After several weeks of discussions and deliberations, Bridgeport City Council will vote Monday on the general fund budget, as well as the coal severance tax budget for the 2017-2018 fiscal year.

 

A proposed balanced budget in the amount of $14.4 million was first presented to Council by Finance Director Monica Musgrave on Feb. 27. Council thereafter met in a series of work sessions to fine tune the budget, which after approval by Council, must be submitted to the state by March 28.

 

In other financial matters, Council will consider and vote upon General Fund Budget Revision No. 6, which according to Musgrave, is two-fold.

 

General Fund Budget Revision No. 6 appropriates $7,051.00 which was received from FEMA for the time Emergency Services Director Laura Pysz spent in Greenbrier County in July to help out during the flooding in the southern part of the state,” Musgrave said. “It will also appropriate an additional $20,000 to the Arts Council for the upcoming (Sound Waves and IPAs) event.”

 

Sponsored by Bridgeport Arts Council, the SWIPA event is scheduled for June 24, 2017 at Bridgeport City Park. A second annual event, it will feature specialty craft beer from breweries across the world, as well as live music, food and artisan vendors.

 

New business to be addressed by Council also includes a pair of business grants previously brought to the Bridgeport Development Authority and now to be considered by City Council.

 

One is a façade improvement grant for a proposed upgrade to Wendy’s, located at the entrance to Bridgeport on Route 50. As per the Development Authority’s recommendation, Council will vote to approve a $10,000 grant to be used toward the proposed $130,000 project. An estimated $58,110 of the proposed upgrade meets requirements as outlined in the façade improvement grant. (Read more HERE.)

 

The second grant under consideration is a business sustainability grant for the proposed new construction of Menard’s Lumber, a proposed 202,000-square-foot retail home improvement business to be constructed at Charles Pointe. (Read more HERE.)

 

A couple of resolutions will also be under consideration at Monday evening’s meeting. The first is regarding acceptance of a transportation enhancement grant and the second would authorize Mayor Bob Greer to enter into an agreement with the U.S. Division of Justice & Community Services to receive and administer grant funds for a Justice Assistance Grant.

 

Also Monday night, City Council will present a proclamation to Omkar Yadav, a Bridgeport Middle School student who won the West Virginia School Chess Championship.

 

There will be no work session preceding the regular meeting, which begins at 7 p.m. The meeting will open with an invocation by Pastor Michael Hopkins of Simpson Creek Baptist Church. 

 

Read about Bridgeport Emergency Services Director Laura Pysz and her post-flood work in Greenbrier County HERE.

 

Editor's Note: Pictured top/cover are members of Bridgeport City Council in a recent work session. Also pictured is Finance Director Monica Musgrave.