City Election Update
On March 2, city voters will elect a council member from all five wards and a new mayor.
Voters will also decide whether the city should:
- Shift from its current Mayor-Council form of government to the Mayor-Manager form
- Amend the charter to affirm the city’s commitment to complying with state open government rules
- Extend the mayor’s term from two to four years (effective starting with mayor elected in 2023)
Registration for the March 2 election is now closed.
Early in-person voting for all wards will be at Elkins City Hall, February 17-27. Early voting is available Monday-Friday and Saturdays during the following hours:
- Weekdays: 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
- Saturdays: 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
For more election-related information, please see this webpage.
To review the candidates and ballot questions, click here.
Please contact the city clerk’s office with any questions.
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Elkins Council Adopts New City Charter
Last modified on December 9th, 2020 at 06:51 pm
First Changes Since 1901 Become Effective April 1, 2021
Elkins Mayor Van Broughton signs Ordinance 276, which makes changes to the city charter for the first time since 1901.
Elkins, W. Va., November 27, 2020: Last week, Elkins Common Council approved an ordinance making changes to the city’s charter. A city charter is the establishing document of a municipality and lays out the structure, authority, and basic operating rules of the city government.
The changes made last week, which council approved 9-1 and become effective April 1, are the first since the adoption of the current charter in 1901. (more…)
Charter Change Ordinance Available for Download
Last modified on December 16th, 2020 at 01:46 pm
At Thursday’s 7 p.m. meeting, council takes up the charter-change ordinance for final reading. Council can only approve charter changes against which no objections were entered by the end of the Nov. 9 public hearing. (more…)
Elkins Residents Object to Certain Charter Changes
Last modified on December 16th, 2020 at 01:47 pm
Elkins, W. Va., November 6, 2020: The Elkins City Clerk is in receipt of objections to two proposed changes to the city charter. Unless these objections or any others received by the end of Monday’s 5 p.m. hearing are withdrawn by November 19, the objected-to sections cannot be adopted by ordinance and would either have to be abandoned or placed on the ballot of the March 2021 Municipal Election. (more…)
Council Releases Draft Charter Update
Last modified on December 16th, 2020 at 01:49 pm
Timing Enables Adding Disputed Changes to the March 2021 Ballot
Elkins, W. Va., October 9, 2020: Elkins council has released a revised draft city charter and commenced the steps required for that draft to be eligible for adoption via ordinance in November, Elkins City Clerk Jessica Sutton announced today. Under the plan released by the city clerk’s office, councilors will be able to adopt uncontroversial charter changes on November 19 while still leaving time to place disputed changes on the ballot for the March 2021 city election. The plan states that the effective date of any charter amendments, whether adopted via ordinance or election, would be April 1, 2021. (more…)
Charter Change Survey Results
In support of council’s consideration of possible changes to the city’s charter, staff created and released an online survey on the Survey Monkey platform. The survey was promoted via the following channels:
- Paid advertising in the Inter-Mountain
- Multiple press releases, all of which were published in the Inter-Mountain and on the city website
- Two TV news stories mentioning the survey’s availability
- “Sidebar alert” with link to survey on every page of the city website
- Multiple Facebook posts
- Messages sent to the city’s email newsletter list
- Direct email to various city stakeholders
- Dissemination by Elkins Main Street and the Elkins-Randolph Chamber of Commerce email lists
The survey was available from August 14 through September 2. During that time, 115 people responded to the survey. The survey had 10 questions, which are summarized below (actual question wording on the survey was different than shown below; the questions are reprinted in full in the attached results). All questions were optional, meaning that respondents did not have to answer every question to submit their answers.
- Are you a resident/property owner/business owner, etc.?
- Name and address. (These answers are not included in the attached results.)
- Which charter-change background materials have you reviewed?
- Should the charter be changed?
- What aspects of the charter should be changed?
- If you oppose changing the charter, why?
- What form of government do you prefer for Elkins?
- Should council be resized?
- Should council be restructured?
- What else would you like to share about possible charter changes?
Here is an overview of some of the results:
- There was strong support for “updating” the charter. Almost 69% of respondents either strongly agreed or agreed that “the Elkins City Charter should be updated” (question 4).
- More than 80 percent of respondents want council to “update obsolete sections” of the charter (question 5). The next most popular category of changes was “restructure/resize council” (54 percent), followed by change the form of government (49 percent).
- When asked what form of government they preferred for Elkins (question 7), 39 percent wanted to keep the current form, followed closely by the 35 percent who favored some form of manager-based government (i.e., either Manager or Manager-Mayor). Least popular was the idea of adopting a Strong Mayor Plan (26 percent).
- Regarding changing the size of council (question 8), most respondents want to reduce it (50 percent). Those who wanted to keep it the same as it is now numbered 35 percent. Only 14 percent wanted a larger council.
- When asked (question 9) about changing the structure of council (ward vs. at-large representation, ward vs. at-large voting, etc.), 39 percent favored the current strict ward-based qualification and election. The next largest group, at 19 percent, wanted to keep ward-based representation but adopt at-large (citywide) voting for all council seats. At 16 percent, those who want a mix of at-large and ward councilors came in third place.
It is important to keep in mind that these results cannot be described as representative of public opinion. Unlike a poll, respondents were not randomly selected, so they cannot be said to represent a cross-section of the community. This survey would not have been available, for example, to people lacking internet access. Also, despite the efforts made to publicize the survey, it is still possible that some potential respondents may not have heard about it.
The results may be downloaded in PDF form here.
