[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6349206,"mediaKeyId","2239178-e6143ed1de1acd0e972e3600c4247fee","parentId",2239178,"title","Votes at a glance: Morgan County Commission approvals and administrative actions","audioSeconds",394,"startMs",932000,"endMs",1326000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2239178-e6143ed1de1acd0e972e3600c4247fee&start=932&end=1326","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2239178-e6143ed1de1acd0e972e3600c4247fee/thumbnail_932000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6349206/Morgan-County/West-Virginia/Votes-at-a-glance-Morgan-County-Commission-approvals-and-administrative-actions","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6349206-a500f4940cd577d3d7cb24645dfac37c/orig.mp4?Expires=1775461642&Signature=RGDSmxLJV0yu~Z9g3-rrgSa4IXBPe8OD2eTSxrCNXENchhNssJGFqn7O4TOHWo1pO7rvfLL7Q5Xb7~GZiOXZXgjQzZKL-kVSlYPAyDaKL~Q06v2UqnbYU62PN4qn-pJigYIqcUb~4i2xQw948afDw0o9i8j0nLePVeN8SZK~VlHMSTH3ygFuOr205rN2CnBn2vEo9mQ4S1XEq2b5yszfSlmu78Et5dmESb~BFEeRRs5W84vh2qe4ne0DAUJ9-1OV9Jy6x5iNytaqn5dy6z3NgrJOUOdPKU6kamUHFq0I~SM9PpQk90VQ8vK47hGJD0QlqbsF1dcYcKi-Om-WtXqGig__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Morgan County, WV","date","2025-02-06T14:31:56Z","article","At a Morgan County Commission meeting, members recorded several routine administrative approvals and one grant-match decision during open session.

Key votes listed in the meeting record:

- Approval of the meeting agenda as presented. Motion made and approved by voice vote with members responding “aye.”

- Approval of meeting minutes from Feb. 3, 2025. Motion made and approved by voice vote with members responding “aye.”

- Approval of an exoneration for taxpayer Munson (clerical error). Motion made and approved by voice vote with members responding “aye.”

- Approval of a $3,000 county financial match for a TNR (trap-neuter-return) program. Commissioners discussed that the granting agency had no additional match funds available this year; the commission approved providing the $3,000 match without the state match. Motion carried by voice vote with members responding “aye.”

Vote details: The meeting transcript records voice votes and “all in favor? Aye” responses. No roll-call tallies or dissenting votes were recorded in the transcript.

Why it matters: The $3,000 match sustains a local animal-control/TNR program this year despite the granting agency’s exhausted match allotment; other approvals keep county business on schedule.

Ending: Commissioners placed a separate fee-schedule item on a future agenda for consideration and directed routine administrative matters to proceed as approved.

","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Commission Meeting 2/6/2025","oneSentenceSummary","The commission approved the meeting agenda, minutes from Feb. 3, 2025, an exoneration for taxpayer Munson, and a $3,000 county match for a TNR grant; motions carried by voice vote with all in favor as recorded in the meeting.","taxTitle","Morgan County, West Virginia","taxId",73514,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6349211,"Sheriff, commissioners debate budget shortfalls, home confinement and uniform costs",382,1346000,1728000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2239178-e6143ed1de1acd0e972e3600c4247fee&start=1346&end=1728","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2239178-e6143ed1de1acd0e972e3600c4247fee/thumbnail_1346000.jpg","/articles/6349211/Morgan-County/West-Virginia/Sheriff-commissioners-debate-budget-shortfalls-home-confinement-and-uniform-costs","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6349211-5be4111474faef1e20608e0e9324eab8/orig.mp4?Expires=1775461642&Signature=PqhFz9rxNx5s8OtRsZWMfPxkI6t9OK-vNztjESr4-TsRPZzpkeN8QBGjeaiTtOJEQw9VlSyr8-Ul5CrsNhpc-Fv3PD9lkhsFPcYmBHFBkj~w2IUu9D5NQQKRSBwdnsmdr16Y4sx-JyMG3TwesJG0uigO~Ba3NsMUuFIo0ouMXAc6UO6WlO-k-5ToXmjjRQv20ghLLMPN8ONUh0wg2XAwBC2xDsgmEaFKdnYNTRmv3N2LMfze0aXTlSTkTxEa7mpDVP-nQq~z8-YL980OExbCK2jt~7kxtUphsLjQk5enBqf-HjXDx2rlb538JgRcgH46S5VjimqpEuwguSWInAybfQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Morgan County Sheriff and county commissioners spent substantial time in a meeting reviewing department budget lines, with several commissioners urging monthly reconciliations and the sheriff seeking clarity on salary and overtime accounting.

At the meeting, the sheriff and commissioners discussed home confinement costs that a participant said recently totaled about $16,000 for a month and later was characterized as closer to $2,800 per month after equipment returns. The sheriff and commissioners said they will move certain charges temporarily between budget lines to cover recent expenses and then correct them in future reporting. A commissioner asked the sheriff’s office to scan and send salary letters and payroll documentation so the commission can reconcile a noted discrepancy in the fiscal-year salary totals.

Discussion covered uniform and equipment purchases, where commissioners said some purchases may have been taken from other departmental lines rather than a dedicated uniform line, complicating tracking. Commissioners and the sheriff cited specific one-time needs such as ballistic vests (estimated at about $2,800 for two new hires) and recurring costs for uniforms; commissioners urged that bailiff uniforms be charged to the bailiff budget rather than shifted elsewhere.

