Community cites years of contention over Worthington City Council meeting accessibility

Sep. 26—WORTHINGTON — Rain poured heavy overhead on the evening slated for last month's Worthington City Council meeting. Attendees from as far as Clarksburg donned rain jackets and umbrellas, rushing toward the meeting room to avoid the downpour.

But minutes after the scheduled meeting time an unexpected absence left the City Council unable to meet quorum, the minimum number of members present to host a meeting. Attendees already seated were turned away, and the meeting was abruptly canceled, never to be rescheduled.

In conversations with the Times West Virginian, community members alleged that the cancellations are part of a multi-year history of the City Council failing to provide consistent and accessible monthly meetings.

The Times West Virginian found that 9 meetings since Aug. 2021 were moved from their original times, often with minimal notice. While one was moved for a state holiday, roughly 40% of meetings in a two-year span have been rescheduled or canceled altogether.

That limits opportunities to get involved or raise issues with the City Council, said Renee Courtney, a Clarksburg resident who has voiced concerns surrounding the Council's conduct on social media.

Last month's meeting was initially scheduled for Aug. 15, but pushed to Aug. 29 — two full weeks later — because personal and health concerns left some City Council members unable to attend, according to Mayor Melvin Lindsey.

When the City Council failed to meet quorum on Aug. 29 after Council Member George Allen Staul was stuck at work, no meeting was held at all. "It was just too late," Lindsey said, declining to provide the Times West Virginian Staul's contact information.

The West Virginia Open Governmental Meetings Act lacks oversight over municipal government meeting cancellation or postponement. Nonetheless, changing meeting times pose accessibility barriers for people like Nichole Gump, a South Worthington resident who uses a wheelchair.

For Gump, getting to downtown Worthington takes advance planning. With short notice, it can be hard to arrange transportation to attend meetings.

Gump said that changing meeting times have been a years-long concern among residents, sparking debates that push away potential meeting attendees. "It's just not something that a lot of people even want to deal with anymore," she said.

While it lacks oversight surrounding meetings cancellation and postponement, the Open Meetings Act outlines requirements for advance public notice when a meeting does occur.

City councils must notify the public three days in advance of a regular public meeting, and two days in advance of a special meeting, confirmed by Kimberly Weber, executive director of the West Virginia Ethics Commission, in an email to the Times West Virginian.

In October 2021, the City Council moved its meeting from Oct. 19 to Oct. 12, and Courtney alleged that the public received no advance notice of this change — which, if confirmed, would mark a violation of the Open Meetings Act.

Previously, residents alleged that the City Council moved its February 2022 meeting without notice, and changed its March 2022 meeting time with less than 24 hours notice. Both of these instances would violate the Open Meetings Act.

In March, "I went ahead and showed up at the regular time," Courtney said. But at the door she saw a notice posted knee level documenting the time change, despite an initial notice remaining posted.

"That was the day I showed up," she said. "I had a bunch of people with us."

Other postponements in January 2022, July 2022, and January 2023 have made it difficult for residents to keep up with City Council a long-time trend, Courtney said.

While he previously served as a member of the City Council, Lindsey declined to speak on events that preceded his term as mayor. But changes have continued into Lindsey's term, which began in July 2022.

During the City Council's meeting in March, then-Councilwoman Christina Gnagey requested meetings be moved from 6 p.m. to 3 p.m., citing difficulties with balancing her night shift at work and City Council responsibilities.

"I have to be able to attend the council meetings," Gnagey said at the time. "If it is interfering with my job then we have a right to change the times."

But for many community members, hosting a meeting during working hours is inaccessible, Courtney said. "Why are they having it during business hours when we work?"

Lindsey said City Council members failing to attend meetings "is a concern, but things happen." When possible, "we try to let people know" ahead of time, he added.

Lindsey also noted that public concerns have not gone unheard, and that in July the City Council moved its meeting time back to 6 p.m.

But Councilwoman Gnagey and Councilman Nick Demus both left their positions after the July meeting, illuminating the breaking point the City Council continues to face — meet the needs of City Council members or lose them entirely.

Lindsey said that the City Council's issues stem from low pay, and that officials must keep full-time jobs while also serving their communities.

"I have to pay bills, and I work a midnight shift," Gnagey said during the March meeting. "It runs into a situation for me working."

With the time conflicts that come with working full time, issues meeting quorum and hosting regular meetings can seem inevitable. "People don't understand," Lindsey said.

And, while the Open Meetings Act sets expectations for how meetings are held, the Ethics Commission lacks the authority to enforce those expectations, Weber noted. Legal intervention requires that a resident file a complaint in Circuit Court, which can be a lengthy process.

For now, community members allege that accessibility barriers remain, and that staying involved in local government requires seeking out information and self-advocacy.

Gump, who has historically attended City Council meetings, said civic engagement in Worthington is becoming more and more difficult, especially because the City Council does not stream its meetings online.

Council Members discussed the possibility of recording meetings or hosting Zoom calls in conjunction with meetings in March, but no such plan has been implemented.

As health concerns make barriers to her attendance more severe, Gump did not attend this month's City Council meeting. And she said it will only become less likely that she keeps up with the City Council in months to come.

"Last meeting, they couldn't even make quorum," she said. "It's just been one thing after the other."

Reach Jack Walker by email at jwalker@timeswv.com.