The Town of Grantsville recently posted a notice on the front door of the Town Hall denying entry to the building to the people who own it for an indefinite period. Pretty sure the citizens of Grantsville did not vote for the current Town Council members and Mayor to lock the doors of City Hall, preventing them from accessing Town services. The sole purpose of Town employees and elected officials is to serve the citizens who elected them. Also, pretty sure that Calhoun Banks didn’t donate the building to the Town, thinking they would bar citizens from entering. The following was the stated reason for taking such action:
“Due to limitations on the Town of Grantsville’s resources and the need for security of the Town’s employees and officers, the Town will be keeping City Hall locked and operating by appointment only until further notice”.
Whether the doors are locked or not, the Town’s limited resources remain unaffected. With the West Virginia State Police’s headquarters in the same building as Town Hall, and the Sheriff’s Office just a few hundred feet from Town Hall, security is also not a valid reason for locking the doors. Please inform the public of which events inside City Hall posed a threat to the safety of officials and employees. You don’t get to lock the doors for alleged isolated incidents that could have been handled by readily available law enforcement.
Ironically, West Virginia Code 8-12-5 (35) cited . . . “to establish, construct, acquire, maintain, and operate public buildings, municipal buildings or city halls”. The phrase, “operate public buildings,” is not in and of itself sufficient to allow locking the doors of a public building. The posted public notice also included another document, which I assume is a Town Ordinance, “Respectful Conduct Required”, detailing actions prohibited by the ordinance. Penalties for non-compliance apply to individuals rather than the general public. Penalties listed are, “Individuals engaging in harassment may be asked to leave and could face further action, including being banned from the premises or reported to authorities”. Note:denying entry to the public is not a listed penalty for alleged individual offenses.
Remedy? Unlock the doors to the public immediately!
