Personnel committee forwards five appointments — four to Huntington Municipal Parking Board, one to new Reasonable Accommodation Appeals Board

The Huntington Personnel Committee voted unanimously on Jan. 27, 2025, to forward five appointment resolutions to the full City Council with favorable recommendations, including four appointments or reappointments to the Huntington Municipal Parking Board and one appointment to a new Reasonable Accommodation Appeals Board.

The committee convened at 6 p.m. and, after a brief executive session held under West Virginia Code 6-9A-4(b), returned to the public meeting to consider five resolutions. All five motions were approved by voice vote, with members answering “aye” and no opposition recorded on the record.

The most substantive discussion concerned the Reasonable Accommodation Appeals Board, a body created in the city’s codified ordinances (Article 17.62) to hear appeals when the city denies requests for reasonable accommodations under state or federal disability law. Jan Raider, who the committee recommended for that panel, explained the ordinance and the board’s membership requirements. "The Reasonable Accommodation Appeals Board is stated in the codified ordinances of Huntington, Article 17.62," Raider said. She summarized the membership prescribed in Section 17.62.07: an employee of the city appointed by the mayor, the executive director of the Huntington Human Relations Commission, and an attorney licensed in West Virginia who resides in the city; all appointments must be approved by council.

Votes at a glance

- Resolution 2025-R-09: Confirming the appointment of Mark Cross to the Huntington Municipal Parking Board — committee: forwarded to full council with a favorable recommendation (voice vote: ayes; no opposition on the record).

- Resolution 2025-R-10: Confirming the appointment of Drew Hetzer to the Huntington Municipal Parking Board — committee: forwarded to full council with a favorable recommendation (voice vote: ayes; no opposition on the record).

- Resolution 2025-R-06: Confirming the reappointment of Stephen (Steve) Turner to the Huntington Municipal Parking Board — committee: forwarded to full council with a favorable recommendation (voice vote: ayes; no opposition on the record).

- Resolution 2025-R-07: Confirming the reappointment of Kirk Dodgell to the Huntington Municipal Parking Board — committee: forwarded to full council with a favorable recommendation (voice vote: ayes; no opposition on the record).

- Resolution 2025-R-12: Confirming the appointment of Jan Raider to the Reasonable Accommodation Appeals Board — committee: forwarded to full council with a favorable recommendation (voice vote: ayes; no opposition on the record).

Why it matters

Appointments to the Huntington Municipal Parking Board affect oversight of parking policy and operations in the city; the committee handled four seats at once, three of them reappointments. The Reasonable Accommodation Appeals Board establishes a local process for appeals when accommodation requests related to disability protections are denied, aligning the city’s process with federal and state disability laws and adding an explicit appeals path in local code.

What the committee did and did not decide

- The committee’s votes were committee-level approvals to forward the resolutions to full council with favorable recommendations; the full City Council must take final action before appointees are seated.

- The committee held an executive session under West Virginia Code 6-9A-4(b) to discuss personnel matters; committee members returned and recorded public votes after the session.

- The Reasonable Accommodation Appeals Board membership and appeal route are set by ordinance (Article 17.62); Raiders said the committee should expect the other two required appointments to come forward at a future meeting.

Next steps

Each forwarded resolution will appear on the Huntington City Council agenda for final consideration. The committee noted this is the first of the three appointments required by Section 17.62.07 for the appeals board; the remaining two members are expected to be presented at a subsequent meeting.