KEYSER — In an effort to save money being lost through an antiquated election system that has been abandoned by virtually every other municipality in West Virginia, the Keyser Mayor and City Council moved Wednesday to drop annual elections and extend the terms of the mayor and council members from two to four years.
City attorney John Athey reported at Wednesday's monthly council meeting that making the change would require a relatively simple modification to the city's charter, and a public outreach to determine whether there is any opposition to the move.
“Accomplishing your goal is as simple as modifying the charter,” he said.
City officials first broached the idea of eliminating the annual elections at last month's meeting.
According to Athey, during his research of the proposed change the West Virginia Municipal League advised that Keyser is perhaps the only town in the state that continues to hold annual elections. Moreover, the city maintains a primary election, even though balloting is non-partisan.
As a result, the city conducts two elections each year, at an estimated cost of about $20,000.
Staffing the City Hall polling place with three to five poll workers is actually a relatively minor part of the elections expense. The bulk of the cost comes in paying city employees, who all receive the day off for both the primary and general elections. Essential personnel like police are paid overtime rates those days, as are any public works crews called out for an emergency.
“Keyser is one of the few, if not the only” town that still maintains annual elections, and primary contests, Athey said.
City Council members voted unanimously to begin the process of changing the elections.
Under the new system, as preliminarily sketched out at Wednesday's meeting, council members' terms would be extended from two to four years, and elections would be held every two years, with three council members on the ballot for one election, and the other two council members and the mayor on the ballot two years later.
Athey said the city will have to work out the details as to transitioning to the system. Once those issues are resolved, a legal ad will be taken out in the newspaper providing city residents an opportunity to  comment on the proposed change.
Councilman Dave Sowers welcomed the new policy.
“It saves us money,” he said.
In other business, the Council moved to annex two sections of Harley Staggers Drive and Southern Drive near Keyser Primary Middle School to allow for enhanced police patrols while students are coming to and from school.
Acting at the request of the Mineral County Board of Education, the city earlier this year annexed the school grounds to allow Keyser City Police to patrol the property and respond to any emergencies. However, due to an oversight, the boundaries stopped just short of the actual roadways where police monitor traffic in the mornings and afternoons. As a result, officers are limited in their ability to enforce the speed limit and make traffic stops outside the city limits.
Wednesday's move – which Athey said can be accomplished with a petition to the County Commission – will simply address that oversight, and will not require annexation of any residential or business properties.
The next meeting of the Keyser Mayor and City council will be Dec. 9 at 4:30 p.m.