MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Two weeks removed from the inauguration of five new Morgantown City Council members, annexation remains the primary topic of discussion.
While Deputy Mayor Mark Brazaitis has openly stated he hopes that local well known business hubs like Suncrest Town Center and Mylan participate in the annexation, a fellow new council member hopes to also add some low income housing communities to the city limits.
First Ward councilwoman Rachel Fetty suggested Marjorie Gardens as a possibility Friday on WAJR’s Morgantown-AM — suggesting that some potential boundary adjustments in the First Ward could increase public safety.
“In the first ward, it’s an equity issue, you know whether or not those folks have access to reasonable fire and police services,” Fetty said.
Marjorie Gardens is considered a part of Monongalia County, but not a part of Morgantown’s city limits, which prevents them from receiving Morgantown city services. Fetty believes that the residents of these neighborhoods would be open to annexation if it provides them extra safety.
“They would love to be able to call the police,” Fetty said. “They would love to be able to call the police when folks are setting off fireworks in Marjorie Gardens, or when there’s a disturbance or when it’s a problem.”
Fetty emphasized that there are both financial incentives and efficiency incentives to annexation in this area.
“Everything that happens in Marjorie Gardens effects what happens in the city,” Fetty said. “Everything that happens in that little trailer park, you know, affects the city — whether they pave or don’t pave, whether they have sidewalks or don’t have sidewalks. And those are issues that have to be addressed.”
Fetty did pour a little cold water on annexation discussions to remind citizens that nothing is set in stone.
“There’s no aggressive, unified plan to start this process,” she said. “These are ideas that different candidates ran on, and we all have our different perspectives. But nothing will happen without community participation, nothing.”
Morgantown City Council will be meeting for it’s bi-monthly Committee of the Whole next Tuesday.