Charleston City Council Regular Meeting – June 1, 2026

The Charleston City Council held its regular meeting on Monday, June 1, 2026, at 7:00 p.m. in Council Chambers at City Hall, 501 Virginia St. E., Charleston, West Virginia. Mayor Amy Shuler Goodwin presided, with City Clerk Miles C. Cary II recording the proceedings. Twenty-three members were present, and the Mayor declared a quorum. The meeting included two public speakers, one claim, certification of the May 12, 2026, primary election results, a public hearing with no public comment, nine resolutions, two new bills, and extensive councilmember remarks. The meeting adjourned at 8:06 p.m. after a roll call vote. The next regular meeting is scheduled for June 15, 2026, at 7:00 p.m.

Public Speakers & Claims

• Teresa Jones-Gilmer (West Side resident, First Avenue): Spoke about safety concerns related to abandoned houses, absentee landowners, unhoused individuals living in abandoned properties, and theft from her property (two grills, a large metal cart, and lawn care equipment). She also noted alley trash pickup is no longer possible due to debris, forcing trash trucks onto First Avenue and creating hazards. Deputy Chief Hazlet was noted as taking notes for follow-up.
• Andy Richardson and Emma Carpenter: Presented a newly published children's book about Charleston, written by the pair and illustrated by Marissa Jackson. Richardson described it as the first children's book dedicated to the city, created after he found none in 2024. The book is priced at $15.99 ($17.11 with taxes). Carpenter called it "a love letter to Charleston" celebrating its people, places, businesses, diversity, and inclusion; cameos include the Mayor, Bob Thompson, Nina, Nutties, and Toastman. Richardson noted he had purchased 13 copies.
• Claim: A claim by Tina Tallarico alleging damage to a vehicle was read and referred to the City Solicitor.

Consent Calendar / Unanimous Approvals

The following items were approved with no opposition. Resolutions 26-061 through 26-068 were recommended by Councilmember Jenkins from the Finance Committee and generally approved with a second by Councilmember Ceperley.

• Resolution No. 26-060 – Certifying the official results of the Primary Election held May 12, 2026, as examined by the Kanawha County Board of Canvassers on May 18 and May 28, 2026. Adopted.
• Resolution No. 26-061 – Authorizing the Mayor or City Manager to execute a lease renewal with the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia for parking spaces on Venable and California Avenues. A public hearing was opened and closed with no public comment. Adopted.
• Resolution No. 26-062 – Authorizing a Memorandum of Understanding with the Charleston Sanitary Board for purchase and implementation of a new billing system. Cost is unknown at this time and will be split on a pro rata basis; the system is intended to combine City fees with sanitary bills. Councilmember Steelhammer encouraged removal of online payment convenience fees. Adopted unanimously.
• Resolution No. 26-063 – Authorizing the annual renewal of the Memorandum of Understanding with the Metro Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT) for July 1, 2026–June 30, 2027. The City remains fiscal agent. Adopted unanimously.
• Resolution No. 26-064 – Approving Amendment No. 8 to the FY 2025-2026 General Fund Budget. Jenkins explained that pre-65 retiree health claims were higher than expected, requiring a $1.2 million transfer from reserves to maintain a balanced budget. A roll-call vote was taken: 23 yeas, 0 nays, 0 abstentions; absent: Gardner, King, Rubio, Snodgrass. Adopted.
• Resolution No. 26-065 – Adopting the FY 2026-2027 Parking System budget. Jenkins noted the parking system maintains an operating surplus (anticipated surplus around $35,000) which will go into the Maintenance Fund for system upgrades. Adopted unanimously.
• Resolution No. 26-066 – Authorizing purchase of three Ford F-150 Extended Cab 4x4 Trucks (two for Public Grounds, one for Springhill Cemetery) from Thornhill Ford at $42,396.00 per unit, total $127,188.00, under a competitively bid Statewide contract. These are budgeted fleet-rotation replacements. Adopted unanimously.
• Resolution No. 26-067 – Receiving the City Center Business Improvement District Work Plan Summary and approving its FY 2026-2027 budget (approximately $1.27 million). The annual fee formula remains unchanged: (total land lot square footage × 0.075) + (total building square footage × 0.03325). Jenkins noted the budget includes grant funding. Adopted unanimously.
• Resolution No. 26-068 – Authorizing Change Order No. 2 for the Charleston Fire Department station renovation project in the amount of $57,420.81, bringing the total contract to $4,308,183.55. Jenkins reported Fire Stations 2, 4, and 8 are nearly complete; Stations 1 and 5 are under way; cumulative change orders are about $108,000. Stations 6 and 7 remain in planning/design and may require teardown and rebuilding. Adopted unanimously.

