Beech Tree News Network

The Morgantown City Council met for their regular scheduled meeting on Thursday, June 12^th.

Unfinished Business

Ordinance 2025-04 Fiscal Year 2026 Budget, 2^nd Reading.  There were no questions regarding ordinance. Motion made and accepted.

New Business

Ordinance 2025-05 Amending Ordinance 2017-01 Updating the Adoption of 2012 – 2024 International Property Maintenance Code. Dustin Embry, Code Enforcement Officer, explained that the International Property Maintenance Code is the guide that he uses when looking for violations.  The code book is updated every 3 years, and they are currently using the 2024 edition.  There have been significant changes regarding advancements in building safety, energy efficiency, and sustainability.  Embry has presented this to the Code Enforcement Board, and they agreed to move forward and present it to the city council.  Motion made and accepted.

Planning and Zoning

As they were not present, Code Enforcement’s Dusin Embry reported that Planning and Zoning had their public hearing for the rezoning of the new public library location, which was approved. They also approved and given a permit for a greenhouse.

Utilities

Individuals are working on their hours and 2 are in classes for certifications.  At their meeting, they had the second reading of the budget.

Tourism

Their quarterly meeting is scheduled for the 26^th at 5:30 p.m. to discuss the upcoming catfish festival.

MOGO

There were 1620 riders, and 672 meals served.

Code Enforcement

There were 15 new cases opened, 18 closed, and 4 citations written.  There is a total of 18 cases open ranging from grass, rubbish, and vehicle issues.  Embry did attend a training at the Kentucky League of Cities Summer Summit.  There were sessions on Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC), Compliance of Regulations, and Best Practice in Code Enforcement.

Fire Department

In May there was a total of 17 calls. 1 county call canceled en route, 3 county medical assistance calls – 4 city, 2 county structure fires, 4 county vehicle accidents – 1 city, 1 county call for assistance, and 1 county smoke alarm call. 

Public Works

They replaced tiles, installed the gates at the cemetery, hauled brush, and mowed around the city.

Police Department

Officers answered a total of 181 dispatch calls for service, worked 4 motor vehicle accidents, made 7 arrests, and opened 2 new criminal cases. They made 53 traffic stops, wrote 17 traffic citations, and 47 courtesy notices – around 12 for parking. There were also several special details worked.  Total calls for service was 842.

City Clerk

It was reported that they are finishing up their audit, working on the close-out documents for their generator grant, and waiting for payment for portion of the farmer’s market grant. City Clerk, Allie Lee, and Assistant Clerk, Kersie Sharp, will be attending their 3^rd year of institute and they will both be certified Kentucky Municipal Clerks. 

Mayor’s Report

There were around 50 kids who attended summer orientation to begin working within the city. The MOGO Bus assisted the Trail Town event. There are multiple baseball and softball tournaments scheduled at the City Park this summer.  The animal shelter had an opening at their Spay / Neuter building.  Councilmen Johnson and Merritt attended Summer Summit to continue working toward their CMO hours.  Aerospace Composites Solutions held a ribbon cutting with Governor Andy Besher present. The city sponsored The Whiskers 10U & 12U Softball Tournament, which will be held on June 28^th. The city is preparing for their firework show for the 4^th of July. This year parking will open back up at Charles Black City Park to help the Chamber of Commerce.  Parking will be $20.00 and once that is paid you will receive a voucher which will gain you access to the catfish festival the following day.

Mayor Phelps reported that they have received one bid of around $322,000.00 for their TAP Grant project.  Since applying for the TAP Grant in 2017, the cost of items was based on 2017 prices.  When the city received approval around 2018 – 2019, the cost of the project was around $145,000.00 of which the city was paying around 13%.  The city mentioned that they could add another $50,000, if needed. The city has been made aware that they can re-apply for additional funds.

The mayor stated that he was made aware by a BRADD employee that everything was completed regarding the fire department project. BRADD stated that they would be sending the bid packet to the city to be put out for bid.