By Leigh C. Merrifield
Despite bitterly cold weather, Shinnston City Council met for a Special Meeting and Work Session on Tuesday, January 27th in Council Chambers.
Mayor Pat Kovalck noted in his report that the City had given the needed funds requested by Shinnston VFD to purchase a side-by-side to move patients from rough terrain for needed medical transport. Mayor Kovalck said that this purchase had in fact already proven its worth after having been needed immediately to aid a stroke victim.
He also thanked Councilman Vance Sosinsky and City Recorder Kathleen Panek for attending the Municipal League Conference recently held in Charleston. They noted that one of the main topics at the conference had been trying to make municipal elections partisan rather than non-partisan, as most municipal elections have been for years.. The Municipal League is fighting this legislation because at the City level, candidates for office are representing their local electorate on community issues that are not at all related to party politics. The Legislature would like to have this change in effect by 2031, but in the meantime, city elections will remain non-partisan until a ruling is officially made. Such a change would also require cities to change their charters.
City Manager Tori Drainer reported that the main raw water pump that pulls water out before being processed had gone down but the secondary pump had taken over without issue. She noted that the broken pump will be repaired and was cheaper to repair than to replace.
Mrs. Drainer also related that the 2026 Vacant Building Registry has been completed and a survey will be mailed to those negligent building owners to see what their intentions are because rules will be followed and codes will be enforced in 2026.
Both Mayor Kovalck and the City Manager praised the Public Works Dept. for working very long hours to clear and treat streets during our recent bout of atypical snow and ice. It was noted that although some streets were not fully cleared, they were passable, and this was due to the fact that salt is not as effective in extreme cold weather.
Action items included the first reading for Ordinance 26-001 (Conveyance of City Property without Auction). This ordinance states that anything valued at under $10,000 does not have to go through the auction process; the City can sell if for what they can get out of it. A public hearing and second reading of this ordinance will be held on March 9, 2026.
Council also related that both the Police Dept. and the Public Works Dept. have a surplus of vehicles that are out of service. Mayor Kovalck stated, “We have been working in recent years to get Public Works vehicles updated and safe, so some excess vehicles are just sitting there not being used, and this will enable us to sell these and get them off our books.”
Another action item was to consider a Resolution, Order and Notice of Election for an additional municipal levy to the voters of the City of Shinnston. The mayor explained that this Municipal Levy (with a 5-year duration) has always passed solidly in the past.
Funds from this levy are used for street paving and recreation at the park and greenspace, and includes helping to fund events the City holds. Mayor Kovalck stated, “On average, we complete paving on seven streets annually, and without this levy, it would be tough for us to maintain that as we have in the past. 80% of this levy would go toward streets and sidewalks, with the other 20% going toward recreation,” he said. Another article offering LEVY information will be upcoming.
The last action item was to review, discuss and consider the 2026 Budget Revision #1. Council increased the budget $5,000 to cover overtime pay for snow removal and the increased cost of salt. There will also be a $7,000 increase in the budget for the City’s Central Garage, which was not heated and during this frigid weather, a water tank froze and burst. This water tank is part of the city’s street sweeper which sprays pressured water while cleaning the streets. A heater will be installed in the Central Garage to remedy this.
Discussion items included the following:
*A few questions were asked regarding the 2023 audits that involved issues with in-house record keeping; these have been addressed and already corrected by office staff.
*Property maintenance ordinances and codes were gone over page by page and will not be changed, but the discussion was mainly about how to move forward with corrective action on these properties that include both drug-related houses and dilapidated properties. This falls under code enforcement and the international building code that has been adopted. Council went over the penalties that can be issued for those who ignore the repeated requests to maintain a safe property.
Mayor Kovalck said the goal is to help the businesses and citizens that exist nearby, to protect them from such things as building collapse, fire, leaking roofs, etc. “We will be enforcing these ordinances, and when needed, we will issue fines to those who remain negligent,” he affirmed.
There will be a $100 minimum fine per offense, and maximum fines could reach $1,000 per offense per day – particularly for those who have ignored the City’s requests for years to maintain these buildings.
The final item of discussion was the Power Plant Water Supply. The Harrison Power Station has requested that the City reduce their rate for the water they purchase from the City. The water rate they are paying goes back to 2014, and during those eleven years, there has never been an increase!
An invitation has been issued to Power Plant representatives to come and address this in front of the full Council.