Council approves ordinance to add municipal fire marshal amid social-media concern; other routine votes cleared

The St. Albans City Council voted to adopt an ordinance (second reading) to submit Article 953.22 to the codified ordinances to add enforcement authority for a municipal fire marshal. During discussion Speaker 6 addressed social-media posts that had claimed the change would give the fire marshal "unlimited authority," calling that claim incorrect and stating the ordinance is "just clarifying language, that was requested by the fire department." The council approved the ordinance by voice vote.

Council members also approved routine business items in the same meeting: payment of current invoices totaling $10,198.03 (motion by Councilman Roe, voice vote) and the confirmation of Eric McNeil to the Parks and Recreation Committee with a term expiring June 30, 2029. The council had earlier approved the February 2, 2026 minutes by voice vote.

Why it matters: The ordinance clarifies local enforcement roles for fire code and fire-safety inspections by recognizing a municipal fire marshal position in city code. Council members publicly addressed misinformation shared on social media, stressing the change is limited to clarifying enforcement language rather than expanding unrestricted powers.

What the record shows: The meeting transcript records a brief question-and-answer exchange addressing the social-media posts; Speaker 6 explicitly stated, "That is not the case," in response to those online claims and said the language was requested by the fire department. Exact vote tallies were recorded as voice votes; no roll-call counts are in the meeting record.

Next steps: The ordinance is adopted and will be codified as Article 953.22; staff will complete any administrative steps required to implement the municipal fire marshal's enforcement role. The council did not list an effective date in the meeting transcript.