By Sarah Richardson
The White Sulphur Springs City Council met in a special session at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, Mar. 1, at City Hall after they canceled their regular February City Council meeting due to illness. Agenda items included a property purchase agreement using American Rescue Plan funds, updating the White Sulphur Springs Police Department Manual of Standard Operating Guidelines, approving a new sanitary/water board member, and discussing a price change with the proposed billboard sign on I-64 promoting White Sulphur Springs.
At the January Council meeting, the city discussed adding signage promoting White Sulphur along I-64 east, using the same ad they are running in the February edition of the Greenbrier Valley’s Convention and Visitor Center’s guide. City Recorder Kathy Glover said that the original estimated cost of this sign was lower than the actual cost. “We didn’t fully understand what the contract meant,” explained Glover. The total cost for a two-year contract is $25,850, and council motioned to approve the increased budget for the sign. These funds are part of the American Rescue Plans monies.
Councilmember G.P. Parker said, “Since it’s from the American Rescue Plan and our citizens aren’t paying for it, I’m all for it.”
“This is an opportunity to get us out there, to let people know as they come down I-64 East that we are open for business,” said Glover.
For new business items, council motioned “aye” on a property purchase agreement for the property directly behind City Hall. “The owners agreed to sell it for $100,000. We’ll probably tear it down, take out the trees. Parking is definitely needed in town, and we can get probably 30 to 50 spaces back there,” said Mayor Bruce Bowling. Councilmember Parker floated the idea of offering to bid out the building in order to recoup some of the costs. Glover said the building had previously been flooded but the owners had done some work to it, and that the city is using American Rescue Plan funds for this project, as well.
White Sulphur Springs Police Chief Scotty Teubert explained a proposed update to the WSS PD standard operating guidelines that he hopes will help with officer retention. “The problem is that we keep losing officers to higher-paying departments,” he explained. “I can’t keep enough people long enough to promote them.” The new guidelines raise the number of officers from six to eight with the following rank structure: Probationary Patrolman, Patrolman, Patrolman First Class, Corporal, Sergeants, Assistant Chief, and Chief of Police.
“We are down two now, so it’s going to be tight. We just need to be able to hire someone into certain positions when we are shorthanded. I can’t keep them long enough to build up a staff. We do pay really well here, and when I say that, there are only a couple of places they could leave here and go, but they do. We need this to help fight that,” said Teubert.
“If you think this will help our retention, I’m all for it,” voiced Councilmember Parker.
In other news:
Jerry Bostic was approved by council as a new member on the water and sewer board.
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