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Morgantown Council approves $4.7 million carryover

MORGANTOWN — The City of Morgantown carried more than $4.7 million in unencumbered funds into the 2022 fiscal year.

Morgantown City Council approved the $4,776,335 carryover during its most recent regular meeting.
The overwhelming majority of those funds ($3,823,306) will go into the city’s Contributions/Transfers to Other Funds line item.

Communications Director Andrew Stacy said that line item “is monies that we expect to be transferred to other city funds or contributed to other government entities.”

In this case, it is anticipated the money will be transferred within the city’s budget, though exactly where is yet to be determined.

The remaining carryover funds will go into line items including: Contingencies ($235,845), fire department ($130,077), police department ($107,024), parks & recreation ($100,000), and streets ($90,000).

In other city news, a bid of $2,374,080 was approved from Select Excavating, of Jane Lew, for the next construction phase of the Morgantown Municipal Airport runway extension project.

Airport Director Jonathan Vrabel said the award is contingent upon funding, which is expected from the Federal Aviation Administration this fall.

Sticking with the airport, council also approved an expenditure of $46,547 to upgrade airport security via new cameras from Verkada Security Video Surveillance System.

Vrabel said the airport’s 15-year-old camera equipment is failing and is operating at reduced capacity.

The new cloud-based system will add two additional cameras, bringing the total to 26, and allow information sharing with first responders.

Council also approved the purchase of new seating for the Metropolitan Theatre and the Ruby Amphitheater, at a total cost of $273,203.

The expenditure will replace the seats in the theater ($236,276) and add permanent seating under the newly constructed portion of the amphitheater ($36,927).

Lastly, city council’s August meeting schedule will be pushed back one week, meaning regular meetings will be held Aug. 10 and 24, and the committee of the whole session will be held Aug. 31.

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