Fairmont City Council Regular Meeting – March 24, 2026

The Fairmont City Council held its regular meeting on Tuesday, March 24, 2026, at 8:25 PM. The meeting included roll call, opening ceremonies, approval of minutes, two public hearings, citizens' petitions, a city manager's report, consideration of ordinances and resolutions, and an executive session. Key actions included the adoption of ordinances updating the private outdoor designated areas (POTA) and the city pay plan, as well as the approval of several opioid settlement fund grants.

Consent Calendar

• Approval of Minutes: The council unanimously approved the minutes from the regular meeting of March 10, 2026.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Public Hearing – POTA Ordinance: No speakers for or against. The public hearing was closed.
• Public Hearing – Pay Plan Ordinance: Priscilla Hamilton, Finance Director, spoke in favor, stating the plan supports retention and recruitment and was approved in the FY26 budget. No opposition.
• Citizen Petition – Larissa Carson (Marion County Public Library): Reported library statistics from July 1 to December 31, 2025: over 35,000 visits, 45,000 physical items checked out, 87 children/young adult programs, 77 adult programs, 16 all-ages programs, 350 attendees at Halloween event, and over 3,000 total program attendees. Highlighted new resources including memory care kits, ABC Mouse at home (7,000 learning activities completed Jan-Feb 2026), and Blue Career for skilled trades training.
• Citizen Petition – Savannah Blauvet (Cardi's Eighth Street Bar & Grill): Expressed concern about violent incidents including a stabbing in October 2025 and a shooting two weeks prior. Asked for increased police patrols, especially on weekends, and noted underage drinking and over-serving. She had contacted the ABC Commission.
• Citizen Petition – James Davis (1128 South Park Drive): Criticized the city's handling of opioid settlement funds, stating that $624,579.60 was awarded but $0 expended as of July 2025. He reported that his emails to city officials went unanswered, and he had to file a FOIA request to obtain information. He questioned why no funds were distributed in over two years and urged the city to avoid being named in future critical reports.
• Citizen Petition – Jerry Dooley (Mannington, WV): Asserted that his grant application for Marshall University Research Corporation was not properly read by the committee, citing low scores on criteria that were actually addressed in the proposal (e.g., training, assessment tools, innovation). He noted that less than 20% of approved grants went toward recovery. He also complained that the city has not responded to a year-old request for reasonable accommodations at Compassion Central.
• Citizen Petition – George Boyle (Compassion Central, 114 Walnut Avenue): Urged the council to prioritize opioid settlement funds for treatment, recovery housing, and prevention. He cited statistics: treatment reduces arrest rates by nearly half (30-40% recidivism without treatment vs. 23% with), and structured sober living homes achieve 50-85% sobriety after one year. He argued that incarceration alone is ineffective and that investing in recovery is more effective than arresting.

Discussion Items

• City Manager's Report: The city manager reported on the new audiovisual equipment, which will allow streaming of meetings (including work sessions) on YouTube. He noted that Meta no longer retains videos. He also discussed tours of police headquarters in Wheeling, Beckley, and Raleigh County as part of planning for a new Fairmont police facility. The gateway connector paving project is out to bid, with bids due April 14, 2026, and will include removal of brick crosswalks. The annexation of Carriage Drive has a public hearing set for April 8, 2026. Regarding the Cardi's bar incident, the license was initially suspended, and the establishment plans to remove billiard tables, open for lunch, and close earlier. He also noted Mon Power is addressing street light outages and that the high-level bridge lights are out due to an electrical issue.
• Consideration of Ordinances: The council adopted ordinance amendments for POTA and the pay plan without discussion, both passing by roll call vote (POTA: unanimous; pay plan: 8-1, with Councilmember Horton voting no).
• New Business – Resolutions: The council adopted a resolution for the third general fund budget revision (unanimous) and a resolution proclaiming April 2026 as Fair Housing Month (unanimous).
• Opioid Settlement Fund Grants: The council considered four grant resolutions. Brief summaries were provided: Fire Department ($95,270 for ALS equipment, CPR devices, and outreach); Police Department ($93,500 for K-9 kennel and vehicle modification); MVA Health Center ($40,000 for medication-assisted treatment, pharmacy, and marketing); Taggart Valley United Way ($61,500 for a homelessness coordinator salary). For each, the council voted after discussion.

Key Outcomes

• Ordinance Adoption – POTA Amendment: Passed unanimously (8-0).
• Ordinance Adoption – Pay Plan Amendment: Passed 8-1 (Councilmember Horton opposed).
• Resolution – Budget Revision (Third): Passed unanimously.
• Resolution – Fair Housing Month: Passed unanimously.
• Opioid Settlement Grant – Fire Department ($95,270): Passed 6-2 (Councilmembers Wade and Weber abstained).
• Opioid Settlement Grant – Police Department ($93,500): Passed with one abstention (Councilmember Weber abstained).
• Opioid Settlement Grant – MVA Health Center ($40,000): Passed with one abstention (Councilmember Weber abstained).
• Opioid Settlement Grant – Taggart Valley United Way ($61,500): Adopted; Councilmember Weber initially voted no but the final vote was not clarified; the resolution passed with the other seven members voting yes.
• Executive Session: The council voted to enter executive session at 8:25 PM to discuss property matters and commercial competition, pursuant to West Virginia Code.
• Citizen Concerns: The city manager noted that the Cardi's bar is implementing operational changes (e.g., earlier closing, removal of pool tables) and that the police will continue to monitor. The city manager also acknowledged the opioid settlement transparency concerns and said the city would follow up.
• Next Steps: The annexation public hearing for Carriage Drive is scheduled for April 8, 2026. The gateway connector bids are due April 14, 2026. The city will continue to seek opioid settlement fund applications and address the issues raised by citizens.