By Sarah Richardson
The White Sulphur Springs City Council met at City Hall last Monday for their first meeting following the June municipal elections. Newly-elected members include Mayor Kathy Glover, who formerly served as recorder, and new councilmembers Thomas Taylor, Ryan Lockhart, and Ted Humphries, who joined already-serving councilmembers Audrey Van-Buren and G.P. Parker. Mark Gillespie, who previously served as a councilmember, is now recorder.
The meeting was also the first gathering to be officially live-streamed and archived thanks to new technology installed in council chambers and paid for by American Rescue Plan Act funding. Gillespie explained that by archiving the entirety of each meeting, nothing can be edited or misconstrued, and the public can use these features to watch meetings that they may not be able to attend in person. Visit “WSS city council” on Facebook to view live meetings and archived footage.
“We are making every effort, and making every stride to try to be as transparent as we possibly can,” said Mayor Glover, and explained that there will be a learning curve for some of the new councilmembers. She also reports that the city will be working to make their website more informative and user-friendly.
Mayor Glover reported that the city’s finance committee meetings will now start at 6:30 p.m. on their regularly scheduled days rather than 6:45 p.m. It was also unanimously approved to allow the Mayor to be a voting member on council.
Standing committee appointments are as follows: Infrastructure – Mayor Kathy Glover, Emergency Services – Ted Humphries, Finance and Budget – Ryan Lockhart, Planning and Zoning – Thomas Taylor, Parks and Recreation – Audrey Van Buren, Recycle and Beautification – G.P. Parker, and Convention and Visitors Bureau – Mark Gillespie.
Council approved a resolution approving invoices relating to the design and construction of the City of Lewisburg water line interconnection project, and authorized payment for that resolution.
The next WSS Council meeting will be held on Monday, Aug. 14, at 7 p.m. at City Hall.
