The Charleston City Council met on Monday, October 6, 2025, at 7:00 PM in Council Chambers at City Hall. The meeting was called to order by Mayor Amy Shuler Goodwin, with 25 members present (two excused absences). The council observed a moment of silence for the late Kitty Dooley. The agenda included public comments, proclamations, appointments, multiple finance resolutions, a B&O tax exemption bill, new bills, and member remarks.
All resolutions were presented by Councilmember Jenkins, Chair of the Finance Committee.
Good evening, everyone. Council, please come to order. Members will please rise, and before we begin our prayer this evening, I'd like to take just a moment and ask everyone to please reflect upon the life and the legacy of the late Kitty Dooley. As you paint the trees with colors of purple, orange, yellow, and red leaves, we are reminded of our many colors and how our differences enrich the lives of those around us. As the autumn leaves fall, we are reminded that in order to move forward, we must also let go, as we are always in a state of changing, growing, and learning. Separately. Cook. Fagrie. Farrell, Gardner, Gianola, Haas, Hoover, Jenkins, Jones, Kearns, King, Moore, Overstreet, Pepper, Farr, Robinson, Rubio, excuse. Solango, Snodgrass, excuse, Solomon, Steelhammer, Taylor, Mayor Goodwin. Here. The clerk will please read the journal. Madam President. Yes, Madam Mayor, I request unanimous consent to dispense with the reading of the journal. There's a motion on the floor that we dispense with the reading of the journal, hearing, and seeing no objections. The reading of the journal is now dispensed with. We have two public speakers this evening. Our first public speaker, Archina. Thank you so much. Hello, thank you. I would like to invite everyone present here today and anyone listening to the online recording to Democracy Labs 2.0, which there are flyers on everyone's desks. Thank you so much for allowing me to do that. This is a public meeting of neighbors where our organization, Charleston Can't Wait, serves to facilitate conversations between folks who are interested in making Charleston voices more accessible and growing into its incredible potential that this city has. The main aim of this installation is to follow up with folks on their brainstorming about improving public input, democracy, and government transparency. You were all invited to this event last year, so you might remember the name. And while only those who had already had a connection to West Virginia can't wait's name had come, this invitation has been extended to all of you and had been as well last year, and always will be continuing forward. So I wanted to just remind everybody that we are a bipartisan group. This event is bipartisan as well. And I specifically want to hear any and all ideas. Partly the event exists because we don't have enough time during public comments, especially if there are more speakers to address Charleston's concerns. And that is one issue that attendees brainstormed about. So if you disagree, come to the event. That is the whole point. And instead of maybe, you know, having some assumptions kind of going around about our intentions, it's advisable and much more productive to give us whatever constructive feedback you have at the event itself. So just wanted to say, you know, and I could cancel this event right now if we had more of these kinds of like public meetings and things like that. So help us out. We don't really want to spend our time like this to be honest. I don't know that I have it. So just don't be upset when we hold these kinds of events and instead come out and help us represent. And um, we also wanted to kind of talk about you know the Capito situation where we were denied access to even talk to our uh senator, and just want to remind you all you have been open to being able to hear these kinds of comments, so just you know, continuing to do that is such a wonderful thing for the city, and I just encourage you to say, you know, follow in the same vein of being able to hear us out. We don't want to leave and have to make our homes and more supportive communities out of state. Help us stay, help us by listening and allowing us proper representation and to bridge this gap between policy and people. Help us by coming out to this event. So that is this Thursday in the library, and it's gonna be at 5 30. So please do come out, and there's a Facebook event that you can get all the details from. Thank you for allowing me to speak. Thank you. Our next public speaker, Stuart McMillan. Stuart. Uh thank you and good evening.