By Breanna Francis, The Journal of Martinsburg
MARTINSBURG, W.Va. — Baker Heights Volunteer Fire Department is now one step closer to its new facility after the Berkeley County Council on Thursday approved the land deannexation request initially brought to the council by the City of Martinsburg in April.
The rare deannexation was a necessary part of the volunteer fire department’s process due to — as Kin Sayre, legal counsel with the city of Martinsburg described it — “a quirk in the state code” that says because the city has a paid fire department within city limits it is illegal to put a volunteer fire department in the city limits, too.
“As discussed in a public hearing last week, we filed the petition in April, held a public hearing and have advertised the intent,” Sayre said. “We feel that it is appropriate at this point in time to enter an order finding that there was no opposition to the request, the deannexation be granted and corporate limits be changed as such.” …
