OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Fairmont City Council Work Session - July 28, 2026

City Council Meetings — Tuesday, July 28, 2026
BodyFairmont, West Virginia
SessionCity Council Meetings
DateTuesday, July 28, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:05:13

Transcript — Verbatim
2:19

Good evening.

2:20

I'd like to call the Fairmont City Council work session to order.

2:23

It is Tuesday, July 28th, and it is 5.01 p.m.

2:27

The city clerk would do a roll call of members, please.

2:29

Mayor Bolliard present.

2:31

Councilmember Rice.

2:32

Councilmember Moran?

2:34

Here.

2:34

Councilmember Horton.

2:36

Councilmember Wade?

2:38

Here.

2:38

Councilmember Weber?

2:39

Here.

2:40

Councilmember Sowell?

2:41

Here.

2:41

Councilmember McDaniel.

2:43

Here.

2:43

Councilmember Newsom.

2:44

Here.

2:45

I make a motion to excuse Councilmember Rice.

2:49

So thank you, everyone.

2:52

And we'll move on in our agenda.

2:55

Consideration of council or work session business.

2:58

We have three topics before us this evening: land reuse agency outside many agency grants.

3:03

The opioid ad hoc committee members.

3:05

So now I'll turn it over to the city manager, please.

3:09

Our first uh presentation, which will probably end up potentially could be an end up being the longest, but the land reuse agency, the draft legislation.

3:18

Um that we wanted to present to you all.

3:21

And I'm going to turn that over to um Alicia Ford and Kevin Sansalone, um, who are part of that presentation.

3:27

And as you all see, Kevin is uh gracing you in your work session this evening as part of this as well.

3:33

Uh in the draft legislation.

3:37

Good evening, everyone.

3:38

I'm for those of you I haven't met in person.

3:40

I'm Alicia Ford.

3:42

I am the uh senior staff assistant in Travis's office and the city manager's office, and they've asked me to work on this legislation with Kevin, and that has been absolutely fun.

3:54

So uh the presentation tonight, I only have a few slides for you.

3:58

I understand that there are some questions that I will answer to the best of my ability.

4:02

But the land reuse agency, we just sort of started with, and I'm gonna get this wrong.

4:06

Sorry.

4:07

All right.

4:08

Thank you.

4:10

Um the land reuse agency is created by West Virginia Code 31-18E.

4:15

This really Kevin's department, but we've been over it and over it.

4:19

And uh it it allows, I mean it allows for a municipality or an entity lawfully created in a municipality to engage in activities related to baking an abandoned tax delinquent properties to buy, sell, rent, um you know, uh, kind of a mass, or you know, bring people through the process to get those properties, blighted properties, abandoned properties back into productive use on the tax rolls in the city.

4:47

So the of two slides purpose is the first one.

4:51

The purpose of the land reuse agency, and now they are operating in nearly 20 cities in West Virginia.

5:00

A lot of cities have really jumped on this, they're to take advantage of this created opportunity to then they're playing a growing role in community development.

5:07

Uh then the nice thing about these agencies, if you read the legislation, is they do they have a very big toolbox that allows municipalities and other entities to work together to again go after those properties that are tax delinquent to go after properties that have been abandoned, to assemble properties and to look at properties that are nuisance properties within the city, and really give people at different levels of ability to invest the opportunity to do such to do that in the city.

5:41

Our land reuse agency in its infancy or once it begins, if if the council so decides to approve it, will focus on the dilapidated and vacant properties scattered throughout the city.

5:54

And we have had the you know the the ad hoc committee that was the looked at the property disposition and assembling those properties.

6:02

And I was talking about that today with both Scott and uh Tim.

6:07

And that that work of that committee and looking at those properties and identifying those um those areas that we need to develop, that's what laid the foundation for this.

6:16

We've got that really good list and those really good priorities, and that's what that's what calls us to really look at this kind of legislation so that we can be creative and energized and effective and and have one avenue that is dedicated to returning those properties back to the tax rolls.

