OpenPublica

Accountability starts with access.

© 2026 · Filed for the public record

Use casesAboutAPIPrivacyTermsLinkedIn
Home/Fairmont, West Virginia/City Council Meetings
OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Fairmont City Council Regular Meeting on 2026-10-27 22:55:14+00:00

City Council Meetings — Tuesday, October 27, 2026
BodyFairmont, West Virginia
SessionCity Council Meetings
DateTuesday, October 27, 2026
StatusNEW · FILED
Video Record
0:00 / 45:16

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

Speaker numbers apply only to this recording.

Unassigned speaker

4:54

Good

Speaker 1

4:54

evening.

4:55

I'd like to call the Fairmont City Council.

4:57

Regular meeting to order.

Unassigned speaker

5:00

Today is Tuesday, October 27, 2026, and it is 7 p.m.

Speaker 1

5:04

The City Clerk would do a roll call of members, please.

5:06

Mayor Bollyard.

Speaker 2

5:07

Present.

5:08

Councilmember Rice.

Speaker 3

5:10

Here.

Speaker 2

5:11

Councilmember Moran.

5:12

Here.

5:13

Councilmember Horton.

5:14

Yes.

5:14

Councilmember Wade.

Speaker 4

5:15

Here.

Speaker 2

5:16

Councilmember Weber.

5:17

Here.

5:17

Councilmember Sowell.

5:18

Here.

5:18

Councilmember McDaniel.

5:20

Here.

5:20

Councilmember Newsom.

Speaker 1

5:22

Here.

5:23

Next, our opening ceremonies first will be led in prayer and meditation by Dr.

5:27

Mark Staples of the Mount Zion Baptist Church.

5:30

And then the Pledge of Allegiance by Councilmember Moran.

Speaker 5

5:39

Shall we all bow in prayer?

5:41

Thank you, gracious God, for this yet another Tuesday.

5:44

We thank you for this.

5:44

Our last Tuesday of October.

5:47

We ask your prayer and blessings and divine guidance in this meeting here at the City of Fairmont.

5:53

We pray God for these your great leaders, and we pray God, even on this election for wisdom and guidance.

6:00

And we ask and pray you lift and watch over each and one every one of their families and over our great city here in Fairmont in our great state of West Virginia.

6:08

Bless, keep and guide us in this time of meeting together.

6:12

In Jesus' name we pray.

6:13

Amen.

6:20

And to the Republic for which he stands.

6:24

One nation, under God, indivisible, liberty, and justice for all.

Unassigned speaker

6:31

Thank

Speaker 1

6:31

you, Dr.

6:32

Staples.

6:32

Thank you, Councilmember Moran.

6:34

We have one addition to the agenda, a certificate of appreciation presented by Marcella Yarmachuk on behalf of Bayville Grove Summer and Harry.

6:43

So Deputy Mayor Rice and Mr.

6:45

Blossom would join me at the podium.

Speaker 6

7:08

On behalf of the board members of Maple Grove Cemetery, I want to thank the City of Fairmont and these three people who have helped with the restoration of Maple Grove Cemetery and the origination of Wreath Across America.

7:33

We did have a kickoff, which I did invite all of you to attend last Friday, and I brought a paper to show you who all was involved.

7:44

We had Eagle Scouts and East Fairmont Coral Department and veterans, and we had a little appreciation day, but none of you were able to attend, so I'm bringing this to you.

7:54

And I thank you on behalf of our board.

Speaker 5

7:57

Thank

Unassigned speaker

7:58

you.

Unassigned speaker

8:06

Thank you.

Unassigned speaker

8:31

Thank

Speaker 1

8:31

you, Marcella.

Unassigned speaker

8:33

The

Speaker 1

8:34

next item on our agenda is approval of our minutes.

8:36

As everyone had the opportunity to review the minutes from our October 13th meeting.

8:44

If so, do I have a motion a second to approve these minutes?

8:47

So

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural████████████████████████████28%
Environmental Protection█████████████████████████25%
Budget Equity Analysis██████████10%
Community Engagement████████8%
Water And Wastewater Management███████7%
Historic Preservation██████6%
Engineering And Infrastructure█████5%
Public Safety████4%
Economic Development████4%
Summary of Proceedings

Fairmont City Council Regular Meeting on 2026-10-27 22:55:14+00:00

The Fairmont City Council held its regular meeting on 2026-10-27 22:55:14+00:00. Mayor Bollyard called the meeting to order at 7:00 PM following a prayer by Dr. Mark Staples and the Pledge of Allegiance led by Councilmember Moran. The meeting included two public hearings, a citizen petition alleging police misconduct, and the unanimous approval of several legislative items.

Consent Calendar

  • Minutes Approval: Minutes from the prior regular meeting were approved unanimously by voice vote.

