Commission approves grants, requisition and legal engagement; raises concerns about warming shelter use

The Monongalia County Commission approved a set of discrete actions at its March 26 meeting: the county signed off on grant documents for community corrections, authorized a $30,000 requisition for Harmony Grove Phase 1, agreed to donate a stored 911-site generator to the city of Westover, and authorized county counsel to enter an engagement letter with Steptoe & Johnson to represent the commission in litigation over portions of the West Virginia Tax Increment Financing Act.

Grants: The commission approved a Community Corrections Grant application and a memorandum of understanding between the commission and the local criminal justice board; the grants coordinator presented the documents and the commission approved them by voice vote.

Requisition: Commissioners approved Requisition No. 37 for the Series 2021B Harmony Grove Phase 1 project fund in the amount of $30,000, to be paid to Adrian Enterprises.

Donation: The county approved a request from the City of Westover to receive a generator the county had previously used at the Catherine's Knob 911 tower and had stored at the county warehouse after the tower was taken down years earlier. Commissioners voted to donate the generator to Westover.

Legal engagement: The commission voted to engage Steptoe & Johnson to represent the county in litigation related to certain provisions of the West Virginia Tax Increment Financing Act and authorized the commission president to execute the engagement letter.

Administrative matters and correspondence: The commission completed administrative closure of estates on its fiduciary docket after staff said the legislature had authorized administrative closure for stagnant estates. Commissioners approved the administrative closures by voice vote and recorded no exceptions.

Warming shelter correspondence: The commission received a final report from Catholic Charities West Virginia on the county's warming shelter. Commissioner Bloom (identified in the meeting as a commissioner) commented he was “very concerned that, again, we're below 50% of the people that we are housing there are not from our area,” and said the commission needed to examine that situation; he did not propose formal action during the meeting.

TIF amendment notice: County staff read a notice from the City of Morgantown about a public hearing scheduled for April 22 regarding proposed amendments to Morgantown Redevelopment District No. 3 (a tax increment financing district), including a 15-year extension to the district termination date and proposed boundary changes; staff said city officials planned to present more detail to the commission at a future meeting.

Each of the motions above was moved, seconded and approved by voice vote during the meeting.