Citizen Portal
Sign In

Residents press council on camping ban, warming shelter; council schedules meeting with Catholic Charities and a Sept. 30 work session

5834577 · September 3, 2025
AI-Generated Content: All content on this page was generated by AI to highlight key points from the meeting. For complete details and context, we recommend watching the full video. so we can fix them.

Summary

Multiple residents and council members pressed Morgantown officials for updates on housing placements and warming-shelter plans since the camping ban took effect. Council members arranged a meeting with Catholic Charities and agreed to schedule a public work session on Sept. 30 to develop a winter shelter plan.

Residents asked Morgantown city leaders on Sept. 2, 2025 for concrete updates on where people camping in the city will be placed this winter and what steps the city is taking after the camping ban took effect. "It lends an urgency to the fact that we need to get people into housing... when we talk to people who are providing services and they say it takes a year, that is too long for someone to be camping," public speaker Leslie Nash said, referencing council comments from last year.

At least two residents asked for specifics about how many people have been housed since the camping ban and how many shelter beds have been added. "Where are folks gonna go? Where is the warming shelter gonna be? How is it gonna be staffed? Who's gonna oversee it?" resident Lindsey Jacobs asked during the public portion.

Council members and the mayor described follow-up steps: Mayor Trumbull said members of the city's MCR group have met with Catholic Charities and that she is arranging a meeting between Catholic Charities, city administration, the Morgantown Police Department and MCR leadership to discuss the warming-shelter location and operations. A council member suggested a focused public work session to develop a plan; the city manager confirmed scheduling a work session for Sept. 30 to allow organizations to report back and for staff to present options. The items discussed were framed as planning and direction-setting — no formal ordinance changes or votes occurred on shelter policy during the meeting.

Speakers also raised policy questions about the camping ban's enforcement mechanics and the criminal-penalties portion of the ordinance; one council member said those questions would be taken up in future discussions. Council members asked staff to continue coordination with county partners and service providers and to report progress to council at or before the Sept. 30 work session.