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Council hears City Hall renovation update and approves waiver for law firm assisting on tax credits
Summary
Council received a construction timeline for City Hall, was told the city expects to occupy the building by Aug. 31, and approved a waiver allowing the law firm advising on historic tax credits to proceed despite a disclosed representation of Altice on franchise matters.
Elkins City Council received a progress report on City Hall renovations and approved a waiver for a potential legal conflict tied to historic-tax-credit work.
Operations manager Mike Kessicker told council that contractors have been advised to complete work so the city can move back into City Hall by Aug. 31; contractors were given an internal target of July 31 to finish site work. "We will be in City Hall by August 31," Kessicker said, noting elevator delivery remains the slowest portion of the project but staff are not currently concerned about meeting the deadline.
Councilors and staff discussed preservation constraints tied to historic tax credits. Kessicker said the state historic preservation office and the National Park Service limited some interior work, including replacing the council chambers ceiling, because doing so could jeopardize tax credits; the team instead plans non-permanent acoustic improvements and new lighting.
On legal matters, council considered Resolution 1900, which authorizes a limited waiver of a potential conflict of interest after the law firm assisting the city with historic tax-credit funding disclosed that another part of the firm represents Altice on municipal franchise matters. A council member summarized the attached letters explaining that the franchise representation appears unrelated to the city's historic-tax-credit work; members then voted to approve the waiver by voice vote.
Why it matters: The City Hall move and the historic-tax-credit work affect both the city’s capital timeline and its ability to use federal/state tax incentives to reduce project costs. Approving the waiver allowed the city to continue work with the selected law firm while acknowledging the firm's other client relationships.
What’s next: City staff will continue to monitor the construction timeline and advise council if parts of the project threaten grant or credit deadlines. The contractor schedule and the tax-credit advisory work will proceed under the approved waiver.
