Council approves Public Safety Complex fund, appoints city manager and adopts opioid plan

Seat Pleasant — The City Council took three formal actions during its Jan. 5 regular work session: it approved a budget amendment to establish a fund for a proposed public safety complex, appointed a city manager by resolution and approved an opioid abatement plan that staff said is required to secure state and settlement funds.

Ordinance O‑26‑10 (second reading) was described by the clerk as a budget amendment to establish a Seat Pleasant Public Safety Complex fund. The clerk noted a numerical typo in the document, which was corrected to indicate a $1,000,000 fund; a council member moved the ordinance and it was recorded as passing unanimously.

Resolution R‑26‑08 would appoint Angela French Bell to the position of city manager and chief operating officer, make the appointment effective upon acceptance and terminate the interim appointment of Demetrius Harris as of 11:59 p.m. Feb. 2, 2026. The resolution cites section 701 of the city charter as authorizing the council to appoint a city manager. The council moved on the resolution and it was recorded as passing (vote reported in the meeting as 3–2).

Council also considered and approved an opioid abatement plan staff described as necessary to receive state funds and distribution proceeds from opioid‑related settlements. The plan’s objectives include increasing community and first‑responder capacity to intervene in overdoses, preventing overdose deaths, increasing awareness of local resources and connecting affected individuals to treatment; police staff said the department will implement the program through training, naloxone distribution and pop‑up outreach events.

All three items were recorded as adopted during the session; the clerk indicated the ordinance and plans will be prepared for signatures and implementation steps.

Votes at a glance

- Ordinance O‑26‑10 (Public Safety Complex fund), motion recorded and adopted unanimously (vote recorded as unanimous in session). - Resolution R‑26‑08 (appointment of city manager, Angela French Bell), adopted (vote reported as 3–2). - Opioid abatement plan, adopted unanimously.

Next steps include preparing corrected ordinance documents for signature, establishing the new fund, and routing grant and abatement plan tasks to the police department and finance staff for timely execution.