BECKLEY, WV (LOOTPRESS) – Beckley City Council cast votes on Tuesday which will move the city toward the adoption of a City Manager form of government.
Council members assembled on Tuesday evening for their first meeting of the new year, at which the longstanding notion of potentially adopting a City Manager form of government was a key issue of discussion.
The second reading and public hearing of an Ordinance Establishing a City Manager-Mayor Plan of Municipal Government was among the agenda items prepared for the session, as was  the First Reading of Ordinance Authorizing a Charter Amendment establishing City Manager-Mayor Plan of Municipal Government to be placed on May 14, 2024, Municipal Election Ballot.
The inclusion of a City Manager form of government on the upcoming May ballot was neutralized in the face of a 4-3 vote to proceed with the change as presented in the original ordinance.
Council members Bullock, Hunter and Reedy voted in opposition and Council members Dunlap, Sopher, Canter, and Price voted in favor.
The change will substantially decrease the authority of the individual serving as Mayor of Beckley, with the individual acting as City Manager position holding authority alongside a strong council.
