MORGANTOWN – Earlier this week, Morgantown City Manager Jamie Miller approached the Morgantown Utility Board with a “recommendation.”
“I would like to discuss with Mr. McNulty setting forward a schedule of maybe quarterly having representatives from the board come to the city to brief on actions of the board, or any updates from the board,” Miller said, explaining those updates could come by way of regular presentations before Morgantown City Council.
When asked, the city characterized the recommendation as “a gesture to enhance communication between the city and MUB.”
Likewise, MUB Communication Director Chris Dale said the utility viewed the request as “simply an opportunity to further increase communication between the city and MUB.”
But improving communication between the city and MUB has been a loaded topic in recent years.
Most notably in September 2022, when the city rolled out a series of proposed changes to Article 169 of city code pertaining to the utility board. The proposal came with a stated goal of improving communication and coordination between the two parties in response to a relationship left bruised following the placement of a water line through White Park – a lingering issue that became a public fight in 2019.
Among the proposed changes to Article 169 were the reservation of one of MUB’s five board seats for a member of council and placement of the city manager on the board as a non-voting member.
MUB was strongly opposed to the idea, calling it “unnecessary and contrary to the apolitical and autonomous nature of MUB as reflected in the original ordinance that created MUB in 1987.”
In October of that year, the ordinance appeared before council. It was tabled on a 4-3 vote, following which the two sides met in a pair of closed-door sessions with a third party facilitator.
Changes to Article 169 would ultimately never come back before city council, but the body has always had the authority to appoint who it sees fit to the utility’s board of directors.
And that’s what happened.
In November 2022, it was announced that J.T. Straface would not be reappointed to MUB after 22 years on the body, including 13 as chairman.
Less than a week later, former 6th Ward Councilor Dave Harshbarger was appointed to the open seat. Current 6th Ward Councilor Mark Downs holds it presently.
Earlier this week, following Miller’s comments, MUB Chair Barbara Parsons said she had assumed there was an additional route of communication created via the shared member.
“I really don’t see that as my responsibility as a city council member on the board,” Downs said. “I communicate things that come up, but I don’t see it as my responsibility to keep city council informed of activities of the Morgantown Utility Board.”
In response, MUB’s Erik Carlson suggested the utility could easily honor Miller’s request “to make sure that we don’t have any assumptions going forward.”
The Dominion Post asked the city if the placement of a city council member on MUB has improved communication between the two sides, or, in light of Miller’s request, there are still lingering concerns.
“City Manager Miller proposed the idea of receiving quarterly reports from MUB as a gesture to enhance communication between the City and MUB. We are grateful for the positive and productive relationship we share with MUB and its board members, and we continually look for ways to strengthen those connections,” Morgantown Communications Director Brad Riffee said. “We also extend our appreciation to our City Council leadership who serve on the MUB board, as their involvement has proven to foster exactly this kind of partnership.”
