Several matters of business took place at Tuesdays Town Council meeting. Two new patrol officers were sworn in at Tuesday’s town council meeting. Mayor Auxer administered the oath of office to Todd Epperly and Michael Moats and welcomed them to the Shepherdstown police department. This addition makes three patrol officers, one corporal, and the chief, Mike King in Shepherdstown.

The council acknowledged the recent passing of Shepherdstown’s first poet paureate, Georgia Lee McElhaney, and approved a motion by Ed Zahinser to appoint Hope Maxwell Snyder as McElhaneys successor. Snyderspoems have appeared in and other journals. She is the founder of Somondo Press and the founder and director of the Sotto Voce Poetry Festival in Shepherdstown.

Marianne Davis from the Shepherdstown Visitor’s Center presented a report in which she said that the Charleston Gazette would be featuring Shepherdstown in its holiday guide which comes out this month. In addition, Southern Living magazine has once again selected Shepherdstown as one of the best towns in the South, and will be highlighting our town in their magazine. Davis also called attention to a March conference to be held at Shepherd University, called Voices from the Misty Mountains: Diversity and Unity, a New Appalchia. She said this conference would bring several hundred people to the town.

With potential for increased visitor population, Mayor Auxer took the opportunity to remind citizens to keep our streets clean with a plea to pick up cigarette butts and dog waste so as to be considerate to visitors and neighbors and leave a good first impression with newcomers.

There were two public hearings at Tuesdays meeting. The first was a second reading and approval of the the Ordinance to Create and Adopt Section 4-110 of Chapter 1, Title 4 of the Code of Shepherdstown to provide for proper restraint, shelter, protection, and care for dogs who are tethered or confined in Shepherdstown.

The second hearing was the first reading of an Ordinance to Enact a New Chapter 10, Title 2 of the Code of Shepherdstown to provide for equal opportunity in the areas of employment, public accommodations and the sale, lease, rental and financing of housing accommodations without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, age, blindness, handicap, or sexual orientation or gender identity. The motion to have a second reading of this ordinance was approved.

There will be a special public hearing for the Home Rule Program application draft on Tues, Feb 23 at 6:30 p.m.

Council also approved several event requests including and Easter parade to be held on Sat. March 26 at approximately 11 a.m., a native plant sale held by the Potomac Audobon Society to coincide with the Back Alley Garden Tour on May 21, the opening of the 25thannual Shepherdstown farmer’s market on March 20, a 4thof July parade and a suicide prevention walk sponsored by the Suicide Prevention Foundation.

Mayor Auxer presented a special plaque with a Certificate of Excellence to Shepherdstown police chief King, as well as Public Works director, Frank Welsh for their outstanding service and dedication to the community during the major snowfall of winter storm Jonas.

Town ordinances can be found at the website: www.shepherdstown.us .

To volunteer for the Back Alley Garden Tour or plant sale, please contact Katherine Coykendall at dollykc@gmail.com