-in of Morgan Bragg as new deputy chief on September 3, 2026.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Mary West expressed frustration over the condition of city streets, urging the council to redo streets rather than patch them. She also noted ongoing issues with signs, garbage, and speeding on roads, and cited city code 17-19-1 regarding signage. She called for collective action and warned against treating her poorly.
- A second speaker (name not given) raised concerns about the parking situation downtown, specifically the presidential parking lot where inoperable cars are taking up spaces. He reported that some cars have been parked in two-hour spots for hours, affecting businesses. He suggested making Neville Street, Main Street, and other uptown streets one-way with diagonal parking to increase spaces, and urged faster action than the planned parking lot construction months away.
- A third speaker (name not given) commented on the city’s appearance, noting the need for cleanup of signs and garbage, and mentioned speeding issues on the hall. He also referenced the need for police presence.
Discussion Items
- Council members and city manager comments: Several council members thanked the police officers, congratulated Officer Bragg on his promotion, and provided updates. Councilman Williams mentioned a feasibility study for East Badley phone stops and asked about the MacArthur Street closure. Councilman Frank thanked the city manager and noted the ACT (Advanced Career Training) program at New River Community College, which can tailor training for new industries. He also highlighted a national study showing West Virginia leads in business survival rates for businesses opened in 2019. Councilwoman Nancy suggested holding a monthly police recognition event. Councilwoman Trish thanked the city manager for quick response to sign removal and encouraged cleanup. Councilman Cody discussed parking issues and supported the idea of changing parking configurations. The city manager reported meeting with a developer about two lots uptown for parking and mentioned starting the open burning season on October 1.
- First reading of ordinance: Ordinance amending Beckley City Code Chapter 15 Section 38 regarding vape/smoke shop abandonment. The ordinance clarifies that a change of ownership is treated as abandonment, requiring any new owner to comply with the existing zoning ordinance, including the vape shop ordinance adopted in September 2025. The council approved the first reading unanimously.
- Resolutions: Three resolutions were approved:
- Resolution approving the West Virginia Division of Motor Vehicles Governor’s Highway Safety Program Grant Funds of $920 (amount unclear from transcript).
- Resolution approving the West Virginia Division of Motor Vehicles Governor’s Highway Safety Program Grant Funds of $45,000.
- Resolution for the open burning ordinance, effective October 1 through December 31, 2026, requiring property owners to notify the fire department before burning vegetation, and allowing the fire department to order cessation if burning affects health or safety.
- New business:
- Appointment of a new member (referred to as “rehab”) to the Raleigh County Library Board of Directors for a five-year term. Approved unanimously.
- Fiscal year 2027 road salt procurement through the statewide contract with a single bidder. The price is $139 per ton with a minimum of 900 tons. The contract includes a flexible clause allowing up to 20% variance. Approved.
- Discussion about scheduling a workshop to further discuss a code assessment or other items; possible next council meeting.
Key Outcomes
- Police recognition: Four officers were formally recognized for their lifesaving actions. No vote required.
- First reading of ordinance: Approved unanimously. Second reading will occur at the next council meeting.
- Resolution #1 (grant $920): Approved unanimously.
- Resolution #2 (grant $45,000): Approved unanimously.
- Resolution #3 (open burning): Approved unanimously.
- Library board appointment: Approved unanimously.
- Road salt procurement: Approved for fiscal year 2027 at $139/ton, minimum 900 tons.
Meeting Transcript
Okay, that would bring this business meeting to warm room. As you can tell it's a lot cooler in here, it's not that the temperature dropped it so that we uh finally got the AC fixed, and I don't know if you vote for that. City. There you go. So it's way more comfortable here, I can tell you. Second. Any questions or comments about the minutes? Fairware. Thank you. Council. Before we go to public comments, we're going to switch it up a little bit. We go ahead and skip down to the police department officers' life savings rewards. Before I turn it over to Chief Bailey, I would just like to personally thank our personally people talking about the stories about the Euro access that you all did. So I personally just want to thank you on behalf of Council. Chief Chief, you want to take a few papers? Good afternoon, uh members of the public and council. First, I'd like Sergeant Hudnell, Patrol First Class Redden, Patrol First Class Winnell, and Patrolman First Class Burgess to go up here and stand in the field. On June 9th, approximately 115 officers responded to a welfare check involving a possible suicidal individual on the Cranberry Creek Bridge. Sergeant Hudnell, Patrolman First Class Redden, Patrol and First Class Vanel, and Patrolman First Class Burgess responded to the scene and located the individual standing over the guardrail on a small ledge. Officer Redden began speaking with the individual while officers Winnell, Burgess, and Hudnel positioned themselves nearby behind and out of the individual site. The officers quickly recognized it if the individual was not interested in communicating and appeared to manage the decision to jump. Without the need for words or direction from each other, these three, these officers here acted as one team at a critical moment. They grabbed the individual and safely pulled him back over the guardrail to safety. The individual immediately began to actively resist and fight and attempt to get back over the bridge. Despite the danger and difficult circumstances, the officers maintain control until the individual can be safely detained and transferred to the hospital for mental health retreat. These actions of these officers demonstrate an extraordinary amount of courage, professionalism, and quick thinking, and teamwork, and I'd like to recognize them here with this evening with the flat. On July 12th, 2026, Patrolman First Class Redden and Patrolman First Class will respond to the area of Robert Seabird Drive. And you're at Avenue due to roadway flooding as we all are aware of. Upon their arrival, officers of turn to submerge vehicle with several occupants inside. These officers will all affect the fire department quickly active to assist those trapped inside when we get to the state. I'd like to recognize these officers with Sergeant Huddle is going to come back. In the third incident, I'd like to recognize Sergeant Huddle. On August 16, 2026, Sergeant Huddle also responded to the intersection on a different incident of Robert Seaburr and Newton Avenue again due to the roadway flood. Upon his arrival, Sergeant Huddle observed a submerged people with two elderly females inside yelling for help. And also with the retirement day of uh Deputy Chief David Albert, we will be swearing in uh uh Morgan Bragg as new deputy chief at 9.30 in the morning and over here. Very good chief, thank you. Okay, so now we move back to public comments. Um I've got three people that wish to speak tonight. If you are on the phone or listening by computer and you would like to be heard, we can recognize you ever these three. Once you've been in the name, you can unmute your microphone by pressing star six. If you're using a mobile app, I tablets can see an icon symbol of a raised hand where there will be one under the menu vernot. As you can tell, we we can kind of switch it up. We went from uh using the teams. We're using a teams program trying it out tonight as opposed to the WebEx that we've been using, so it's a little bit different. That's why it sounds a little different. Uh anyway. Mary West and right ahead. Good evening, everyone, once again. Okay, I am back as usual. Asking all of you off.
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