City Hall News: April 20-24, 2020

Elkins W. Va., April 18, 2020: City council meets Tuesday at 7 p.m. in virtual special session. (Login information and the full agenda are available here: www.cityofelkinswv.com/login.) All West Virginia cities and counties must meet on the third Tuesday of every April to finalize their annual budgeting process by “laying the levy,” or formally setting the in-city property tax rate. (In the budget council takes up at Tuesday’s meeting, this rate is proposed to be unchanged from last year.)

Work continues Monday on a partially blocked sewer main under Randolph Avenue and may extend for several days. The city is working in collaboration with the West Virginia Division of Highways to solve the problem as quickly as possible; however, it is not yet certain how long the job will take.

Collaboration is also ongoing between city officials and various local, state, and national agencies working together to counter the COVID-19 pandemic. This includes regular conference calls and webinars with the Randolph County Office of Emergency Management, Health Department, and other agencies focused on county-level efforts; the West Virginia Municipal League to discuss topics related to orders and relief funds pertaining to cities; and others.

Although city hall is closed to the public, all city departments are operating under modified procedures to reduce infection risk to the public and city employees. To contact a city employee, use department contact information available on the city website: www.cityofelkinswv.com.

Reducing infection risk is also the reason why the city can no longer accept trash that is not in a standard, tied trash bag. This is a measure to protect not only crucial city employees but the public at large.