Mayor Joyce addresses public input complaints
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PARKERSBURG -- Mayor Tom Joyce addressed comments accusing his administration of lack of public input during the Parkersburg City Council meeting Tuesday evening.
During the Message of the Executive, Joyce stood up in front of his desk with a notebook page in his hand. He said in 2017, a park advisory committee was put together that included members of council. They visited the city's parks and finalized a master plan to improve them in 2018.
Items on the plan included improving Southwood and City Park pools and replacing the current pavilion.
Joyce said one of the biggest items about the pavilion project is he didn't want to raise people's taxes to accomplish it.
"You can ask anyone who's had a meeting with me personally, I want to build it all. But how are we going to pay for it? Eric [Jiles, finance director] would tell you the same thing."
Joyce said the city went on three public listening tours in 2022 and public meetings in 2023 about the project. He said they reduced the size of the building as a result of the meetings.
"To claim that this process has lacked transparency is not only disingenuous but also I challenge you to find another government funded, public built building that had more opportunities for public input," he said.
The only item on the agenda, the final reading of an ordinance zoning nearly 11.6 acres recently annexed into the city near the southside Walmart as general business, passed unanimously.