6:36

And I was talking to another uh land reuse agency today in the state, and they were talking about you know some of the things that you know in dealing with code and code enforcement, and frankly, thanks to Scott, we are sort of a victim of our success.

6:50

They are code enforcement guys are terrific.

6:53

They get out there, they look at properties, they know they they give us that information where we're looking at these these properties that we can get back onto the tax rolls, and so that's going to work on what some of Scott has done to help them, you know, get those properties on to.

7:09

Um, again, the opportunities created by this, make the LRA the best tool.

7:14

I think that's one of the questions.

7:16

I mean, the city right now has a lot of properties, it's mowing and looking after, and how do we get those deeded over to an agency that has more um breadth and depth in terms of working with and the probably the thing I like about it for me of people at every level of investment in a community, whether you have a larger developer who wants to assemble properties or community organization that wants to use a property or a landowner that wants to buy property that's across the street or next door to expand their in that the investment that they already have in the city?

7:51

Um let's see, you're not gonna get to the next slide unless I do, are you?

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Community Engagement█████████████████████████████████████████████55%
Economic Development███████████████████23%
Procedural████████10%
Public Safety██████7%
Technology and Innovation██3%
Budget Equity Analysis██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Fairmont City Council Work Session - July 28, 2026

The Fairmont City Council held a work session on Tuesday, July 28, 2026, at 5:01 p.m. Mayor Bolliard presided, with council members present except Councilmember Rice who was excused by motion. Three agenda items were discussed: the Land Reuse Agency (LRA) draft legislation, the Team Fairmont Mini Grants program, and appointments to the Opioid Ad Hoc Committee. No formal votes were taken, but direction was given for further work on each item.

Land Reuse Agency Draft Legislation

  • Alicia Ford and Kevin Sansalone presented a proposal to establish a Land Reuse Agency (LRA) under West Virginia Code 31-18E, which would allow the city to acquire, manage, and dispose of tax-delinquent, abandoned, and blighted properties. The LRA would have a five-member board: a council member, a municipal staff member, a community member active in a civic organization, a local business member, and a community member at large. Ford noted that nearly 20 cities in West Virginia already have LRAs.
  • Councilmember Moran requested adding requirements for public input at LRA meetings and for the LRA to report to council beyond annual audits, emphasizing qualitative measures of community impact. City Attorney Kevin Sansalone agreed to incorporate language specifying that the Open Government Proceedings Act applies and to add a public hearing requirement when priorities are set. He also offered to add a provision that a representative of the LRA could present to council annually.
  • Discussion included concerns about funding and staffing. City Manager noted that another work session will be held to address the staffing and implementation components before the ordinance is brought to council for a vote. Sansalone invited council members to submit additional language requests to Alicia Ford.

Team Fairmont Mini Grants

  • Renee Graves and Aaron Hager presented the Team Fairmont Mini Grants program, which will offer up to 21 grants of $3,500 each (total $21,000) to empower citizens to lead community projects. The program is modeled after the earlier Cultivate program but is Fairmont-centered. Applications will open September 3, with a mandatory facilitation workshop on September 2. Projects must be in Fairmont and led by a resident, business owner, or worker in the city. City employees and council members cannot be primary applicants but may volunteer.
  • A review committee of two city council members and two staff (Graves and Hager recommended) will evaluate applications. Councilmember Moran and Wade volunteered to serve on the committee. City Manager recommended an uneven number (5) with an alternate to avoid ties. Discussion included examples of eligible projects (e.g., community cleanups), the reimbursement process, and the goal of building grant-writing skills. A resolution to formally establish the program is expected on the next council meeting agenda.