Public Hearings

  • Bridge Temporary Construction Easement (Memorial Bridge): A public hearing was held regarding an ordinance granting a temporary construction easement for the repair of the Colonel George S. Bankey Roberts, USAF Memorial Bridge. No public testimony was offered. The ordinance was adopted unanimously.
  • Big John Salvage Superfund Site Acquisition: A public hearing was conducted for an ordinance authorizing property acquisition to facilitate the cleanup of the Big John Salvage site. An EPA representative expressed strong support, noting the urgency of the council's approval for the project schedule. Councilmember Newsom questioned the EPA on contamination verification, groundwater containment, and taxpayer costs. The EPA clarified the total cost is approximately $60 million, sourced from the dedicated Superfund tax and bankruptcy recoveries, not city tax dollars. The ordinance was adopted unanimously.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Citizen Petition (Benny Kyle): Mr. Kyle addressed the council as a follow-up to a complaint made at a prior meeting. He alleged the Fairmont Police Department failed to investigate a $3,000 robbery of his elderly family members for over three months. He explicitly accused the department of racial bias, asserting that a white victim would have received police protection. Mr. Kyle declared he had put the city on notice of a pending lawsuit and had provided copies to the council, media, NAACP, and ACLU.

Discussion Items

  • Certificate of Appreciation: Marcella Yarmachuk presented a certificate of appreciation to Deputy Mayor Rice, City Manager Blosser, and Mayor Bolyard for their role in the restoration of Maple Grove Cemetery and the Wreath Across America program.
  • Councilmember Announcements:
    • Councilmember Moran reported on the Homelessness Task Force. Key statistics included the Union Mission turning people away for the first time in four years, the Fairmont Marion Housing Authority losing 12 families to attrition due to affordability, and over 40 individuals being housed since early August. A call for community donations (coats, socks, volunteer time) was made.
    • Councilmember Wade highlighted Halloween tours of the historic jail.
    • Councilmember Weber thanked staff for the Morgantown Avenue sewer project.
    • Councilmember Newsom congratulated Donna on her promotion to Chief of First Responders.
  • City Manager's Report (Travis Blosser):
    • Proposals are being solicited for bond anticipation notes for the sewage system design.
    • Federal advocacy efforts include a $10 million congressionally directed spending request for wastewater treatment plant upgrades.
    • Membrane replacements have been delivered to the water treatment plant.
    • Comprehensive Plan Update: Matt Pizzatella (Civil & Environmental Consultants) presented an update. A public workshop was announced that will use interactive maps and surveys to gather community input on planning priorities.

New Business

  • Budget Revision (2026-2027 General Fund): The City Manager detailed the second revision for the fiscal year. The revision includes marketing expenses for the Key Bar America ribbon cutting, significant updates to pension contributions (documenting approximately $384,000 in savings compared to the previous funding methodology), and adjustments to the Health Benefit Trust. The resolution was adopted unanimously.
  • Human Rights Commission Reappointment: James Spatifor was reappointed to the Fairmont Human Rights Commission for a three-year term. The appointment was approved unanimously.

Key Outcomes

  • Unanimous Legislation: The council voted unanimously (9-0) on all legislative items before it, including the minutes, two ordinances, the budget revision, and the commission reappointment.
  • Pension Savings Confirmed: The city manager formally documented that the switch to the optional two funded plan resulted in a projected $384,000 savings in the required police and fire pension contributions for the current fiscal year.
  • Lawsuit Notice Filed: The City of Fairmont was formally notified of a pending lawsuit by a citizen alleging racial discrimination and police negligence.
  • Comprehensive Plan Workshop: A public workshop for the comprehensive plan was announced to be held at Fairmont State University.

Meeting Transcript

Good evening. I'd like to call the Fairmont City Council. Regular meeting to order. Today is Tuesday, October 27, 2026, and it is 7 p.m. The City Clerk would do a roll call of members, please. Mayor Bollyard. Present. Councilmember Rice. Here. Councilmember Moran. Here. Councilmember Horton. Yes. Councilmember Wade. Here. Councilmember Weber. Here. Councilmember Sowell. Here. Councilmember McDaniel. Here. Councilmember Newsom. Here. Next, our opening ceremonies first will be led in prayer and meditation by Dr. Mark Staples of the Mount Zion Baptist Church. And then the Pledge of Allegiance by Councilmember Moran. Shall we all bow in prayer? Thank you, gracious God, for this yet another Tuesday. We thank you for this. Our last Tuesday of October. We ask your prayer and blessings and divine guidance in this meeting here at the City of Fairmont. We pray God for these your great leaders, and we pray God, even on this election for wisdom and guidance. And we ask and pray you lift and watch over each and one every one of their families and over our great city here in Fairmont in our great state of West Virginia. Bless, keep and guide us in this time of meeting together. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. And to the Republic for which he stands. One nation, under God, indivisible, liberty, and justice for all. Thank you, Dr. Staples. Thank you, Councilmember Moran. We have one addition to the agenda, a certificate of appreciation presented by Marcella Yarmachuk on behalf of Bayville Grove Summer and Harry. So Deputy Mayor Rice and Mr. Blossom would join me at the podium. On behalf of the board members of Maple Grove Cemetery, I want to thank the City of Fairmont and these three people who have helped with the restoration of Maple Grove Cemetery and the origination of Wreath Across America. We did have a kickoff, which I did invite all of you to attend last Friday, and I brought a paper to show you who all was involved. We had Eagle Scouts and East Fairmont Coral Department and veterans, and we had a little appreciation day, but none of you were able to attend, so I'm bringing this to you. And I thank you on behalf of our board.

SUMMARIZED BY OPENPUBLICA AI
TRANSCRIPT VIA PUBLIC VIDEO
openpublica.com