If you prefer viewing the survey results online, you may do so by clicking here.
Charter Change Q&A Tuesday, Sept. 1
Elkins Common Council will host an in-person Charter Change Q&A event at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, September 1 at the Phil Gainer Center. Council’s charter-change attorney, Tim Stranko, will present the findings of his analysis of the current charter, which was last updated in 1901. Then council will take questions and comments from in-person attendees.
Stranko’s presentation at Tuesday’s Q&A will present three main categories of possible charter changes. The first category consists of updates to charter provisions that have been rendered obsolete by changes in state law and the evolution of the Elkins city government. These updates would simplify and modernize the charter without significantly affecting the form and functioning of the city government.
The second category in Stranko’s presentation will be possible changes to council size, elections, and representation. While Elkins uses strict ward-based representation and election processes, many other West Virginia cities have at least some “at-large” council members or have ward-based members face citywide election.
“At-large representation and citywide voting might increase voter turnout and enable a wider range of people to run for office,” says Sutton. “State code is not very specific about these aspects of city councils, so there are a few possible options.”
The third category includes possible changes to the structure of the city government. State law authorizes West Virginia cities to use one of five government structures, or plans. Under the current plan, council holds both governing and administrative authority and the mayor has almost no independent authority (i.e., what state code calls the Mayor-Council Plan). Other available plans assign administrative authority to either a mayor (i.e., Strong Mayor Plan) or a city manager (i.e., the Manager or Mayor-Manager plans).
“In the city’s strategic plan, council set a goal of evaluating the feasibility of adopting a city manager form of government,” says Elkins City Clerk Jessica Sutton. “That evaluation is ongoing, so now is the time for the public to speak up if that is something they support or oppose.”
The Q&A session will follow the governor’s orders and public health guidelines for reducing the risk of transmitting the COVID-19 virus. Attendees must wear masks at all times inside the building and will be seated six feet apart from each other. A total of 72 members of the public will be admitted.
Due to technical obstacles, the Q&A will not be livestreamed. A written summary of questions and answers will be posted to the city’s website.
“We don’t currently have the tools to livestream an event with so many different potential speakers and ensure that viewers would be able to hear all questions and answers,” says Sutton. “If anyone isn’t comfortable attending an in-person event or has a schedule conflict, they can email ideas and concerns to me and, if time permits, I’ll present them to council and Mr. Stranko during the Q&A.”
Sutton pointed out that there are additional options for public input.
“Our online survey will be available through September 2 and people can also submit public comments for any upcoming council meetings,” she says. “Also, before council can finally adopt a charter by ordinance, state law requires a formal public hearing. Right now, the earliest that could happen would be sometime in October.”
Sutton emphasized the importance of public input during this process.
“Changing the city’s charter could profoundly affect Elkins for generations. It’s vital that councilors hear as much input as possible so they can draft a charter update that everyone can feel good about.”
For a link to the online survey and more charter-related information, including the text of the current charter, a charter-change FAQ, and other background resources, please visit: www.bit.ly/ElkinsCharterUpdate.
Charter Change: City Manager Costs and Tenure
During council’s ongoing consideration of possible updates and changes to the city charter, councilors requested information about the potential costs and likely tenure of a city manager in Elkins. Tim Stranko, the attorney retained by council to assist with the charter-change process, has prepared a memo answering these questions.
Mr. Stranko’s research finds that, in West Virginia cities employing city managers, the annual salary range is $75-130,000, with the average for a West Virginia city being $89,035. According to a study by the American Society for Public Administration, “the average tenure of a city manager has been “lengthening over the decades” to 6.9 years.” Attached to his memo is a report from the International City/County Management Association that looks at the question of tenure of city managers in more detail.
Mr. Stranko also presents specific information from several West Virginia cities that employ city managers. Click here to access the memo.
Restructure Council?
Last in a series of four articles about the charter change process
Last week, Elkins Common Council began public deliberations on possible changes to the city charter. This week, the City of Elkins is running a series of articles providing background and contextual information about the charter-change process. You can find more about this process, including an analysis of the current charter and charter change FAQs, here: www.bit.ly/ElkinsCharterUpdate.
How big should council be? How should council members be elected? How should representation be configured?
These are some of the other questions council is wrestling with as members deliberate toward possible changes to the Elkins City Charter, which has not been updated since 1901. (more…)
Change Our Government Structure?
Last modified on October 9th, 2020 at 03:46 pm
Third in a series of four articles about the charter change process
Last week, Elkins Common Council began public deliberations on possible changes to the city charter. This week, the City of Elkins is running a series of articles providing background and contextual information about the charter-change process. You can find more about this process, including an analysis of the current charter and charter change FAQs, here: www.bit.ly/ElkinsCharterUpdate.
One of the most important questions facing council during this process is whether to alter the basic structure of the city government. State code allows West Virginia municipalities to be structured under five different plans. Each of these plans has advantages and disadvantages. (more…)
Alerts
Starting Jan. 1: No more phone payments
Starting Jan. 1, City of Elkins will no longer accept phone payments for any city bills or services. Learn more.
No Spring Cleanup
Because of the city’s monthly bulk-item pickup program, we will no longer be offering Spring Cleanup. Don’t wait until spring, put your items out each month. Find the schedule for pickups here.
Bulk Pickups Schedule Change
As of the week of October 17, the bulk-item pickup schedule is changing. Find the new schedule here.
Water Issues?
Last modified on May 8th, 2022 at 10:51 am
Got a non-emergency water issue? Report it online by clicking here.
