photo by: Emma Delk

Moundsville Planning Commission Chairperson Josephine Mentzer responds to feedback from city council members during a special meeting held on Wednesday, April 2.

Moundsville City Council members recently provided feedback for the 2024 Comprehensive Plan, with their comments centering around two of the six main concerns for the city identified by residents in the plan: transportation and housing.

Council members had the opportunity to share their comments about the 2024 Comprehensive Plan during a special Moundsville Planning Commission meeting held earlier this month in the city council chambers.

The 2024 Comprehensive Plan was formed by revising the city’s 2014 Comprehensive Plan. Revisions to the plan were largely made in Chapter Three, where new areas of concern for the city were identified based on feedback collected from residents through surveys and two public forums held last year.

Residents identified six main areas of concern for the city: land use, housing, economic development, transportation and infrastructure, the natural gas industry and recreational amenities.

Mayor David Wood and council members Randy Chamberlain, Ginger DeWitt and Don DeWitt were present at the special meeting to provide feedback. Council member Denny Hall serves as the council member representative on the planning commission.

Chamberlain first brought the transportation section of the plan to the commission’s attention during the Wednesday, April 2 meeting. He suggested edits to the transportation paragraph surrounding the Moundsville council members’ vote against putting a proposed ordinance that called for placing a bus tax levy on the 2024 General Election ballot for residents to consider.

Chamberlain noted that a trial run failed to demonstrate adequate ridership to warrant higher property taxes on the citizens and businesses or to place the question before the voters. He added that at two city council public hearings, every citizen who addressed the council spoke in opposition to the bus levy.

“In all my years on city council, I’ve yet to have a group of people come to council and demand or ask for bus service,” Chamberlain said. “I had no personal reason to be opposed to it, and I have nothing to gain by being in opposition.”

Ginger DeWitt also addressed the planning commission regarding the transportation section and the housing section of the plan. DeWitt said a city bus service for the city would benefit those in poverty.

“By the council voting ‘no,’ that took away every citizen’s voice,” DeWitt said. “They had no voice or vote, whether they wanted transportation. I myself don’t think it would have passed because it would have had to pass by a certain percentage plus one.”

Regarding the housing section of the plan, DeWitt noted that a majority of the council did not support permitting modular or manufactured homes in the city. She stated her belief that citizens should have the option to use these housing types on their property.

“Twice we’ve taken away the option of two of the most important things in the comprehensive plan, so are you going to leave it as it is?” DeWitt questioned commission members.

Planning Commission Chairperson Josephine Mentzer responded that housing and transportation would remain two of the main concerns since residents identified them in the survey and public forum feedback. She noted that the transportation paragraph could be rearranged based on Chamberlain’s feedback.

Other edits to the plan were suggested by council members and approved by commission members. These edits included providing additional information about middle and high schools in Marshall County relating to Moundsville and replacing the names and phone numbers of city stakeholders listed in the plan with their office information.

Once feedback from council members has been incorporated into the plan, council members will vote to approve the amended plan during a regular meeting.