By: Adam Pack
The Ronceverte City Council met for their regularly scheduled meeting on Monday, Aug. 14. This meeting was a rescheduling of the council’s regular meeting date due to the forecast of severe storms last week.
The meeting began with public comments, most of which took issue with the recently passed Vendors and Crafts ordinance. The ordinance, which established a permitting system and associated fees for vendors of homemade or “craft” items in the city of Ronceverte, was met with a measure of both confusion and hostility.
A concerned citizen and craft vendor voiced her displeasure with the costs and fees associated with the permits, questioned the necessity and fairness of the premise of permitting in this context, the supposed unfairness between the way the system applies to craft vendors but not “businesses” and alleges preferential treatment, claimed and took issue with “only three permits were to be granted per year,” and alleged that the new system would require the sharing of one’s Social Security Number and place undue burdens and regulation on yard sales and other sales on private property. Visibly upset, she claimed that she “would no longer be participating in yard sales or craft fairs or shows in this city any longer.” Another citizen alleged that the passing of the ordinance was not made aware to the public through the proper channels, which both Mayor Deena Pack and City Administrator Pam Mentz denied. Mentz stated that, “the paper [The West Virginia Daily News] changing their print schedule sort of messed us up,” but that the city is doing everything it can to remain legally and ethically transparent with the public, and also physically posts agendas for meetings at town hall.
In other news, Mentz announced the Main Street Sidewalk Project, which is slated to begin soon. The project, originally conceived as a complete repaving of the “left side” sidewalks from the “corner at the bank all the way to Johnny’s Market,” is now underway but in a more limited scope. “Since we planned that, years and years ago, the project was delayed due to COVID and then in the interim the price of materials has gone up considerably, so we pivoted and decided in that same stretch to simply deal with those portions of the sidewalk that needed the most work.” Mentz feels that this will be of great benefit to the city and requested the city’s approval of the beginning of the bidding process, which the council gave.
The updated Vacant Structure Code (Ordinance 2016-04 – Revision Vacant Structure Code) was also read for the second time, and passed. The revision updates the fees associated with “failure to renovate structures deemed vacant or condemned,” according to Mayor Pack. The city also paid for cameras which were recently installed on Island Park.
The city also approved the Urban Deer hunt for the hunting season 2023/24. The urban season will open on Sept. 1 and end on Dec. 31. Interested landowners and hunters can register to participate at Town Hall.
The Ronceverte City Council will meet again on Sept. 11 due to the Labor Day Holiday, at 7 p.m. in the New City Hall Building on Edgar Avenue. The public is encouraged to attend, and to call ahead first at 304-657-5455, as times and or dates are subject to change.
Discussion about this post