Beech Tree News Network

The January 12 meeting of the Morgantown City Council was a busy one. With Mayor Billy Phelps’ State of the City Address, numerous city board members present and a newly-elected council member, it was a packed night. Dustin Embry, Sharon Johnson, Russell Givens and Bryan Locke began new terms as re-elected council members, with Amy Deweese starting her first term.

The meeting concluded with the Mayor’s State of the City Address, found here. Before that, numerous reports were given, sharing 2022 in review as well as goals for 2023. Planning and Zoning, the Utilities Board, Housing, Tourism, Code Enforcement, the Morgantown City Police and Fire Department and Public Works were all represented at the meeting, with the board members from their respective groups recognized.

After this, City Clerk Tristan Klein discussed successes in 2022 and exciting plans for 2023, as executed by the city staff in cooperation with other community groups and organizations.

Improvements were a hot topic discussed in the meeting, with enhancements being made in multiple areas of the city, including utilities, public works, and the city park, the future construction on the fire department, and police station and purchase of new police cars.

Praise was given for events such as Holiday Hoopla and Dive-in Movies at the city pool, as well as services like the Mogo Shuttle.

Attorney Jonathan King was on hand for the inaugural meeting and praised the groups in attendance for their hard work, saying “great things are going on in Morgantown!”