A HEATED MEETING — Wellsburg City Manager Steve Maguschak, left, and Mayor Dan Dudley heard questions and concerns about other matters before a heated debate that led to 4th Ward Councilman Charlie Harris being removed from Tuesday’s Wellsburg Council meeting. -- Warren Scott

WELLSBURG — A heated debate over funding for raises for city employees led to a Wellsburg councilman being removed from Tuesday’s Wellsburg Council meeting.

Mayor Dan Dudley called for City Police to remove 4th Ward Councilman Charlie Harris from council chambers after Harris ignored Dudley’s call for council to move on to other matters on the agenda.

As police officers approached Harris, it appeared he might refuse to leave his council seat, as he pulled away from an officer who had clasped his arm.

But a verbal exchange between the officers and Harris, including a plea for his cooperation, resulted in Harris following them from council chambers.

The confrontation came following a discussion of proposed $2 hourly raises for city employees, including five members of the street department, two administrative staff and a custodian.

Harris and other council members had questioned when the raises would be effective and if they would be covered in the city’s 2025-26 budget.

Third Ward Councilman Randy Fletcher said the employees haven’t received a raise in six years and deserve one, adding pay hikes had been approved recently for the city’s police officers.

The move was made in response to frequent turnover in that department.

City Manager Steve Maguschak said he’s provided estimates for the next budget and it falls to council to approve it.

Harris said other city managers provide a draft budget for city councils’ review through a series of workshop meetings and that hasn’t occurred in Wellsburg.

Dudley told Harris, who chairs council’s finance committee, “We’ve tried to call finance meetings, and you haven’t shown.”

While Dudley called for council “to move on,” Harris continued to speak, and Dudley called for him to be removed.

Harris called the mayor “incompetent,” and Dudley again beckoned to the officers who were attending the meeting.

After Harris left, 2nd Ward Councilman Geno Capp and 3rd Ward Councilman Tom Gaudio stated they support the raises but wanted to be sure they were covered in the budget.

A vote for the raises was approved by Capp, Gaudio, Fletcher, 1st Ward Councilman Jerry Nichols and 4th Ward Councilman Fred Marino. First Ward Councilman Jack Kins and 2nd Ward Councilman Scott Caldwell didn’t attend the meeting.

Following the meeting, Maguschak said about $29,720 will be needed to provide the raises, and council will need to decide how to meet that cost before the budget’s final approval in April.

He said a preliminary budget is being prepared for the state auditor’s approval later this month.

Maguschak said he presented to all council members projected expenses and revenue for the next fiscal year with a worksheet on which they could suggest changes for each line item.

“They can look at what they spent over the last two years. I try to make it as easy as possible, but he (Harris) just wants to argue,” he said.

Maguschak said the approach is in line with duties assigned to him and to council through the city’s charter.

Harris disagreed, saying, “He (Magsuchak) says it’s City Council’s function to generate the budget and it’s not. I have said every year, I won’t do the city manager’s job for him.”

Asked why he hasn’t called a finance committee meeting to discuss the budget, he said Maguschak hasn’t provided a draft budget for review.

After the meeting, Harris said, “I don’t believe it was justified for him (Dudley) to remove me from that meeting. He took away my right to speak and my right to vote.”

Harris noted he wasn’t able to vote on the matter of raises or other issues before council or to discuss incidents of tractor trailers damaging utility poles and lines, which was placed on the agenda at his request.

Following the meeting, Dudley said of Harris’ removal, “We had other things on the agenda. We gave him (Harris) several opportunities to attend finance meetings, and he couldn’t be reached. He never shows up until everything is done.”

In other business, council:

• Agreed to hold a primary election on April 1. Council had debated eliminating the primary because it will only eliminate one candidate, from a field of three, for a seat representing the city’s 3rd Ward.

The only other challenged race involves two candidates for a 4th Ward council seat.

There also was some discussion of holding a primary in the 3rd Ward only to cut costs.

But attorney Dennis McGlauglin, standing in for City Solicitor Ryan Weld, said Weld has advised the city to hold a primary because it failed to conduct a canvass of the candidates’ filings.

City Clerk Mikeal Maguschak said he will do his best to accomplish the steps needed to hold the election on that date, including hiring poll workers.

• Cast a 4-3 vote on placing on ballots for the June 10 general election the issue of whether the police chief should be an appointed position.

The move was supported by Fletcher, Gaudio and Marino and opposed by Nichols, Capp and Harris.

Breaking the tie vote was Dudley, who said, “I think it (appointment of the police chief) should be the public’s decision, but I also don’t think it (the chief’s position) should be the most popular person.”

Dudley said the city has been fortunate to have had two experienced law enforcement officers seek the elected office in recent years but that may not always be the case.

“We need a well-trained officer because we are a smaller area,” he said.

Current Police Chief Mike Allman again voiced his opposition to the proposed appointment, saying voters can be trusted to elect a qualified candidate.

• Cast a 4-2 vote against the elimination of the city’s civil service commission. The proposal failed, with Nichols, Gaudio, Marino and Harris voting against it and Fletcher and Capp supporting it.

Fletcher suggested its elimination would save the city the cost to administer tests for applicants for the police department.

Nichols supported Allman’s statement that it offers city officers an independent panel to seek appeals of administrative decisions adversely affecting them.

• Cast a 5-1 vote eliminating the residency requirement for the city manager. Harris, who cast the lone dissenting vote, said earlier the city manager should be a resident to ensure he or she is readily available in emergencies.

Maguschak said while he’s maintained residences in Wellsburg and Ohio, he has suggested the move to help the city draw from a wider pool of qualified candidates for the appointed position in the future.

• Heard from resident Mary Blum, who complained of noise from a factory near her home on 26th Street and of large trucks parking in the turn lane of state Route 2.

Dudley agreed to contact the business about those problems.

• Granted permission for the Brooke High School junior varsity baseball team to use the former Wellsburg High School ball field until artificial turf is completed for Brooke’s ball field.