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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Fairmont City Council Meeting – July 28, 2026: Lamar Lease Hearing, Awards, and Appointments

City Council Meetings — Tuesday, July 28, 2026

BodyFairmont, West Virginia

SessionCity Council Meetings

DateTuesday, July 28, 2026

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 2:55:31

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

5:00

Today is Tuesday, July 28th, 2026, and it's 7 p.m.

5:05

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

5:08

Mayor Bolyard present.

5:09

Councilmember Rice.

5:11

Councilmember Moran.

5:12

Here.

5:13

Councilmember Horton.

5:14

Yes.

5:15

Councilmember Wade?

5:16

Here.

5:16

Councilmember Weber?

5:17

Here.

5:18

Councillor Sowell.

5:19

Here.

5:19

Councilmember McDaniel?

5:20

Here.

5:21

Councilmember Newsom.

5:22

Here.

5:23

I make a motion to excuse Councilmember Rice.

5:25

Do I have a second?

5:27

Second.

5:28

Thank you.

5:29

Moving on to our opening ceremonies.

5:31

First will be led in prayer and meditation by Reverend John Paulus and then the Pledge of Allegiance by Councilmember McDaniel.

5:44

Thank you for allowing me the privilege to pray for this meeting tonight in order to save you all from long-winded and repetitious prayer on scripted, which is not my usual way of doing it.

6:00

Let's pray together.

6:02

Almighty and triune God, we give thanks and praise for all your mighty works.

6:11

You are good and gracious and loving.

6:15

Thank you for creating us and sustaining us day by day.

6:20

Thank you that you made us in your image to exist in community with other people.

6:25

We thank you for our city.

6:27

We thank you for our elected officials, the businesses, the churches, the families, and the individuals that make our city the great place that it is.

6:37

But Lord, we acknowledge that we do not deserve these good gifts.

6:41

We're not worthy of your favor, but we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed.

6:47

We do things we should not do, and we don't do things we should do.

6:52

We have not loved you with our whole heart, and we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.

6:58

We appeal to the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, who died for our sins.

7:03

Forgive us and give us hearts of obedience to your holy scriptures.

7:08

Thank you that Jesus rose from the dead and now reigns as king over heaven and earth.

7:14

Grant that our city would be known as a righteous city, a city that confesses Jesus as the Lord, a city of peace and hope, a city with happy homes, a city that welcomes the stranger, a city that cares for the needy, a city that defends the innocent from evildoers.

7:33

Lord, thank you for civil government.

7:36

Those who bear the sword do so as ministers to be a terror to crime.

7:48

Be with our judges, attorneys, and law enforcement.

7:51

Grant that they would never neglect or abuse their authority, but that they would stand firm for truth and justice.

7:59

Keep them safe from harm as they serve our community.

8:06

Give the council members wisdom and guidance as they deliberate on the items before them.

8:12

May every decision be righteous in your sight for our benefit and for your glory.

8:19

All this in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

8:22

Amen.

8:24

Thank you.

8:42

Thank you, Reverend Polis.

8:44

Thank you, Councilmember McDaniel.

8:46

The next time we have one proclamation this evening, if Sergeant Tucker would join me at the podium, please, sir.

9:05

It's gonna pick me up over here with Joe Mirror here.

9:12

And this proclamation is to honor the Harlem Hellfighters.

9:16

Whereas during the first world war, the 15th New York National Guard Infantry Regiment spent 191 days in the front line suffering over 1,500 casualties, the highest of any regiment.

9:29

No member of the unit was captured alive.

9:32

Whereas General John Persling loaned the unit to the French army because white soldiers refused to fight by their side.

9:40

Whereas the men were called hell fighters by the Germans because of their battle field ferocity, and the men of bronze by their French peers.

9:49

Whereas Sergeant Henry Johnson was the most famous and decorated member of this unit being posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor by President Barack Obama.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Procedural█████████████████████████████████████████████75%

Public Engagement█████8%

Technology and Innovation██4%

Parks and Recreation██4%

Community Engagement██3%

Historic Preservation█2%

Public Safety█2%

Personnel Matters█1%

Water And Wastewater Management█1%

Summary of Proceedings

Fairmont City Council Meeting – July 28, 2026

The Fairmont City Council met on Tuesday, July 28, 2026, at 7:00 p.m. The meeting included a proclamation honoring the Harlem Hellfighters, a public hearing on a proposed lease with Lamar Advertising for a digital billboard at Palatine Park, approval of minutes, a citizen petition regarding the city manager's conduct, consideration of a sewer bond ordinance, and appointments to city boards. The public hearing on the Lamar lease was adjourned to September 22 to allow the Board of Zoning Appeals to rule first, and the corresponding vote was postponed accordingly.

