By Hannah Heishman
The Moorefield Town Council met for its regular meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 6.
Amy Greenwalt reported three official notifications were mailed for code enforcement, all for junked or abandoned cars.
Fall Cleanup is Oct. 19-22. Residents and business owners are invited to participate. The 4-zone schedule used in previous cleanups is the same.
Saturday, Oct. 17 is Brush Day from 8 a.m. to noon at the end of Stalnaker Drive
Greenwalt also discussed Christmas planters. Last year, the Town put greenery and decorations in eight of the Town’s large planters.
This year, it will cost $80 per pot to use those same pots, and $120 per pot for the remaining six, if the Council wanted them decorated as well.
The Council approved decorating all 14 planters. They’ll be done on the first Wednesday in December, in time for the Christmas parade and tree lighting.
Police Chief Stephen Riggleman reported officers made one felony arrest and 12 misdemeanor arrests in September. They wrote 33 traffic citations and 138 traffic warnings. They responded to 268 calls for service.
Riggleman said the Moorefield Police Department (MPD) started covering the schools Sept. 1, as the School Resource Officer is on medical leave. MPD’s coverage includes increased presence at and around sports events.
The department, which is seeking more officers, received approval from the W.Va. Governor’s Highway Safety Program for overtime traffic patrols.
The department received $25,750 to obtain overtime while targeting specific traffic safety concerns, without costing the Town more money.
The Council approved Riggleman’s request for three new desktop computers, and an upgrade to one, for $1,982. Riggleman offset the overall $3,500 cost with a grant from Walmart.
The Council approved his request for $2864 to renovate two office spaces. As the work involves Fertig Cabinet Company, council member Jason Fertig abstained from the vote.
Riggleman said that as part of the 287(g) program, the program in which the MPD assists ICE agents, the department is eligible to receive a one-time stipend of $100,000 to purchase police vehicles.
He said MPD can also receive $7500 for equipment and $7500 for IT resources, per Task Force officer per fiscal year.
Riggleman said the MPD has six Task Force officers, so the total is $45,000 for equipment and $45,000 for IT resources per year.
He asked to initiate these stipend requests.
City Clerk Rick Freeman said the state has eliminated its program that assisted with buying police vehicles.
Riggleman said he’d put the money in a separate bank account to segregate it, and to ensure it was only used for appropriate purposes.
The Council approved his request.
Lucas Gagnon, public works director, demonstrated how the Town’s new customer portal works.
Residents can use the Town’s website (www.moorefieldwv.gov) to access the link to pay their water bill or review their water usage. Citizens will need their account number and address to access their usage.
Once the information is input, citizens can see how much water they’ve used in the past 24 to 14 days, and request email alerts when the water system detects a leak warning.
Freeman asked the Council if they might be interested in a program that creates children’s books on Town history, in advance of Moorefield’s 250th anniversary next year. The program would provide at least 250 books and 16 storyboards, which could be placed around Town.
The Town provides the information.
The Council approved Freeman to move forward, with the intent of discussing the number of books later, as well as details such as other languages.
The Council approved hiring Andrew Lazo as a financial clerk.
The Moorefield Town Council meets again Tuesday, Oct. 20 at 7 p.m. The public is encouraged to attend. Citizens also can watch the meeting streamed live from the Town’s webpage.
