The County Commissioners’ Board held the spring meeting last weekend and it was a full agenda!  Multiple issues were addressed and many positive things accomplished. CCAWV’s Strategic Plan was reviewed and 3 new goals added. Lots of discussion centered around the financial hardships many counties are facing, how other parties are reacting to such, and ways that we can help each other with these situations through the CCAWV and our partners! Stay tuned for more information as solutions progress.

Multiple county commissions are having their constitutional duties and responsibilities challenged in numerous ways. There are pending and/or threatened suits on budget cuts, firing issues, hiring authority, and discretionary funding decisions. Believe it or not, some commissioners are being challenged over paying outstanding jail bills, if doing so limits funding to other offices, organizations, or “projects!”

County Commissioners’ have not only the constitutional financial responsibility for the county tax dollars, but they are criminally liable for those decisions. Adequately funding all county elected officials offices has always been a priority of county funds, but courts have consistently held that as long as the county commission is not arbitrary or capricious in their decisions, have properly met  with each elected officials to review their budgetary needs, and has taken into consideration the total resources the county has to work with, it is the county commission that has the authority to determine what is “adequately funded.”

The WV Code also MANDATES that counties pay a daily per diem for inmates in the WV Regional Jails! While the Regional Jail Authority makes every effort to work with county commissions who are struggling with tight budgets and have even allowed for payment plans at times, the mandate of the Code is not an option, and commissioners are responsible for the county’s debts. So it goes for the office of county commissioner; juggling limited resources, juggling others requests, making some happy and others not so. Rest assured, it is a priority of the CCAWV and its’ board to protect the constitutional authority and responsibility of county commissioners statewide.