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April is "National County Government Month" and the County Commissioners’ Association of WV (CCAWV) sponsors an annual contest among the state’s eighth grade students. Students are asked to answer “How does my county commission make life better for me?” in an essay.
While this is an excellent opportunity for students to learn about the many functions of their county commission in depth, a prize of $300 for the best-written essay sweetens the pot for students. (An additional $300 is awarded to the first-place student’s teacher for encouraging participation, to be used to support classroom activities.) The second place winner receives $250, and third place gets $150, in addition to recognition by their county commissioners.
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On January 26, 2014, Commissioners from across the state gathered at the Charleston Marriott in Kanawha County for CCAWV’s annual Legislative Conference.
In spite of a snowfall that blanketed much of the state the night before, creating treacherous road conditions, the conference had a robust attendance.
Board members gathered for a meeting Sunday afternoon, which was followed by a Jail Steering Committee Roundtable discussion led by Chris Tatum of Cabell County. Joe DeLong of the Regional Jail Authority was on hand to give Commissioners an update. Afterwards, commissioners gathered for a Service Appreciation Dinner.
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Let the Madness begin!!!
Oops, it just ended!! Another legislative session, another round of Board of Review hearings, and another round of budget sessions are almost in the book!!
Plus, our usual daily chores of running a county!! Thanks to all that helped in the lobbying process, whether by phone, email, face to face or just by being there!!
Kudos to Vivian, Megan and Jim Bowen for all their hard work, as usual!! We as Commissioners need to continue moving forward and by making our counties better places to live and prosper.
If there are any questions about any legislation that passed or didn't pass, just give Vivian a call and she can inform you as to where things stand. I know you are all busy so I will not keep you. Stay safe, healthy and I hope your brackets are filled out and doing well!!!
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April is National County Government Month and to help celebrate, CCAWV is hosting our 3rd annual County Government Essay Contest.
This contest is open to all 8th grade students in West Virginia and the 1st place winner and sponsoring teacher will receive a $300.00 cash award each.
We have worked in unison with the WV Department of Education to disseminate the information and contest guidelines to all 8th grade teachers, but we need your help as well!
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The 60 day legislative session came to an end at midnight on Saturday, March 8, 2014. Legislators managed to complete 199 bills (out of 1,876 introduced). The atmosphere at the Capitol became increasingly hectic as the clock inched closer to Midnight. Long discussions about SB 6 (the methamphetamine bill), as well as other controversial bills, in both the House and the Senate led to a harried final hour as legislators rushed to move through as many bills as possible. Several bills met their death as a result of the time crunch, including the much-discussed SB 379 (pay raises for county officials). CCAWV Executive Director Vivian Parsons and lobbyist Jim Bowen monitored this bill closely as it worked its way through Senate and then House committee hearings. The bill was amended in the House Finance committee to move back to ten county classifications (from the Senate’s proposed five) and give a 12% pay raise across the board to all county officials (instead of at a new term of office as the Senate had written). Additionally, at CCAWV’s pressing, the amended bill included changes to the Auditor’s test – insuring that both county revenues and expenditures were taken into account before certifying a county’s ability to afford the salary hikes. Even though CCAWV’s official position was against a salary increase in 2014, we felt this was the best compromise possible, as it gave Commissions a measure of control. However, the Senate rejected the House amendments, effectively killing the bill in the last hours of the session.