Meeting colors

OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Beckley City Council Regular Meeting and Parking Commission - October 23, 2026

City Council — Friday, October 23, 2026

BodyBeckley, West Virginia

SessionCity Council

DateFriday, October 23, 2026

StatusFILED

Video Record

⇩ GET FROM SOURCE

STREAMING COPY IN PREPARATION — RECORDING AVAILABLE FROM THE ORIGINAL SOURCE

Transcript — Verbatim

Speaker numbers apply only to this recording.

Speaker 1

0:10

First item on the agenda is reading approval of the minutes for October 6th, 2026 regular council meeting.

0:15

May I have a motion to approve the minutes as presented?

Unassigned speaker

0:18

Speaker 1

0:18

have a second.

0:20

Anybody from council have questions or comments about the minutes?

0:24

Very well.

0:25

All those in favor of approval say aye.

0:30

Minutes are approved.

0:31

Thank you, Council.

0:32

Next up is the reading approval of the minutes for the workshop that we had on October 13th, 2026.

0:37

May have a motion to approve the minutes as presented.

0:40

So move.

0:41

I have a second.

0:42

Thank you, Jenny.

0:44

Any questions, comments from council members concerning the workshop minutes?

Unassigned speaker

0:49

Speaker 2

0:49

have all done.

Speaker 1

0:51

All those in favor of approval say aye.

0:53

Aye.

0:53

If there's anyone opposed, say nay.

0:57

Thank you, council.

0:58

We'll move on to public comments.

1:01

We got three today.

1:03

If you are calling by phone and you wish to be heard after the three people here, press star five to raise your hand.

1:10

Once you've been enabled, you can unmute your microphone by pressing star six.

1:15

If you're using a mobile app, tablet, or computer, and you would like to speak.

1:18

You should see an icon symbol with a right hand, or there'll be one under the menu where the three vertical dots are.

1:26

That's I got I hope that sounds right.

1:29

Um as always speak clearly to the microphone.

1:32

That goes for council members too.

1:33

I still have people that say they can't hear some of us.

1:36

Um it sounds like mumbling, so please make sure uh that you speak directly in the microphone.

1:41

You got three minutes.

1:42

Evan will keep count.

1:43

I will let you know when you're down to the last 30 seconds, try to wrap up.

1:46

Okay, Mary West, go ahead.

Unassigned speaker

1:51

Good

Speaker 3

1:52

evening, everyone.

Speaker 1

1:54

Good evening,

Speaker 3

1:56

I am here once again to talk about the city of Beckley.

2:03

We have a lot of things that need to be done here in the city.

2:08

And there's a lot of areas that needs to be cleansed.

2:12

Now, over on Metal Street, there is trash at this house stacked up, just been laying there for months of Sundays.

2:22

And nobody's going over there, making this gentleman get this stuff cleaned up and his porches in the same way.

2:30

He has some type of issue, but still, you know, he needs to be dealt with.

2:36

And I've told people if they can let me know uh uh talk to him, I will go over and load it on my truck and carry it to the land the myself instead of because people are coming to me on metals wanting something done.

2:52

And also the grass on Lincoln Street.

2:57

Now Lincoln Street was paid.

2:59

They did nothing with the shoulders over there on Lincoln.

3:02

That don't look good at all.

3:04

But it's a house that burnt over there that was made to be tore down, but the grass is so high, and that needs to be cut.

3:14

So I've asked many occasions for something to be done with that.

3:20

Okay.

3:21

Next, the car wash down at LaRue Avenue.

3:24

Got grant more grass growing on

Unassigned speaker

3:27

Speaker 3

3:27

than the average drug dealer sales grass out here.

3:32

Now, they need to be made to clean up all that grass off of that building down there.

3:36

That so-called car wash that's not working anymore.

3:39

Right.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Parking Management█████████████████████████████████████37%

Procedural█████████████████████████25%

Public Safety██████████10%

Miscellaneous█████████9%

Youth Programs██████6%

Personnel Matters█████5%

Election Procedures████4%

Economic Development███3%

Arts And Culture█1%

Summary of Proceedings

Beckley City Council Regular Meeting and Parking Commission - October 23, 2026

The Beckley City Council and Parking Commission met on October 23, 2026. The meeting included approval of prior meeting minutes, public comments, a public hearing and second reading for a real estate purchase, adoption of formal rules of decorum, discussion on a new litter control officer and e-bikes, and a parking commission session detailing the management of new Neville Street parking lots.

Consent Calendar

Minutes: The council unanimously approved the minutes from the October 6, 2026 regular council meeting and the October 13, 2026 workshop.