Holiday overtime and related state-required holiday pay were highlighted as a recurring pressure. Commissioners said they budgeted $35,000 for holiday overtime but expect an additional roughly $15,000 will be needed to cover current staffing and holiday requirements. One commissioner explained state rules on holiday pay and warned that periodic unusual holiday scheduling can drive overtime up in any given year.

Commissioners committed to two near-term steps: asking the sheriff to provide scanned salary letters and payroll supporting documents and asking staff to reinstate recent home-confinement expenses into appropriate budget lines so the sheriff’s budget reflects those costs. Commissioners and sheriffs also discussed grant applications for vests and other equipment and noted that expired vests increase urgency to secure replacement funding.

Why it matters: The discussion traces operational and accounting gaps the commission said should be caught monthly; unresolved discrepancies could complicate budget planning ahead of the county’s formal budget cycle.

Ending: Commissioners said they will work with the clerk’s office to reconcile payroll and expense detail monthly and to return any temporarily reallocated funds to the sheriff's budget before formal budget adoption.

","Sheriff's office and county commissioners discussed budget pressures including $13,000–$16,000 monthly home confinement costs, uniform and vest expenses, holiday overtime, and a possible $15,000 shortfall; commissioners asked for payroll documentation and monthly reconciliation.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6349216,"Residents ask Morgan County commissioners to press state over I-22 bypass lights",835,83000,918000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2239178-e6143ed1de1acd0e972e3600c4247fee&start=83&end=918","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2239178-e6143ed1de1acd0e972e3600c4247fee/thumbnail_83000.jpg","/articles/6349216/Morgan-County/West-Virginia/Residents-ask-Morgan-County-commissioners-to-press-state-over-I-22-bypass-lights","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6349216-5d60e22b664ab3036f2bfedbf9527f01/orig.mp4?Expires=1775461642&Signature=Tm5ZaAzDEZdPQ1FSuGl5RpDUiMFdClLNKKkg0oo3UA7TdIwf9gy6E4h3KbIuIj6wRQM3TQ5O~p8w50fAGn-7oCjrgj1wgmZCYSG98p-dhhCqKt3B8UiYssRuwTHun3ERGHs8o7T383nJN-HusTdKAkasrIsZKENgnEil07Ybdv9U~YT3du~oMcsNlZstIWyb55ZvNL26mNnDZO5OrfIm8SlymH-2MeUUg6qgKq270FzUqbi8kxHySf3HmznrHAFfUVo3--R2isYv-8LkNHf6dMCfsf0pOCS24i3T5Kj5ZN2AsmxNS153ud03OBOU9cY4MP5eOtQciu2Zcim6Zh6JEQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Jim Bailey, a Fairfax-area resident, told the Morgan County Commission that bright lights installed along the new I-22 bypass are shining into nearby yards all night and that the state Department of Highways (DOH) has not responded to repeated resident requests for changes.

Bailey said he and neighbors, including Mark Bar Finkel, have sent letters, pursued a FOIA request and received little or no reply. “These lights light up their yards like a football stadium,” Bailey said during public comment, adding that some residents have installed blackout curtains and one elderly neighbor has developed insomnia.

Commission members who heard Bailey said the county does not control state highway construction or maintenance but pledged to help get residents a response. “The county commission since the 1930s have had absolutely nothing to do with road maintenance, road construction, or any of those types of things,” one commissioner said, adding that the commission could serve as a liaison to state officials and elected representatives. That same commissioner said he had typed, but not yet sent, a response to Bailey and planned to follow up.

Commissioners and others on the dais reported limited state action so far: some light fixtures have had small shields added and engineers remain involved with the project’s designer, referenced in the meeting as D. Smith. One commissioner said the state had installed “some additional shields” and suggested the DOH might be working with its designer to address light spill; he also said new standards require a certain lumen level at the roadway surface. “What doesn't make sense to me is that if you're 200 feet away from the road, why does it still have to be so bright?” a commissioner asked at the meeting.

Commission members suggested routing constituent concerns through state elected officials named in Bailey’s letter — including Senator Tom Willis, Senator Thorne (referenced), Delegate George Miller and Delegate David Cannon — and noted the DOH region covering the project serves multiple counties and faces staffing and contractor turnover on major projects. Commissioners referenced the bypass as a “$120-plus million project” and said consultant and staffing changes may slow state responses.

Bailey asked the commission to “rattle the cage a little bit” and urge the DOH to explain the design choices and share any applicable standards. Commissioners agreed to include the state elected officials copied on Bailey’s letter in follow-up communications and to seek DOH documentation and any design standards that govern roadway luminance and shielding. The commission also directed staff to point residents to the DOH online submission form (referred to in the meeting as “SWAT”) for urgent roadway repairs such as potholes, while they pursue legislative contacts for the lighting concerns.

Why it matters: Residents living nearest the new bypass say persistent light spill affects sleep and quality of life; the county lacks direct authority over state highways but can press the DOH and local state legislators for explanations or modifications.

Ending: Commissioners asked Bailey to share copies of any letters and FOIA requests he has submitted; they said they would include the named state legislators in follow-up emails and request the DOH provide any standards or responses it has on record.

","At a Morgan County Commission meeting, resident Jim Bailey urged commissioners to press the state Department of Highways for answers after bright, overnight highway lighting from the I-22 bypass illuminates nearby yards; commissioners say they lack direct authority but will relay constituents' concerns to state officials.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Votes at a glance: Morgan County Commission approvals and administrative actions

Sheriff, commissioners debate budget shortfalls, home confinement and uniform costs

Residents ask Morgan County commissioners to press state over I-22 bypass lights