by Kate Shunney
Morgan County Commissioners approved their annual financial statement during a routine meeting on Wednesday, October 16.
Commissioners also approved reimbursement to a property owner for a duplicate payment of Hotel/Motel tax for a rental property. The owner had remitted the tax to the county at the same time that their vacation rental manager had submitted the tax payment. A total of $780.99 will be returned to the property owner.
In other county business, commissioners approve a grant resolution in support of a $30,000 RMPG grant.
Commissioners also signed a letter of support for Comcast’s application to be part of the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) funding program in West Virginia. There is $1.2 billion in that program fund to expand broadband internet infrastructure.
County officials also signed a letter of support for Frontier Communication’s application.
Commissioners heard several options from the county’s Office of Emergency Services (OES) director Jason Hoover about construction of an OES building that will be shared with the county’s Facilities Department to house their equipment. A recent bid opening put the cost of the building far above the amount the county had allocated for the project, in conjunction with a FEMA grant.
Hoover said the county could scale back the size of the building project, hold on the construction or find additional money to move ahead.
The county had previously committed $240,000 to match a $189,000 FEMA grant for OES operations. The lowest qualifying bid for construction of the building came in at $537,000 with no interior finishing. Hoover estimated that inside work would cost an additional $130,000.
Bids were for a 120 x 50 building near the old 911 center. That building was to act as a secondary Emergency Operations center for the county and house the county’s Facilities Department.
Commissioner Joel Tuttle encouraged Hoover to have a conversation with the lowest bidder to see if they could scale back building plans and what that would save.
“I don’t see how we can go over $300,000,” said Tuttle, of the county’s portion of the project.
Hoover said in 99% of emergencies, the county has the space it needs to run an Emergency Operations Center (EOC). In the case of catastrophic flooding, as was seen with Hurricane Helene, however, Hoover pointed out that the current EOC would be under water.
“If that happened here, we’d be standing in water here in the courthouse,” said Hoover.
A center up by The Pines would be protected from flooding.
In other business, commissioners heard how staffing at Morgan County 911 has reduced the significant overtime expenditures from the previous two years. 911 Director Marshall Younker said it’s taken him two years, but the current positions and schedule at the 911 center are working well to provide 24/7 coverage for the dispatch center.
