What You Missed at Morgantown City Council

The Aug. 11 Morgantown City Council meeting began with Deputy Mayor Mark Downs giving a formal proclamation declaring Aug. 5, 2026, National Night Out Day. The declaration emphasized strengthening the police-community relationship, honoring first responders and overall neighborhood safety. 

Next, the council opened the floor to public comment about previous ordinances it has passed. 

One person was there for public comment: Nicholas Turner, a resident of Morgantown, who spoke out against the city’s camping ban. 

The camping ban went into effect last May after a referendum to repeal it failed by just 76 votes 

 If people are found “camping” on Morgantown properties, they can face fines between $200 and $500, plus 30 days of incarceration if caught multiple times. The ban was created to target homeless people sleeping, living or storing their belongings on the street. 

Turner asked the city council to repeal the ban, citing what he described as an inadequate number of beds in nearby shelters and a lack of funding to help those in need. 

“How can the city and council in good conscience say that this ban is working? The city has shown it cannot provide proper assistance to those who need it and punishes those who do not have anything,” he said.

After taking public commentary, the council went on to approve new measures. These included rezoning a piece of real estate on Elmer Prince Drive, amending the city charter to hold primary elections in May and amending regulations for Private Outdoor Designated Areas. 

The Council also passed some resolutions amending the FY 2026-2027 budget for the Morgantown Capital Escrow Fund, the Application of Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) Grant for Chestnut Street, Willey Street to Walnut Street construction, another one for Wall Street, Spruce Street to University Avenue, and lastly another one for Spruce Street, University Avenue to Prospect Street. 

All these measures passed 6-0. The council also introduced two new things to the agenda: an ordinance amending articles related to stormwater and building permitting and an ordinance reauthorizing the transfer of a Greenbag Road property to the Division of Highways. Both passed 6-0. 

The council  ended the meeting with a report from the city manager.

And In other news, the Morgantown Utility Board won the West Virginia Rural Water Association’s Best Tasting Water Award for the fifth year in a row, and the city is still finalizing Hazel’s House of Hope as a winter warming center.