MORGANTOWN — Morgantown City Council opened a relatively light agenda by recognizing Rodney Pyles for more than three decades of volunteer service on the Morgantown Landmarks Commission.
Pyles, a Democrat currently representing the 51st District in the West Virginia House of Delegates, spent 32 years on the commission after being appointed as one of its inaugural members, in 1986.
“It’s really great to receive this reward and I appreciate it,” Pyles said. “But my real reward has been to serve 32 years on the landmarks commission.”
Once down to business, council voted, 6-1, in favor of a first reading of an updated solid waste law. Councilor Rachel Fetty was the lone dissenting vote.
The law comes as a necessary follow-up to the city’s new five-year contract with trash and recycling hauler Republic Services.
City Manager Paul Brake explained that one of the major changes in this law is that it ultimately puts the onus of trash payment on landlords, not tenants.
“Previously what was allowed, the property owner would sign an affidavit and place the responsibility on the tenants,” Brake said, explaining that when the bulk of the renters fled each year, unpaid bills were often left behind.
“In this instance we’re making the property owner responsible. Absent that, what ends up happening is our police department has to enforce when it’s not paid, the trash remains at the curb, they have to give a warning and then they have to give a ticket and it’s clogging up the court system,” Brake said. “If the property owner wants the tenant to pay that bill, the stipulation is the property owner is the backup. So if the tenant doesn’t pay the waste bill, it becomes the responsibility of the property owner. They would sign an affidavit to that effect.”
The new law also includes the Morgantown Utility Board’s (MUB) new role as billing agent for Republic’s residential customers as well as a new
75 cent monthly charge that will entitle customers to schedule one electronics pickup each month.
Billing for commercial accounts will remain through Republic and all service complaints should be directed at Republic, not MUB, Brake said.
Fetty said she was concerned that provisions in the law written to address dumping of trash — either around town or in someone else’s trash receptacle — could inadvertently snare good Samaritans looking to beautify the city.
She explained that she’d rather have someone pick up litter and place it in someone else’s trash can as opposed to leaving it out of fear of fine.
City Attorney Ryan Simonton said the provision Fetty referenced is aimed more at the regular abuse of commercial dumpsters, primarily in the city’s downtown.
In other news, council voted, 6-1, to move a zoning change request from Calvary Baptist Church on for second reading with the understanding that the move isn’t in support of the request, but to allow the issue a public hearing.
Councilor Barry Wendell voted against moving the issue forward.
The church is requesting the reclassification of a half-acre piece of property from single-family residential (R-1) to allow for commercial use (B-2).
The request comes with a recommendation to deny from the city’s planning commission. Simonton said the applicant is also involved in litigation with the city over a previous attempt to amend the property’s zoning.
In other city news:
- Council adopted amend-ments to the city’s planning and zoning code allowing for hostels as well as more equitable treatment of tattoo and piercing studios.
- While it wasn’t on Tuesday’s agenda, a proposed law addressing the creation of new blue-curb parking districts will be before council on April 16.
