Residents ask Morgan County commissioners to rescind $10,000 match grant over lawsuit concerns

Residents during the public-comment period at a Morgan County meeting asked commissioners to rescind a $10,000 county matching grant awarded to a local nonprofit, saying recent reporting and court filings raise questions about the group’s conduct.

A public commenter said the county should "cancel that grant" and "redirect the $10,000 for their new roof to another local worthy charity that actually helps this community," citing coverage in the Morgan Messenger and documentation from Leticia James. The commenter also said that, contrary to earlier statements, a group called Vidaire had not in fact closed and that "Lydia Brinillo ... announced that they're looking forward to starting up and having their meetings up there again as early as next spring." The commenter urged commissioners to act because, they said, money had not yet changed hands.

A county staff member responded during the same public-comment sequence, describing how the application was presented and the county's release conditions. The staff member said the project applied to a State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) grant totaling $50,000 and that the county award of $10,000 was a required match. "When we sent out our award letters to folks, that specific award letter did say that that $10,000 was a match grant and they had to produce the notification of grant award, the NGA from West Virginia SHPO ... before we would ever release any funds to them. So they know we're not running a check for $10,000," the staff member said.

Other commenters repeated concern about board composition and possible conflicts of interest at CASL, and referenced criminal charges reported against members of the Grimlows family, saying the composition of that organization's board could permit self-dealing. One speaker noted the group brings tourism but said the charges were disturbing.

The record in this transcript does not show a formal motion by the commission to rescind the grant or any vote on that request. The staff member said the award letter requires SHPO to confirm its award before county funds would be released, and a commenter said the county could still redirect the funds because disbursement had not occurred. No final action on the grant is recorded in the provided transcript.

The public comments combined reporting in a local paper, references to litigation and public meetings, and county staff explanations of grant conditions. Commissioners did not make a county-level decision to rescind funds during the portion of the meeting captured in the transcript.