Public Comments & Testimony

Mary West expressed concerns about trash accumulation on Metal Street, overgrown grass on Lincoln Street and at a former car wash on LaRue Avenue, and what she described as unequal code enforcement. She also urged the city to install street cameras to catch speeders.
Tom Mosley thanked council and suggested implementing a safe streets program with police department signage to draw attention to road safety.
Andrew Penny (Athletic Director, Woodrow Wilson High School): Invited the council to the West Virginia SSAC State Soccer Tournament (November 4-7), which has been hosted in Beckley for over 25 years. He noted the tournament brings approximately 7,000 attendees, requires 25 hotel rooms per team, and provides significant economic benefit to Beckley hotels and restaurants. He also thanked Chief Bailey and the police for their support and stated the city and school are working together on financial and security arrangements for the event.

Discussion Items

Council & City Manager Comments:
- Councilwoman noted a Trunk-or-Treat event (Oct 31, 5:30-7:30 PM) and funding from Delegate Eric Brooks for smoke alarms for senior and disabled residents.
- Councilman raised concerns about e-bike safety on trails and streets, noting they can reach speeds up to 30 mph and pose fire risks. Chief Bailey agreed to investigate existing regulations.
- Councilman expressed support for the soccer tournament and praised a recent joint town hall meeting with the county on vagrancy, panhandling, and safety.
- Councilwoman thanked city employees and clarified that Crescent Road is a state-maintained street, not a city maintenance responsibility.
- City Manager Gerald thanked his staff and noted the soccer tournament is one of only four state tournaments not held in Charleston, making it a valuable asset.
Ordinance – Real Estate Purchase: A public hearing was held on the second reading of an ordinance authorizing the city to purchase two tracts of real estate on Neville Street for parking. No public comments were made, and the council unanimously approved the ordinance.
Rules of Decorum: City Attorney Fowle presented proposed rules of decorum and public participation policy. The rules formalize existing practices regarding respectful behavior, public comment procedures, prohibited interruptions, signage, and weapons. A change was announced: doors will now open 15 minutes before the meeting instead of 30. The council unanimously approved the rules.
October 13 Workshop Follow-Up:
- City Manager Gerald confirmed he and Mike Hennings are working on the job description for a new Litter Control Officer, modeled on the county's position. This officer will have police credentials, including the ability to carry a firearm and badge, and will work in tandem with the Litter Rehabilitation Act.
- A discussion on Code Enforcement staffing revealed that a previous lieutenant position was never filled following a retirement, as the department is currently short-staffed in operations.
Executive Session: The council voted to enter executive session for approximately 10-15 minutes to discuss personnel matters.

Key Outcomes

Minutes Approved: Minutes from October 6 and October 13, 2026 were approved as presented.
Real Estate Purchase Approved: The council approved the purchase of two tracts of land on Neville Street for downtown parking.
Rules of Decorum Adopted: The formal rules of decorum and public participation policy were adopted. Doors will now open 15 minutes prior to meetings.
Litter Control Officer: The city is actively moving forward with posting the position for a dedicated Litter Control Officer to address blight and enforcement.
Parking Commission Decision: The commission authorized temporary development of the newly acquired Neville Street lots. The lot will provide approximately 25 spaces using crushed asphalt and bumper guards. Parking will be set to two-hour free parking for customers, with no overnight parking. Violators will be subject to towing. The City Manager was authorized to procure signs with appropriate language. (Motion carried unanimously).
November Schedule: The November 3 meeting was canceled due to Election Day. The next council meeting will be later in November.
Community Events: Halloween trick-or-treat is scheduled for October 31, 6-8 PM. The state soccer tournament runs November 4-7.

Meeting Transcript

First item on the agenda is reading approval of the minutes for October 6th, 2026 regular council meeting. May I have a motion to approve the minutes as presented? I have a second. Anybody from council have questions or comments about the minutes? Very well. All those in favor of approval say aye. Minutes are approved. Thank you, Council. Next up is the reading approval of the minutes for the workshop that we had on October 13th, 2026. May have a motion to approve the minutes as presented. So move. I have a second. Thank you, Jenny. Any questions, comments from council members concerning the workshop minutes? We have all done. All those in favor of approval say aye. Aye. If there's anyone opposed, say nay. Thank you, council. We'll move on to public comments. We got three today. If you are calling by phone and you wish to be heard after the three people here, press star five to raise your hand. Once you've been enabled, you can unmute your microphone by pressing star six. If you're using a mobile app, tablet, or computer, and you would like to speak. You should see an icon symbol with a right hand, or there'll be one under the menu where the three vertical dots are. That's I got I hope that sounds right. Um as always speak clearly to the microphone. That goes for council members too. I still have people that say they can't hear some of us. Um it sounds like mumbling, so please make sure uh that you speak directly in the microphone. You got three minutes. Evan will keep count. I will let you know when you're down to the last 30 seconds, try to wrap up. Okay, Mary West, go ahead. Good evening, everyone. Good evening, I am here once again to talk about the city of Beckley. We have a lot of things that need to be done here in the city. And there's a lot of areas that needs to be cleansed. Now, over on Metal Street, there is trash at this house stacked up, just been laying there for months of Sundays. And nobody's going over there, making this gentleman get this stuff cleaned up and his porches in the same way. He has some type of issue, but still, you know, he needs to be dealt with. And I've told people if they can let me know uh uh talk to him, I will go over and load it on my truck and carry it to the land the myself instead of because people are coming to me on metals wanting something done. And also the grass on Lincoln Street. Now Lincoln Street was paid. They did nothing with the shoulders over there on Lincoln. That don't look good at all.

