Parkersburg City Council to consider lawsuit settlement, budget revisions
Trending
PARKERSBURG -- Approval of a lawsuit settlement, the auction of a former city landfill and allocating the remaining American Rescue Plan Act funds are on Parkersburg City Council's agenda Tuesday.
The meeting is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in council chambers on the second floor of the Municipal Building.
The first resolution seeks council's approval of a settlement in a 2021 lawsuit filed against the city by Chief Fire Inspector Wayne White. No amounts or details were included with the agenda packet.
The complaint alleged White has faced harassment and retaliation from Fire Chief Jason Matthews and Mayor Tom Joyce since being named fire inspector four years prior. He claimed his schedule and pay were constantly changed, buildings with fire code deficiencies were taken from his responsibility and he was denied the opportunity to get training he needs to do his job.
The response by the city denied White's allegations and said he wasn't authorized to take certain courses or have an assigned city vehicle because he declined to work outside regular hours. It also said the fire chief became involved in some inspections in an effort to work with property owners to correct violations.
Joyce said Friday that he could not discuss the situation because it was an ongoing legal matter and related to personnel.
White's attorney did not immediately return a message seeking comment Friday afternoon.
Also on the agenda is a resolution for multiple budget revisions, the largest of which is $3,341,496 to the planned activity and recreation center project. That is the last of the city's unallocated ARPA funds.
City officials proposed building the $13 million facility on the site of the nearly 100-year-old pavilion in City Park, but that has not been finalized as some residents have urged them to consider other locations.
Other allocations include $90,000 to cover the participation of Jefferson Elementary Center, Van Devender Middle School and Parkersburg High School in the West Virginia GameChanger program aimed at preventing opioid and substance abuse and $2,000 each to the Harvest Moon and West Virginia Honey festivals and Wood County 4-H for scholarships and camp costs.
That will be followed by the final reading of an ordinance authorizing the online auction of 5 acres of property just outside the city limits that served as a municipal dump decades ago. City Attorney Blaine Myers recommended an additional reading after council amended the ordinance at its July 25 meeting to set a $20,000 reserve price.
Evan Bevins can be reached at ebevins@newsandsentinel.com.