Grantsvile City council met for their regular June Meeting on Monday, June 9th, 2025 led by Recorder Emily Collins in the absence of Mayor Robert Petrovsky. Council members attending were: Rissa Staples, Emilee Morgan, Courtney Alexander, Linda Staton, and Cheryl Sturm.
Mrs. Collins reported that the lighting at the Grantsville Water plant had been replaced for $1274.42 and $1993.00 for installation. Additional issues were discovered when troubleshooting the lighting by the river, as well as the lighting at the tank to insure the safety of staff and customers using the water sales area which added an additional $2,270.00 to the bill.
Meeting minutes approved with corrections for both the May 5th and May 14th, 2025 meetings.
Under Mayor’s Communications, Mrs. Collins read the resignation of Manager Melissa Keener effective June 30th, 2025. Motion to accept her resignation was approved. Ms. Keener’s position will have to be approved by the incoming council on July 1st and is to be an appointed position by incoming Mayor John Villines.
The new council must take their oath within 20 days of the election canvassing which occurred at the June 9th, 2025 meeting.
The FRN was given a check from the Town for $711.00 following their request for Opioid funding that had been promised previously. The FRN also requested $5,000 from funding received for the Pfizer Lipitor settlement given to the City of Grantsville but was denied. Mrs. Collins read a letter received from the Attorney General’s office, Chief of Staff, who sent confirmation that the Lipitor money can be spent by the Town of Grantsville in what ever way they determine. According to Collins the Town paid the street light bill, electric and other bills due which their general fund was unable to meet. A letter from the WV State Auditor was also received that stated there was no restrictions for the spending of the Pfizer Lipitor funding.
When a member of the audience asked why the residents of the Town were never advised or had opportunity to provide input on how the $5,000 should be spent, Mrs. Collins informed him that the people “they” elected had made the decision. The money was received on April 30th, 2025.
Canvassing of the Municipal Election was done in the presence of all those attending, including Sarah Smith from the Secretary of State’s Office. Recorder Emily Collins read the ballots while Linda Staton and Cheryl Sturm tallied the count. A Bond of $300 was established should anyone want an additional recount which will have to be requested within 48 hours of the canvassing.
Following the canvass a final election result was declared at 7:34 p.m. for the following:
- Mayor John Villines
- Recorder Shannon Waldron
- Councilwoman, Tonya Cunningham
- Councilwoman, Emilee morgan
- Councilwoman, Jessica Metz
- Councilwoman,Chasity shock
- Calhounwoman, Rissa Staples
The City has planned a Park Fun Day on June 28th, 2025, open to the entire community. The event will have family fun and food from 2-8 p.m. with a movie to follow and is a free event.
Cheryl Sturm told the council that she had been contacted by wood craftsman David Gerlach regarding the City Park signs framing. He had been unable to have it done at the Career center before it closed for the summer. He built the frames himself and will advise the Council later of what they owe for his efforts.
Before the City Funday, the city Council approved the purchase of an umbrella to go onto one of the park tables. There is currently $1,733.89 in the park account.
Another settlement will be received by the City from PFAS (per- and poly-fluoroalkyl) substances commonly known as “forever chemicals.” PFAS include perfluorooctane sulfonate (“PFOS”) and perfluorooctanoic acid (“PFOA”). These chemicals have been used for various industrial purposes for years, including use in firefighting foam products used to put out chemical fires. The City is set to receive $8,200.00 to be used for something pertaining to water or infrastructure. In their meeting discussion it appears they plan to use the money to pay for buildings recently purchased for the water company. It should also be noted that there is now an additional test required for the water plant to test for PFAS in the water.
The current balances of the Town of Grantsville financials reported by Mrs. Collins is:
Account balances as of May 31, 2025:
- Water $34,597.60
- General $2,593.97
- Sewer $7,370.94
The Town has recently received notice of future funding in the amount of $50,000.00 to build internal capacity to better meet their community’s economic needs.