SUMMARIZED BY OPENPUBLICA AI

TRANSCRIPT VIA PUBLIC VIDEO
openpublica.com

Beckley City Council Regular Meeting and Parking Commission - October 23, 2026

Consent Calendar

Minutes: The council unanimously approved the minutes from the October 6, 2026 regular council meeting and the October 13, 2026 workshop.

Public Comments & Testimony

Mary West expressed concerns about trash accumulation on Metal Street, overgrown grass on Lincoln Street and at a former car wash on LaRue Avenue, and what she described as unequal code enforcement. She also urged the city to install street cameras to catch speeders.

Tom Mosley thanked council and suggested implementing a safe streets program with police department signage to draw attention to road safety.

Andrew Penny (Athletic Director, Woodrow Wilson High School): Invited the council to the West Virginia SSAC State Soccer Tournament (November 4-7), which has been hosted in Beckley for over 25 years. He noted the tournament brings approximately 7,000 attendees, requires 25 hotel rooms per team, and provides significant economic benefit to Beckley hotels and restaurants. He also thanked Chief Bailey and the police for their support and stated the city and school are working together on financial and security arrangements for the event.

Discussion Items

Council & City Manager Comments:

Councilwoman noted a Trunk-or-Treat event (Oct 31, 5:30-7:30 PM) and funding from Delegate Eric Brooks for smoke alarms for senior and disabled residents.
Councilman raised concerns about e-bike safety on trails and streets, noting they can reach speeds up to 30 mph and pose fire risks. Chief Bailey agreed to investigate existing regulations.
Councilman expressed support for the soccer tournament and praised a recent joint town hall meeting with the county on vagrancy, panhandling, and safety.
Councilwoman thanked city employees and clarified that Crescent Road is a state-maintained street, not a city maintenance responsibility.
City Manager Gerald thanked his staff and noted the soccer tournament is one of only four state tournaments not held in Charleston, making it a valuable asset.

Ordinance – Real Estate Purchase: A public hearing was held on the second reading of an ordinance authorizing the city to purchase two tracts of real estate on Neville Street for parking. No public comments were made, and the council unanimously approved the ordinance.

Rules of Decorum: City Attorney Fowle presented proposed rules of decorum and public participation policy. The rules formalize existing practices regarding respectful behavior, public comment procedures, prohibited interruptions, signage, and weapons. A change was announced: doors will now open 15 minutes before the meeting instead of 30. The council unanimously approved the rules.

October 13 Workshop Follow-Up:

City Manager Gerald confirmed he and Mike Hennings are working on the job description for a new Litter Control Officer, modeled on the county's position. This officer will have police credentials, including the ability to carry a firearm and badge, and will work in tandem with the Litter Rehabilitation Act.
A discussion on Code Enforcement staffing revealed that a previous lieutenant position was never filled following a retirement, as the department is currently short-staffed in operations.

Executive Session: The council voted to enter executive session for approximately 10-15 minutes to discuss personnel matters.

Key Outcomes

Minutes Approved: Minutes from October 6 and October 13, 2026 were approved as presented.

Real Estate Purchase Approved: The council approved the purchase of two tracts of land on Neville Street for downtown parking.

Rules of Decorum Adopted: The formal rules of decorum and public participation policy were adopted. Doors will now open 15 minutes prior to meetings.

Litter Control Officer: The city is actively moving forward with posting the position for a dedicated Litter Control Officer to address blight and enforcement.

Parking Commission Decision: The commission authorized temporary development of the newly acquired Neville Street lots. The lot will provide approximately 25 spaces using crushed asphalt and bumper guards. Parking will be set to two-hour free parking for customers, with no overnight parking. Violators will be subject to towing. The City Manager was authorized to procure signs with appropriate language. (Motion carried unanimously).

November Schedule: The November 3 meeting was canceled due to Election Day. The next council meeting will be later in November.

Community Events: Halloween trick-or-treat is scheduled for October 31, 6-8 PM. The state soccer tournament runs November 4-7.

Meeting Transcript