Morgantown council approves airport fund budget, sunsets housing advisory committee and adopts accommodations and land‑preservation measures

Morgantown City Council approved a package of administrative and policy items on June 16, 2026, including adoption of the Airport Improvement Fund budget for FY2026‑27, the first reading to repeal the Housing Advisory Committee (Article 160), first reading of an ordinance establishing a reasonable accommodations process under the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Fair Housing Act, and adoption of a land preservation program drafted by the Land Reuse and Preservation Agency.

Airport improvement fund: Assistant City Manager Emily Muzzarelli told council the fund collects federal and state Airport Improvement Program grants, passenger facility charges, and local match. She said the runway extension project remains the fund’s cornerstone; council previously awarded phase five work, bringing federal investment in the runway to more than $40 million, and two U.S. senators had submitted congressional appropriation requests of $25 million and $15 million to advance the project. Council approved the fund budget on a recorded 6‑0 vote.

Housing advisory committee repeal: Staff described the Housing Advisory Committee as largely focused on student housing and inactive since 2024; members’ terms have largely expired. Council members said housing remains a priority and discussed reconstituting advisory roles in a different form; council approved the repeal first reading 6‑0.

Reasonable accommodations ordinance: The city attorney (identified in the record as Attorney Simonton) outlined a proposed process to accept applications through the city clerk, route requests to the relevant program staff, set 30‑day decision timelines with appeal to the city manager, and require an interactive process to evaluate requests for accessible services and housing under the ADA and Fair Housing Act. Council approved first reading 6‑0.

Land preservation program: Council reviewed a program framework intended to guide the Land Reuse and Preservation Agency on priorities for protecting sensitive areas, guiding acquisition or transfer of property, and promoting green‑space access; council adopted the program 6‑0.

Votes at a glance:

• Airport Improvement Fund FY2026‑27 budget — approved, recorded vote 6‑0 (Item B).

• Repeal of Article 160 (Housing Advisory Committee) — first reading approved, recorded vote 6‑0 (Item C).

• Ordinance establishing reasonable accommodations process — first reading approved, recorded vote 6‑0 (Item D).

• Adoption of Land Preservation Program — approved, recorded vote 6‑0 (Item E).

Next steps: Staff will proceed with implementation tasks described in each item packet, including integrating the new reasonable‑accommodations process into administrative procedures and continuing runway extension work pending federal appropriations and contract awards.