Parkersburg City Council recommends meeting changes
To vote on earlier start, agenda priority in public forum

Parkersburg City Council President Mike Reynolds, third from left, speaks during a Committee of the Whole meeting Tuesday in council chambers at the Municipal Building. (Photo by Evan Bevins)
PARKERSBURG — Members of Parkersburg City Council debated and voted to recommend three changes to the rules for their meetings, including starting at 7 p.m. instead of 7:30 and giving priority to speakers in the public forum who want to talk about items on the agenda.
The discussion and votes took place as council met Tuesday as the Committee of the Whole, consisting of all nine members, with Vice President Roger Brown presiding.
The changes, which also include the elimination of the council forum in which members are given two minutes to speak, must be approved in a council meeting before going into effect. That could happen at the next regular meeting on Jan. 28 or might have to wait until the first session next month on Feb. 11, City Clerk Connie Shaffer said.
Most of Tuesday’s discussion focused on the public forum. Council allots 30 minutes for members of the public to speak for up to three minutes each. Council President Mike Reynolds suggested having a separate forum, prior to the official start of the meeting, at which any topic could be addressed and limiting the meeting’s forum only to topics on the agenda.
Reynolds said he’s spoken to constituents who said they don’t come to meetings because they don’t believe they’ll get a chance to talk when other speakers bring up issues not on the night’s agenda.

Parkersburg City Council Vice President Roger Brown speaks during a Committee of the Whole meeting Tuesday in council chambers at the Municipal Building. (Photo by Evan Bevins)
“It doesn’t leave any time for people to come in and talk about what we’re actually talking about,” he said.
One example Reynolds gave was sanitation workers in recent months asking for raises. That started when council was considering pay raises for the mayor, which ultimately passed at a reduced amount, and for its members, which was not voted on.
Reynolds proposed the earlier forum to start at 6:30 p.m., with council meetings starting at 7:30.
“It would be come if you can,” he said. “It wouldn’t require a quorum. If they (members) can’t make it to the first one, that’s OK.”
Councilwoman Cathy Dailey said it might not be the intent, but having a forum council members don’t have to attend “almost … makes us look like we don’t want to hear what they have to say.”

Parkersburg City Councilman Zak Huffman, left, expresses his concern over proposed changes to council’s public forum during a Committee of the Whole meeting Tuesday in council chambers at the Municipal Building. (Photo by Evan Bevins)
Reynolds questioned the effectiveness of the forum, since council members can’t respond to speakers and often end up telling them to speak to someone after the meeting. Councilwoman Sharon Kuhl said they need to educate residents about the importance of contacting their council representative.
Some members said they didn’t see much use in any kind of public forum.
“Everybody can talk to their councilpeople,” Councilman Dave McCrady said, adding that he usually gets to meetings early and is willing to talk with people before the meeting starts. “I think our council meeting ought to be a business meeting. I don’t think it ought to be a sounding board.”
Brown agreed.
“There’s no sense holding up nine people here to listen to somebody that needs to talk to code,” he said.

From left, Parkersburg City Councilmen Chris Rexroad and Andrew Borkowski and Councilwoman Cathy Dailey listen to discussion during a Committee of the Whole meeting Tuesday in council chambers at the Municipal Building. (Photo by Evan Bevins)
Councilman Zak Huffman, who took office earlier this month after being elected in November, said he’s been on the other side when he couldn’t get answers he needed from city officials. Brown said as a council member he can help get people answers.
Councilman Chris Rexroad agreed contacting a council member is the best approach and said he wouldn’t mind separating the public forums but didn’t want to get rid of them entirely.
“The First Amendment gives you the right to petition (the government) for redress of grievances,” he said. “I think it’s kind of our duty to listen to what our constituents have to say.”
Kuhl made a motion suggesting council try the half-hour, any-topic public forum before the regular meeting for six months.
As discussion continued, McCrady said they should just keep the forum as is and Reynolds suggested letting speakers who want to address agenda items go first.

Parkersburg City Councilwoman Sharon Kuhl, center, speaks during a Committee of the Whole meeting Tuesday in council chambers at the Municipal Building as Councilmen Dave McCrady, left, and Roger Brown listen. (Photo by Evan Bevins)
That motion eventually passed on a 5-4 vote, with Councilwoman Wendy Tuck, Councilman Andrew Borkowski, Huffman and Rexroad opposed.
The vote to start meetings at 7 p.m. instead of 7:30 passed 8-1, with Borkowski opposed.
Kuhl suggested eliminating the council forum if the public forum was going to be restricted. That motion passed 5-4 with McCrady, Tuck, Huffman and Dailey opposed.
Members also voted unanimously to make a rule that members could not pull their sponsorship from an item after the agenda has been posted.
The committee then voted to rise and report to the full council, and members unanimously voted to accept the report. The changes would have to be approved on a single reading by council to go into effect.