Parkersburg resident William Smith speaks about recycling during the public forum of Parkersburg City Council’s Jan. 13 meeting while Michael Bowman, who describes himself as an independent journalist, films with his phone. (Photo by Evan Bevins)

PARKERSBURG — With a trash service contract with Waste Management approved, the future of recycling services in the city, and beyond, is coming back into the spotlight.

Parkersburg City Council President Andrew Borkowski announced an informational meeting planned for 6 p.m. Tuesday in council chambers. The agenda, released Thursday, describes it as a “discussion and listening meeting.”

Council unanimously voted Jan. 6 to table the original proposed contract with Rumpke, which would have charged participating households $15.25 a month to participate in curbside recycling, with six months due in advance.

Mayor Tom Joyce has said a subscription-based model puts the cost burden on those who want to recycle instead of all residents. But some residents and council members expressed concerns about the proposal, including the price and the fact that the city would be responsible for paying the difference if fewer than 900 people signed up.

Details about a new proposal had not been released as of Thursday afternoon but are to be shared at the meeting, officials said.

A separate issue is the future of the city’s Municipal Recycling Facility, commonly called the MRF, off 24th Street. Joyce has said the plan is for the city to close the facility, which had an operating deficit of nearly $3.8 million over fiscal years 2019 to 2025. At a Jan. 6 meeting, Joyce said one option could be for it to serve as a garage for city equipment.

One factor in the center’s financial condition is that the city for decades accepted recyclable material drop-offs from commercial haulers serving other communities without charging for it, officials have said. The city ended that practice Dec. 1, forcing some haulers to make adjustments to what they picked up.

The Wood County Solid Waste Authority sent a letter to city officials on Dec. 31 requesting a meeting to discuss the future of the MRF, saying its closure could result in reduced access to recycling for people in surrounding communities and increased dumping and landfill volume. Joyce has said Parkersburg residents should not subsidize recycling for surrounding communities, and Solid Waste Authority board member Wayne Dunn said recently that is a valid concern.

Sarah Robinson, director of the Solid Waste Authority, said an informational meeting with municipal and county leaders is being planned for next week. Parameters are still being finalized, including whether it will be open to the public, given that it is informational only and no decisions will be made, she said.

During this week’s City Council meeting, Parkersburg resident William Smith asked the city to keep the facility open so he and people from surrounding communities could drop off their recycling rather than paying for curbside service.

“No matter what the final decision will be, all I ask is to be able to load my own truck, use my own fuel, my energy, my time and take my recyclables to the facility, for free,” he said.

Also during that meeting, Borkowski announced people would not be allowed between the podium speakers used in the public forum and the council dais to ensure proper communication and maintain unobstructed sight lines. This followed an announcement he made at the Jan. 6 special meeting that people could video the meeting but were not to go beyond the front row of seats.

It appeared to be in response to filming at the Dec. 16 meeting by Michael Bowman, who said he is an independent journalist who posts content online, including on the account Bowman TV on TikTok.

Bowman attended Tuesday’s meeting and was repeatedly asked by Borkowski to remain behind the podium and back away from the mayor’s seat when he was filming in the press area. Borkowski said if Bowman did not comply he would be asked to leave. Bowman ultimately remained in chambers throughout the meeting.

“I think Mr. Borkowski was in a really hard spot tonight,” Bowman said, noting he informed city officials he would be coming to the meeting and filming after hearing about the restrictions, which he said infringed on freedom of the press. City officials said in a letter it was a reasonable rule that would be enforced on everyone.

Bowman said a previous video he posted “went viral” because of the manner in which he filmed council members, including approaching the dais. His post immediately after that meeting has 495,000 views on Facebook and 4,644 on TikTok.

“So I just wanted to stress test it a little bit,” he said Tuesday.

Also during Tuesday’s meeting, Borkowski announced the council committee assignments for the year:

Finance

* Roger Brown, chairman

* Mike Reynolds, vice chairman

* Dave McCrady

* Rob Moore

* Zak Huffman

Personnel

* Sharon Kuhl, chairwoman

* Chris Rexroad, vice chairman

* Brown

* McCrady

* Moore

Public Works

* McCrady, chairman

* Reynolds, vice chairman

* Rexroad

* Moore

* Kuhl

Stormwater

* McCrady, chairman

* Brown, vice chairman

* Andrew Borkowski

* Moore

* Wendy Tuck

Urban Renewal Authority

* Kuhl, chairwoman

* Huffman, vice chairman

* Wood County Development Authority – Borkowski

* Municipal Planning Commission – McCrady

* Tree Commission – Tuck

* Holiday in the Park – McCrady

* Downtown PKB – Borkowski

* Downtown Facade – Huffman

Evan Bevins can be reached at ebevins@newsandsentinel.com