Reports of Officers

• Payroll Variance Analysis reports for April 2026 and May 2026 were received and filed.

New Bills

• Bill No. 8081 (introduced by Councilmember Chad Robinson): A bill to amend the Municipal Code to create a Trespass Enforcement Authorization Program. Referred to Public Safety and Ordinance and Rules Committee.
• Bill No. 8082 (introduced by Councilmembers Emmett Pepper and Bruce King): A bill removing the designation of Staunton Avenue, S.E. as an established "through" street. Referred to Planning, Streets and Traffic Committee.

Discussion Items: Remarks by Members

• Mayor Goodwin: Thanked Parking Director Terri Allen for her work (endorsed as "a superstar"). Announced Cato Park Pool is closed due to massive renovations needed; the City continues to seek grants, and the other three pools are open. Mentioned Charleston Walks resuming, a pre-construction meeting for the public safety center, completed riverfront dock repairs, the Edgewood letter project, and the upcoming USA Pro Road National Championships.
• Councilmember Jones: Raised concerns about the demolition contractor not fulfilling its contract, citing burned-out houses remaining on Patrick Street and Crescent Road (visible from the interstate), houses on West Washington Street marked with orange X's for demolition for two years, and stripped houses still sitting. He questioned whether the city must accept the lowest bid when contractors cannot perform, and urged enforcement of contracts.
• Councilmember Kerns: Agreed with Jones, describing the current demo contractor working without a ground crew or water hose to control dust, endangering neighbors with breathing conditions; houses in her ward had been on the demo list over a year.
• Councilmember Moore: Thanked the CARE Team and described helping two Capitol High School graduating students who were effectively homeless after Project Graduation; they had stayed in a house without power or water, showering at school, and planned to sleep at Slack Plaza. He worked with school staff, Kevin Jones, Director Wynn, and Carrie Cooper at United Way to secure hotel rooms and housing placement. He also thanked Taylor Books for hiring one young man.
• Councilmember Faegre: Urged colleagues to donate $20 to help the two students. She raised concerns about United Dairy trucks (dust, mud, noise), West Virginia Department of Highways not cleaning West Washington Street, a pothole on Edgewood Drive (attributed to Mountaineer Gas), vagrants/drugs/dogs on Woodland and Bear Drive, guns and drug dealing near basketball courts on Beatrice and Washington, and vape shops on Lee Street West. She praised the CARE Team and Edgewood Elementary artwork at the Edgewood tennis/pickleball courts.
• Councilmember Robinson: Distinguished vagrants from unhoused individuals, stating vagrants are stealing in Kanawha City. He introduced Bill 8081 as the first of several tools for CPD officers and challenged council members to propose additional enforcement tools.
• Councilmember Solomon: Cautioned against scapegoating neighbors who are hurting most. He noted Kanawha City has few services, such as no shelter, soup kitchen, or drop-in center. He called for upstream investments: more affordable rent, higher minimum wage ($15/hour for profitable businesses), paid sick leave, and making KRT (Kanawha Valley Regional Transportation Authority) free, estimating bus fares bring in only $1–2 million.
• Councilmember Ceperley: Highlighted the Hope Center nonprofit, which helps youth aging out of foster/kinship care; two 19-year-olds graduated Capitol High School while living in a homeless shelter and have since been placed in an apartment and entered job corps.

Key Outcomes

• All nine resolutions (26-060 through 26-068) were adopted; Resolution 26-064 passed by roll call with 23 yeas and no nays/abstentions, with four absent.
• The Trespass Enforcement Authorization Program bill was introduced and referred to Public Safety and Ordinance and Rules Committee.
• The Staunton Avenue "through" street designation removal bill was introduced and referred to Planning, Streets and Traffic Committee.
• The claim from Tina Tallarico was referred to the City Solicitor.
• Councilmembers raised multiple constituent concerns expected to receive administrative follow-up: demolition contract performance, abandoned houses, West Washington Street maintenance, Edgewood Drive pothole, and public safety issues.
• Meeting adjourned at 8:06 p.m.; the next regular meeting is June 15, 2026, at 7:00 p.m.