Beech Tree News Network

The Morgantown City Council held its monthly meeting on Thursday, January 8, at the Eva J. Hawes Building.  All members were in attendance, including new council member Ronald Givens.  New Mayor Billy Phelps presided over a relatively short meeting of the council with the main emphasis being the "State of the City Address."

Mayor Phelps gave the following overview of each department:
 
Park-The park underwent several repairs this year including new grills, new bleachers, removal of several trees, new mulch, and pool, pavilion, and street barn repairs. In addition, extensive electrical repair was completed at the ball fields. Work is continuing on the tennis courts. A new security system was added to the park, allowing 24/7 surveillance. This has helped M.P.D. keep track of things happening at the city park.
 
Street-A new sidewalk and retaining wall was added along main street beginning at First Baptist Church. A wood chipper was purchased.  Three recycle bins were purchased for the city and have been used heavily since their placement at Pizza Zone, the Morgantown Fire Department, and Jumpin' Jacks. The profit from all the recyclables are donated to area non-profit organizations. The street department purchased a 2015 Ford F-150 pickup truck. The jail crew logged in 8,654 hours total with the street department.  If the city were to pay minimum wage for these hours it would have cost $62,741.50
 
City Hall Office-Morgantown City Hall underwent many updates this year with new hardwood laminate flooring and a paint job covering the wallpaper that had been there for many years. The new tax program has been put into place making the collection of tax bills a much easier experience while saving man hours. Soon, Morgantown residents will be able to pay their tax bills online through the city website. Credit cards are now accepted at city hall for all types of payments. The city's website, new in 2014, has been a big success getting thousands of views each month. A new security system was added to city hall, two cameras (one at each entrance) were installed as well as keypad locks on all doors. A purging of documents this year proved successful as 1,500 pounds of unneeded records were destroyed. All city forms were revitalized and updated with a new look including the city’s new logo, many of which are available for download on the city website. Lastly, a new historical marker detailing the story of Morgantown was added in front of city hall, thanks in large part to area citizen Roger Givens.
 
Kentucky Copper-The State of the City cannot be complete without acknowledging our situation with Kentucky Copper as it entails major effects for our small city. Currently the city must pay back Morgantown Bank and Trust a 1.3 million dollar mortgage for the building, an estimated 510,000 dollar T.V.A. Loan at 3% interest and a C.D.B.G. grant of $888,000. The electricity has already been switched to the city at an estimated $2,300 per month.
These payments leave the city with an approximated bill of $19,646.00 per month.
 
As of January 1,  the gates to Kentucky Copper have been locked by Mayor Billy Phelps.
 
As the city deals with this added financial burden we must keep in mind the realities of such a situation in the coming year. A worst-case-scenario must be assumed in order to maintain the city long-term. In the coming budget year we must practice conservative spending with the knowledge that steps must be taken to maintain the integrity of the city’s finances, including freezes on spending.

(Morgantown Police Department information is included in a separate story on Beech Tree News.)

Financial Statement

Cash in Bank as of December 31^st:

Factory Employment

According to Mayor Phelps, the Eva J. Hawes Building lost $1,203 last year.
“I have been told by many people the deposit is too high at $300, so I am lowering the deposit to $150 in hope of more people being able to use the building,” said Mayor Phelps.
The mayor also asked the council to table any action concerning roadblocks until they could obtain additional information.  In previous meetings there has been discussion concerning legality and liability of roadblocks.
The council approved a motion requiring all board chairmen to attend the monthly council meeting, with the exception of the chairman of the board of adjustments.  According to Mayor Phelps, the chairmen need to be available to answer any questions people may have concerning that particular board.
The council spent some time discussing the pay of the utility commission.  The council sets the pay, however, it was unclear if an ordinance had been approved lowering the pay as approved by the council in April of 2014.
In other business the council approved the following:
·        2nd reading of the budget amendment (transfer of $50,000 to IHC)

·        Increase in meal stipend for city employees from $6,$7 and $14 to $7, $11 and $23

·        Continuity of government naming Allen Meredith Deputy Mayor and Gary Southerland third in command

 
The Morgantown City Council meets on the second Thursday of each month at 6:00 p.m. at the Eva J. Hawes Building.