Freedom’s Run volunteer Adam Lowe answers a question posed by the Shepherdstown Town Council at its monthly meeting on July 9. Photo by Tabitha Johnston

SHEPHERDSTOWN — The Shepherdstown Town Council met for its monthly meeting on July 9.

All members were present, in person or on Zoom, except for Cheryl Roberts.

The council kicked off the meeting by discussing the second reading of an amendment to the Special Events Ordinance, reducing the required time for submitting an event permit application from 30 days to 14 days prior to an event. Three proposed amendments to the amendment — about a wording change, event insurance requirements and the length of time needed by Public Works and the Shepherdstown Police Department to receive notification of an event — were withdrawn.

However, the town council agreed that further discussion on the amendment would need to be conducted in the August meeting, before a final vote on the amendment could be made.

Council members then moved on to discussion of the second reading of the 2025 Comprehensive Plan Draft. Although various concerns with the plan were brought up, the they ultimately agreed to unanimously approve it, due to the time constraints they were operating under.

Shepherdstown Town Council members Marcy Bartlett, left, and Carrie Blessing, right, discuss the need for bike path markings on July 9. Photo by Tabitha Johnston

“We have to approve this. It’s almost a year late,” Gatz said. “It’s gone through a thorough process — the planning commission developed it, had a hearing, had public input, changed it, then sent it to the town council, and we had a public hearing and amended it. That’s what we’re voting on tonight.”

The town’s financial status was then discussed by Chris Longerbeam, CPA, noting the one major change from last month’s financial status report was the rise in its Hotel/Motel Tax revenue, with $215,335 so far being received in fiscal year 2025.

“The Hotel/Motel Tax is about $104,000 or $105,000 short, so it’s close to 50% what it should be. It’s running about $50,000 under budget, which has been the trend for the last couple of months,” Longerbeam said, noting the opening of the Quality Inn in town will likely change that.

Town Administrator Gino Sisco announced that the first public administration intern in the Town Hall Interns program has begun his six-week internship.

“We have moved forward to having some interns participate at town hall,” Sisco said. “We have one who just started with us on Monday, from WVU. His name is Austin Young. He very much has an environmental edge to what he is studying. Unfortunately for him, we’ve already given him real work. He can very much go back to his professor and say that he has done real work, rather than just sitting around and listening to us talk.”

Along with West Virginia University, Sisco said he hopes to have interns from Shepherd University working with the town, whether it be in the public administration internship or a Historic Shepherdstown Commission internship.

An event request for Freedom’s Run to be held in town on Oct. 4, presented by volunteer Adam Lowe on behalf of founder Mark Cucuzzella, was unanimously approved.

“Right now, we’re ahead of numbers from last year, so we’re expecting a little over a thousand people to participate in the combination of the five races,” Lowe said.

Unanimous approval was also given for a draft policy, regarding commissioning local artists to paint new benches for the town.