The Westmoreland City Council at its Jan. 16, 2025 meeting approved several ordinances and resolutions, awarded an ARPA-funded water-system bid and approved a one-year license-plate reader agreement. Most items passed on unanimous roll calls. The council also deferred the Goodall Farm annexation public hearing to Feb. 8 after public comment.

Key votes at a glance

- Ordinance 0112024-1 (discharging of firearms): Passed on second reading by unanimous roll call. The ordinance, described in meeting materials as addressing discharge/target practice on large tracts, was approved on second reading.

- Ordinance 0112024-3 (adopt 2021 occupancy code): Passed on second reading unanimously. Council accepted the updated 2021 occupancy code.

- Resolution R012025-1 (2025 meeting dates): Approved unanimously to set council meeting dates for 2025.

- Ordinance 0012025-1 (impound fees): Approved unanimously; the ordinance establishes an impound fee for vehicles confiscated by the police department (transcript discussion cites a $50 fee).

- Ordinance 00012025-2 (rezoning 5612 Austin P Highway from R-2 to C-2): Passed unanimously. The item covers a rezoning for the site where a new EMS building was discussed in packet materials.

- Award of ARPA Water System project bid to Kemp Brothers: Council voted unanimously to award the ARPA-funded water-system project to Kemp (Kemp Brothers/Carty's). During discussion staff said the lowest bid was accepted and that funding will be split or adjusted so the project can proceed without committing beyond available funds; the transcript references an approximate $2,000,000 figure but the packet and bid amounts in the minutes were not presented with complete, consistent numeric detail in the public remarks.

- Resolution R012025-2 (waive permit fees for EMS building): Approved unanimously; the council approved waiving permit fees for the EMS project and noted the county will perform required commercial building inspections without charging the city.

- License-plate reader agreement (one-year trial): Approved unanimously. A council member summarized that the system will be used for a year to detect license plates associated with criminal activity and to alert patrol units; the first-year arrangement was described as costing the city nothing.

- Mayor's mileage (Nov.–Dec.): Approved unanimously.

What the council said: During the license-plate reader discussion a city official summarized the program, saying, "we're getting to use license plate readers for a year that will catch any kind of criminal activity that that license plate is associated with, and it'll it'll signal our cars before you get on get on top of it." The council recorded no objection and approved the agreement.

Why it matters: The package updates local rules on occupancy and impound fees, shifts zoning for a site planned for an EMS facility, directs ARPA funds into water infrastructure, and adopts a public-safety technology for a trial period. All actions were recorded as unanimous votes at the Jan. 16 meeting.

Votes and next steps: Most approved ordinances take effect according to their stated effective dates in the adopted texts (not all effective dates were read aloud). The ARPA water project will proceed under available funding; staff noted the project scope may be limited by remaining ARPA balance and by interlocal funding shifts referenced in the meeting.