Public Comments & Testimony

In Favor of Lamar Lease: Jeff Kimball, attorney for Lamar, explained the lease is needed because the property is city-owned; the lease would allow eventual placement of a digital billboard as part of a program removing 14 billboards and replacing them with three two-sided signs (net removal of eight). The digital board would provide public service alerts (Amber, weather) and free space for nonprofits. Ruben Blankenship (Lamar VP) addressed concerns about brightness, stating the boards use auto-dimming and are directional; the city would pay no costs and receive lease revenue. Tom Manilla spoke in support of outdoor advertising as effective for local merchants.
In Opposition to Lamar Lease: Shay Strait (former city planner) argued that the variances Lamar seeks are prohibited by city zoning code (Section 8.9.7.a, variance cannot involve a prohibited land use) and that the city manager instructed him to proceed despite the conflict; he was later terminated. Treasure Barbara Tweikoff cited light pollution, pedestrian safety, and the park's role as a screen-free green space. Hannah Turner (marketing professional) asked for stronger community benefit guarantees in the lease, including required amounts of free ad space for city, nonprofits, and small businesses. Blake Flessis raised concerns about driver distraction, triggering of medical conditions, light pollution, and the precedent of approving a lease while zoning issues remain. J.R. Farley praised Palatine Park as a community jewel and worried a digital billboard would detract from concerts and events. Tom Rise (retired highway outdoor advertising inspector) noted a marble monument on the site, potential conflict with state code limiting two structures per location (including the existing Palatine Park sign), and noise from digital billboards.
Citizen Petition: Shay Strait also presented a petition alleging that the city manager is not held to standard personnel rules, citing abusive behavior, threats, and a culture of fear. He claimed that staff were subjected to unprofessional conversations about the city manager's dating life and that HR told him there was no recourse. He promised future remarks about misuse of city funds.

Discussion Items

Lamar Lease Ordinance (Public Hearing): The council heard extensive testimony. Councilmember Moran motioned to adjourn the public hearing to September 22, 2026, at 7:00 p.m. to allow the Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) to make a decision first. The motion was seconded and passed 7-1 (Councilmember Weber voted no). Subsequently, a motion to postpone the vote on the ordinance itself to September 22 also passed 7-1 (Weber no).
Sewer System Design Bond Anticipation Notes: The clerk read the second reading of an ordinance authorizing up to $4 million in bond anticipation notes (Series 2026A) to finance design and pre-project costs for sewage system improvements. Council voted unanimously to set a public hearing for August 11, 2026.
Adoption of a Resolution (New Business): Council unanimously adopted a resolution (roll call 8-0).
Appointments: Council approved Adam Rahale to the ICC Board of Appeals (five-year term ending August 24, 2031) by roll call 8-0. Council approved Linda Bond to the Arts and Humanities Commission (unexpired term ending June 30, 2027) by roll call 8-0.
City Manager's Report: The city manager congratulated two new police officers headed to the academy and reported on a meeting with Kebar Holdings/Americas regarding current and future investments in their facility.
Executive Session: Council voted to enter executive session at 7:54 p.m. under WV Code 6-9A and City Charter 2.11A1A to discuss personnel matters (appointment, discipline, discharge, compensation). They reconvened at 9:50 p.m. and adjourned shortly thereafter.

Key Outcomes

Lamar Lease Public Hearing: Adjourned to September 22, 2026, by 7-1 vote. The ordinance vote was likewise postponed to that date.
Sewer Bond Public Hearing: Set for August 11, 2026, by unanimous voice vote.
Resolution: Adopted unanimously.
Appointments: Adam Rahale (ICC Board of Appeals) and Linda Bond (Arts and Humanities Commission) both approved unanimously.
Minutes: Minutes from July 14, 2026, were approved unanimously.
Proclamation: Recognized July 28, 2026, as a day honoring the Harlem Hellfighters; Sergeant Tucker accepted and spoke.

Meeting Transcript

Today is Tuesday, July 28th, 2026, and it's 7 p.m. The city clerk would do a roll call of members, please. Mayor Bolyard present. Councilmember Rice. Councilmember Moran. Here. Councilmember Horton. Yes. Councilmember Wade? Here. Councilmember Weber? Here. Councillor Sowell. Here. Councilmember McDaniel? Here. Councilmember Newsom. Here. I make a motion to excuse Councilmember Rice. Do I have a second? Second. Thank you. Moving on to our opening ceremonies. First will be led in prayer and meditation by Reverend John Paulus and then the Pledge of Allegiance by Councilmember McDaniel. Thank you for allowing me the privilege to pray for this meeting tonight in order to save you all from long-winded and repetitious prayer on scripted, which is not my usual way of doing it. Let's pray together. Almighty and triune God, we give thanks and praise for all your mighty works. You are good and gracious and loving. Thank you for creating us and sustaining us day by day. Thank you that you made us in your image to exist in community with other people. We thank you for our city. We thank you for our elected officials, the businesses, the churches, the families, and the individuals that make our city the great place that it is. But Lord, we acknowledge that we do not deserve these good gifts. We're not worthy of your favor, but we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed. We do things we should not do, and we don't do things we should do. We have not loved you with our whole heart, and we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We appeal to the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, who died for our sins. Forgive us and give us hearts of obedience to your holy scriptures. Thank you that Jesus rose from the dead and now reigns as king over heaven and earth. Grant that our city would be known as a righteous city, a city that confesses Jesus as the Lord, a city of peace and hope, a city with happy homes, a city that welcomes the stranger, a city that cares for the needy, a city that defends the innocent from evildoers. Lord, thank you for civil government. Those who bear the sword do so as ministers to be a terror to crime. Be with our judges, attorneys, and law enforcement. Grant that they would never neglect or abuse their authority, but that they would stand firm for truth and justice. Keep them safe from harm as they serve our community. Give the council members wisdom and guidance as they deliberate on the items before them. May every decision be righteous in your sight for our benefit and for your glory. All this in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Amen. Thank you.

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