Welch schedules March 16 public hearing on two ordinances, special-levy election

The City of Welch published an official notice announcing a public hearing to consider adoption of two proposed ordinances. The hearing is set for Monday, March 16, 2026 at 4:00 p.m. at Welch City Hall, 88 Howard Street, Welch, West Virginia.

A separate City of Welch Facebook post states, "City of Welch Public Notice The regular meeting of the Welch City Council has been rescheduled from Monday, March 2 to Monday, March 16." The Facebook excerpt does not include a year or a start time, and the two notices do not explicitly state whether the rescheduled regular meeting and the public hearing are the same event.

The text of the official notice provided to this newsroom is truncated; it ends with the words, "The notice was signe," and does not include the name or title of the signer. The truncated copy also does not include the ordinance titles, ordinance numbers, or summaries that would identify the subject matter of the two proposed ordinances.

The story title for this notice references a special-levy election as one of the items, but the supplied official notice excerpt does not specify that detail. If one of the proposed ordinances would place a special-levy election before McDowell County voters, the notice excerpt does not contain the ballot language, levy rate, duration, or fiscal impact figures required to evaluate that measure.

Key items remain to be provided by city officials in advance of the March 16 hearing: a complete, signed copy of the official notice; the full text of the two proposed ordinances; any staff memos or fiscal analyses; and clarification of whether the public hearing is part of the rescheduled Welch City Council meeting that was moved from March 2. The county election office and the city clerk's office are the next steps for confirmation if a special-levy election is indeed proposed.

The March 16 hearing at Welch City Hall will be the formal opportunity for the council to consider adoption of the ordinances identified in the notice. Our newsroom will publish the full ordinance texts and any available fiscal details as soon as Welch city officials provide the signed notice and accompanying materials.