Charleston City Council Regular Meeting – February 17, 2026
Charleston City Council Regular Meeting – February 17, 2026
The Charleston City Council held its regular meeting at 7:00 PM in Council Chambers on February 17, 2026. The meeting began with a call to order, invocation, and pledge. Public speakers addressed homelessness, term limits, and community needs. The council recognized proclamations, approved routine purchases for traffic paint, ambulances, and a security system, and debated but ultimately rejected two motions to discharge items from committee regarding council rule changes and term limits/staggered elections. A new bill for a parking zone was introduced and referred to committee.
Proclamations
- Charleston Catholic Cross Country Team: Recognized for winning its first WV SSAC Cross Country State Championship.
- Black History Month: February 2026 proclaimed as Black History Month, marking the centennial of formal recognition.
- American Heart Month: February 2026 recognized as American Heart Month, with emphasis on CPR awareness.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Jennifer Bauman: Urged the city to create a navigation center for the homeless (similar to a model in Orange County, CA) using drug settlement funds. Stressed compassion and noted many homeless are one paycheck away from homelessness.
- Tara Raymo: Read selected verses from the Gospel of John (chapter 10) to the council.
- Benny Green (Highland Roofing, Dunbar resident): Encouraged the city to consider a program like Huntington's "Shine Program" to assist residents with roofing needs, citing family members in Charleston.
- Emily West (lifelong Kanawha County resident, city worker): Expressed support for term limits and staggered elections for city council, arguing they would encourage fresh ideas and mentorship.
Discussion Items
- Motion to Discharge Resolution No. 26-020 (Committee Reform): Councilmember Solomon moved to bring the resolution (amending council rules to let committees elect chairs and vice-chairs, and to change how committee members are appointed) to the floor after it failed to advance from the Ordinance and Rules Committee. Supporters argued the full body should decide on internal reforms; opponents cited procedural issues and the bill’s details. The motion failed on a roll call vote: 5 yeas (Burka, Kerns, Snodgrass, Solomon, Steelhammer) to 20 nays.
- Motion to Discharge Bill No. 8067 (Term Limits & Staggered Elections): Councilmember Snodgrass moved to discharge the charter amendment bill (imposing three-consecutive-term limits and staggered elections starting 2030) from committee. Supporters noted public interest and the need for a full-council debate; opponents pointed to unresolved details (e.g., staggered selection process) and the value of committee review. The motion also failed: 5 yeas to 20 nays.
Consent Calendar (Finance Committee Reports)
- Resolution No. 26-021: Authorized the purchase of yellow and white traffic marking paint from Allstate Coatings Company for $47,267.55 via a competitively bid process. Approved unanimously.
- Resolution No. 26-022: Authorized the purchase of three ambulances from Atlantic Emergency Solutions at $247,389 each (total $742,167) to replace vehicles on a regular rotation; the price came in approximately $200,000 under budget. Approved unanimously.
- Resolution No. 26-023: Authorized the purchase of a card access reader system from Motorola Solutions for $64,351.60 to replace the outdated system at City Hall and ensure CJIS compliance. Approved unanimously.
Key Outcomes
- The two motions to discharge Resolution 26-020 and Bill 8067 from committee both failed, keeping the items in committee.
- All three finance resolutions were adopted unanimously.
- New Bill No. 8068 (introduced by Councilmember Burton) – A bill to establish a 15-minute parking zone on Hunters Ridge Road by amending a location on Saddlehorn Road; referred to the Planning, Streets, and Traffic Committee.
- Next Meeting: Scheduled for March 2, 2026, at 7:00 PM.
Remarks by Members (Selected Highlights)
- Mayor Goodwin announced CPD test dates: March 28 and May 30, 2026.
- Councilmember Gardner offered to host Boy Scout troops for Citizenship in the Community merit badge.
- Councilmember Cook thanked colleagues who packed over 400 senior food boxes on Valentine’s Day.
- Councilmember Faegre discussed the warming center at Bream, noted that West Side councilmembers were not invited to meetings regarding the United Dairy situation, and thanked Planning Director Dan Vriendt for an update.
- Councilmember Snodgrass raised a long-standing water/ice issue on Oakridge and stated she would introduce a clean term limits bill.
- Councilmember Pharr announced a Community Baby Shower on February 22 at the Family Care Birth Center and noted the need for deliberate discussion on council size.
- Councilmember Kerns promoted the annual Dip Dinner on February 28.
- Councilmember Moore led a moment of silence for educator and coach Roger Jefferson.
- Councilmember Annie highlighted Heart Disease Awareness Month and urged members to get health checkups.
- Councilmember Solomon thanked the mayor for West Side troubleshooting and commended Councilmember Steelhammer for volunteering at warming centers all 17 nights.
- Councilmember Overstreet expressed pride in President Obama’s response to racism and celebrated Black History Month.
Meeting Transcript
No, I said something about it. I think it's gonna be a good night. Good evening, everyone. Let me make my apologies for starting eight minutes late. Uh, but we have a lot on the agenda tonight, a lot of exciting stuff, so thank you so much. I will now ask counsel to please come to order. Members, please rise. Well, Councilmember Pepper leads us in prayer this evening. Give us the strength, the wisdom, and the courage to always act in ways that this chamber to benefit the people of this great city. Councilmember Farrell, would you please lead us in the pledge, sir? One nation, under God, indivisible with liberty and justice. Thank you so much. The clerk will now please prepare the machine for roll call. All members present will vote yes. We have twenty-six. Yes. One absent. Every member voted? Thank you so much. Clerk will now close the machine, and the clerk will now please read the journal. Councilwoman Hoover. I request unanimous consent to dispense with the reading of the journal. Smashing on the floor that we dispensed with the reading of the journal hearing and seeing no objections, the reading of the journal is dispensed with. Right now in Charleston, you can go to Bream, get a bag of food, and then you gotta go over across town to get your ID, and then you have to go downtown to get a bus pass. I mean, you don't have a car. You know, you don't have a car. So you it's really difficult. Now, Navigation Center, just to give an idea here, they do substance recovery, they do mental health counseling, medical services, transportation, housing assistance, job training, legal support. They do everything. And of course, since it's in Orange County, California, it's a Disneyland of uh navigation centers, they have veterinary services. I'm thinking, I'm gonna have me a big bad dog if I'm in Charleston on the street. But uh anyway, the point is we could do something like this. We have drug settlement money. I appealed to our senator and our federal officials, our state officials, and of course, send out the same information to our locals. I just feel like this is the time to think about making a change to help people get off the street, get off this stereotype that everybody is a drug addicted loser. It's just not true. So the stories are so sad. If you ever get over to just, you know, I take scrambled eggs in sometimes some bacon, and just listen to people's stories. It's heartbreaking. You know, there's one gentleman with a um, he's a carpenter, licensed carpenter, and he got shot in the foot, case of mistaken identity. He and his wife and daughter are sleeping in a tent on a porch on the west side. I'm like, this just shouldn't be. But it can happen to all of us that are one paycheck away from being homeless. So I'm just saying, let's have some compassion for those of you or the Christians. Remember the what would Jesus do? He he would help the least among us. So let's do it. Thank you so much. I printed some of these. If anybody wants to see what the navigation center is involved, I'll just put it.
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