Mayor Amy Goodwin Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

West Virginia American Water Seeks Rate Increase For Customers

In a letter to the Public Service Commission, the mayor and city council requested the proposed rate increases be rejected, or at minimum, delayed until April 1, 2024 or later.

West Virginia’s Public Service Commission Tuesday will hear a request from West Virginia American Water Company to raise water rates.

Despite overwhelming public disapproval during a public hearing last month, the utility wants the PSC to approve a rate increase of slightly more than $41 million. That equates to a nearly 22.5 percent increase in monthly bills for customers.

Residential customers using 3,000 gallons a month would see an increase of about $19. The average commercial customer using 16,000 gallons per month would see an increase of $101.08.

The water company said the increase is needed to cover $340 million in upgrades to water and wastewater systems. Further upgrades are planned in 2024.

Charleston Mayor Amy Schuler Goodwin and members of the city council are opposed to the rate increase. They said the rate increase should be scrapped and cited West Side residents who went weeks without service after water flooded gas lines and shut down their gas service.

In a letter to the Public Service Commission, the mayor and city council requested the proposed rate increases be rejected, or at minimum, delayed until April 1, 2024 or later.

“During a time when our families on the West Side are struggling, it is imperative we do everything we can to lessen the burden,” Goodwin said. “As utility rates continue to rise, it becomes more difficult for our families to make ends meet. We strongly urge the PSC to consider our request – especially as we approach winter and the holiday season.”

Charleston City Council Member Emmett Pepper said it is critical that families be provided some relief during a difficult time.

“Not only are our West Side families faced with the potential financial burden of increased water and gas rates, but they are also now going to be faced with higher electric bills due to the reliance on electric heaters during this gas outage,” Pepper said.

The letter urged the PSC to consider taking further action to empower residents to “better control their energy bills through increased energy efficiency programs for gas and electric customers.”

The PSC hearing is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Tuesday in the PSC headquarters at 201 Brooks Street.

City of Charleston Hires New Mental Health Coordinator Amid COVID Concerns

The COVID-19 pandemic is causing added stress and anxiety across the nation and the globe. West Virginia’s capital city has responded by hiring a mental health coordinator to respond to growing local needs.

“This is a really stressful period, even for those who were not experiencing challenges before,” said Charleston Mayor Amy Goodwin, acknowledging financial stressors, evictions, childcare and other health issues that are impacting mental health.

Goodwin said Charleston has seen an increase in calls to 9-1-1 from people wanting help and needing somebody to talk to. She says a mental health coordinator will help increase the city’s capacity to get that assistance to more families.

The funds to support this new position will come from the CARES Act, federal money that Congress passed in March in response to the COVID crisis. The CARES Act contains additional funding that cities can apply for, through the Community Development Block Grants Program.

The Mental Health Coordinator will be responsible for coordinating the work of a Mental Health Response Team. The team will include City of Charleston staff, mental health experts, homeless shelters and social service providers.

If you want someone to talk to or need mental health assistance, West Virginia has a free emotional strength helpline for COVID-19-related stress. Call: 1-877-HELP304 Or text 1-877-435-7304 Chat: http://help304.com This hotline can connect you to a crisis counselor for stress-management strategies, community resources and referrals.

Confederate Memorial Partly Removed in Charleston, W.Va.

The City of Charleston quietly removed part of a Confederate memorial Monday, joining other cities and states across the country who are taking a closer look at structures honoring Confederate soldiers and generals.

Riflemen Memorial still stands at Ruffner Park in downtown Charleston, but a bronze plaque that covers most of its face is now gone.

That plaque listed the names of local men who fought for the Confederacy during the Civil War.

Among the names is William Armstead, who is described on the plaque as a “colored cook, faithful during the war.” That reference is one of the reasons the city removed the face of the monument, said Mayor Amy Goodwin.

