(Meeting Updates - Photo Illustration - MetroCreativeConnection)

PARKERSBURG — Members of Parkersburg City Council will vote on the final reading of an ordinance prohibiting the feeding of animals on city-owned property – including streets and sidewalks – when they meet Tuesday evening.

An ordinance making changes to the terms for members of the Downtown Design and Facade Committee will be up for its first reading at the meeting, scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in council chambers on the second floor of the Municipal Building.

The ordinance prohibiting feeding animals on city-owned property passed 6-2 on first reading at the July 22 meeting. Mayor Tom Joyce has said the primary motivation was some people repeatedly feeding cats and leaving food for them in Southwood Park.

The ordinance was originally proposed just for city parks, but it was amended at the last meeting to include any city owned property or right of way, public streets or sidewalks.

City Attorney Blaine Myers said Friday that in some cases sidewalks belong to the property owner instead of the city, but that doesn’t preclude regulations like this ordinance.

“Because sidewalks are intended to be used by the public, we have a lot of ordinances dealing with sidewalks,” he said. “For example, you’re not supposed to park your car on it.”

Another amendment set fines at $100 for a first offense, $250 for a second offense and $500 for third and subsequent offenses.

The facade ordinance comes after a series of appointments to the committee last month by Joyce. A resident questioned two appointments at the July 8 meeting, noting they were for four-year terms instead of three, as stated in municipal code, and were for the same duration. Council at the July 22 meeting approved two more appointments and corrected the previous ones to end after three years.

The ordinance on Tuesday’s agenda specifies those appointments will expire on Jan. 10, 2026, and Jan. 8 and July 8 of 2028, as previously approved, and subsequent appointees will serve three-year terms.

It also changes the wording of membership requirements from “a resident whose primary occupancy is within the Central Business District” to “one resident of the Central Business District” and the two “representatives of businesses which own real property and operate a business within the Central Downtown Business District boundaries” to “two representatives of businesses which operate within the Central Business District.” Myers said the latter amendment opens membership up to business owners who rent or lease their property.

The ordinance also removes a prohibition against members serving more than two consecutive terms. Myers said he suggested this change since the city sometimes has trouble filling positions on such committees.

“To me it made sense if you have somebody that’s willing to serve and does a good job, why preclude them from the succeeding terms?” he said, adding it will ultimately be council’s decision.

Evan Bevins can be reached at ebevins@newsandsentinel.com.