Opioid Ad Hoc Committee Appointments

  • Renee Graves proposed adding three members to the Opioid Ad Hoc Committee: Captain Lambert (Fire Department), Stephanie Vandetta (Marion County Rescue Squad), and Raven Burke (Quick Response Team). This replaces Ryan Talbert who could not attend. An amended resolution will be brought to the next council meeting.
  • Councilmember Newsom asked about potential conflicts of interest when a committee member's agency applies for funds. City Attorney Sansalone clarified that as long as the individual does not personally gain, they may vote on recommendations; the committee scores applications using a rubric, and council has final approval. The committee's work has accelerated, with the Fairmont Morgantown Housing Authority application moving quickly after initial growing pains.

Key Outcomes

  • Land Reuse Agency: City staff will revise the draft ordinance to include stronger public input and reporting language. A follow-up work session will address staffing and funding before the ordinance is placed on a council agenda.
  • Team Fairmont Mini Grants: A resolution authorizing the program and appointing the review committee (with a fifth member as alternate) will be presented at the next city council meeting. The timeline may shift slightly to allow for the resolution passage.
  • Opioid Ad Hoc Committee: An amended resolution adding Captain Lambert, Stephanie Vandetta, and Raven Burke will be presented at the next council meeting for approval.
  • The work session adjourned at approximately 6:30 p.m. to be followed by the regular council meeting at 7:00 p.m.

Meeting Transcript

Good evening. I'd like to call the Fairmont City Council work session to order. It is Tuesday, July 28th, and it is 5.01 p.m. The city clerk would do a roll call of members, please. Mayor Bolliard present. Councilmember Rice. Councilmember Moran? Here. Councilmember Horton. Councilmember Wade? Here. Councilmember Weber? Here. Councilmember Sowell? Here. Councilmember McDaniel. Here. Councilmember Newsom. Here. I make a motion to excuse Councilmember Rice. So thank you, everyone. And we'll move on in our agenda. Consideration of council or work session business. We have three topics before us this evening: land reuse agency outside many agency grants. The opioid ad hoc committee members. So now I'll turn it over to the city manager, please. Our first uh presentation, which will probably end up potentially could be an end up being the longest, but the land reuse agency, the draft legislation. Um that we wanted to present to you all. And I'm going to turn that over to um Alicia Ford and Kevin Sansalone, um, who are part of that presentation. And as you all see, Kevin is uh gracing you in your work session this evening as part of this as well. Uh in the draft legislation. Good evening, everyone. I'm for those of you I haven't met in person. I'm Alicia Ford. I am the uh senior staff assistant in Travis's office and the city manager's office, and they've asked me to work on this legislation with Kevin, and that has been absolutely fun. So uh the presentation tonight, I only have a few slides for you. I understand that there are some questions that I will answer to the best of my ability. But the land reuse agency, we just sort of started with, and I'm gonna get this wrong. Sorry. All right. Thank you. Um the land reuse agency is created by West Virginia Code 31-18E. This really Kevin's department, but we've been over it and over it. And uh it it allows, I mean it allows for a municipality or an entity lawfully created in a municipality to engage in activities related to baking an abandoned tax delinquent properties to buy, sell, rent, um you know, uh, kind of a mass, or you know, bring people through the process to get those properties, blighted properties, abandoned properties back into productive use on the tax rolls in the city. So the of two slides purpose is the first one. The purpose of the land reuse agency, and now they are operating in nearly 20 cities in West Virginia. A lot of cities have really jumped on this, they're to take advantage of this created opportunity to then they're playing a growing role in community development. Uh then the nice thing about these agencies, if you read the legislation, is they do they have a very big toolbox that allows municipalities and other entities to work together to again go after those properties that are tax delinquent to go after properties that have been abandoned, to assemble properties and to look at properties that are nuisance properties within the city, and really give people at different levels of ability to invest the opportunity to do such to do that in the city. Our land reuse agency in its infancy or once it begins, if if the council so decides to approve it, will focus on the dilapidated and vacant properties scattered throughout the city. And we have had the you know the the ad hoc committee that was the looked at the property disposition and assembling those properties.

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