“It perpetuates the falsehoods that slaves enjoyed being slaves and preferred not to be free,” Goodwin said. “It’s offensive. It needed to be removed. And we removed it.”

Goodwin said the city will put a new plaque in its place, describing the history of Ruffner Park.

The Riflemen Memorial was built in 1922 by the local chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy, who then donated it to the City of Charleston. The UDC organization, based in Richmond, Virginia, did not return a request for comment.

Update 6/30/20 1:42 p.m.

Opponents of the mayor’s decision to remove the monument’s plaque spoke out on social media, including Ernest Blevins, commander of the Robert S. Camp Sons of the Confederate Veterans in Charleston, West Virginia.

Blevins said he first heard the plaque had been removed when a friend saw a post about it on Facebook. “They [the city] just removed it without public comment. It was secretive,” he said. Blevins added that he doesn’t think that the memorial was meant to be racist or offensive.

Charleston, W.Va. Declares State Of Emergency As Part Of Coronavirus Response

Updated Sunday, March 15, 2020 at 9:50 p.m. Check back here for the latest coverage on the coronavirus.

The city of Charleston, West Virginia, has declared a state of emergency as part of its response to the coronavirus. According to a news release, Mayor Amy Goodwin signed a proclamation Sunday that allows city officials to issue emergency policies and mobilize resources such as personnel, services and equipment.

Charleston’s state of emergency was issued despite West Virginia reporting no confirmed cases of the virus. The proclamation was issued moments before the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended the suspension of gatherings of 50 or more people for the next eight weeks.

However, testing in the state has been extremely limited. West Virginia health officials say 41 residents have been tested for the disease. As of Sunday at 9:50 p.m., 38 tests yielded negative results with three results still pending. Those numbers do not account for testing conducted by some hospitals or commercial laboratories.

Goodwin said the threat of the coronavirus and its likely inevitable spread in West Virginia could force municipalities such as Charleston to enact lockdowns. She said the emergency declaration would allow her and other city officials to put a lockdown in place should it become necessary.

“I think that West Virginians need to plan and prepare for that to happen,” Goodwin said by phone Sunday night. “[They need to] plan and prepare for social distancing for quite some time; to plan and prepare for this virus to wreak havoc in the state of West Virginia with our businesses and our lives for quite some time.”

City officials say the state of emergency will remain in place until a similar proclamation is issued to rescind the measure. Goodwin said she would rather enact policies that keep residents safe than look back and wish she had done more.

“Somebody yelled at me across the street the other day, they said, ‘Mayor, are we overreacting?’ And my response to them was ‘Boy, I hope so. But, unfortunately, I don’t think so,’” Goodwin said Sunday night by phone. “As mayor, it’s my responsibility. It’s my job to ensure that if we need to make critical decisions, life-saving decisions, at a moment’s notice that we’re able to do that – and I can’t wait on the state or anyone else to do that for our city. We need to do it ourselves.”

Gov. Jim Justice said in a Friday news conference that he believes the virus — which has, as of Sunday night, stricken more than 162,000 people globally and caused more than 6,000 deaths — is in West Virginia but has not been detected.

“We know it’s here,” Justice said. “ I mean, let’s be real. It has to be here. We just haven’t found it yet.”

Justice and other state officials have taken various steps to mitigate the spread of coronavirus, including closing schools until at least March 27, and suspending visitations at state corrections centers. Universities around the state have also extended their respective spring breaks and are transitioning to online learning environments. The governor has announced a news conference to be held Monday at 2 p.m. to update the status of the state’s response to the pandemic.

Along with the issuance of Charleston’s state of emergency, Mayor Goodwin said Monday’s scheduled meeting of the city council would be held electronically.

“I was very limited in my way of being able to ask members to stay to stay at home,” Goodwin said. “We can still have counsel, we just need to do it online. Without this declaration, I was not able to do that.”

With an estimated population of just over 47,000 residents, Charleston is West Virginia’s largest city and the state capital.