Hampshire County Commission orders appraisal, legal review after higher offer for leased nursing home

Hampshire County commissioners on June 24 authorized a commercial appraisal and directed staff to investigate investment options and obtain outside legal advice to evaluate a cash offer to purchase a county‑owned, long‑term‑leased nursing home.

The action, approved during the county commission meeting in Romney, follows a renewed purchase proposal that commissioners said was more than double an earlier offer. The commission voted to commission a third‑party appraisal of the property, review the West Virginia Board of Treasury Investments (BGI) process for investing any proceeds, and confirm the legally required sale process with outside counsel before taking further steps.

Commissioner Mance told colleagues the county’s obligation is to “steward public funds and public assets” and urged a methodical review that compares any offer to an independent valuation based on the property’s income. He recommended appraising the property, calculating investment returns the county would need to replace lease revenue, and engaging stakeholders and the public if officials decide to move forward.

Commissioners also discussed statutory limits on how the county may dispose of real property; during the meeting a speaker noted that county property sales generally must proceed by public auction under state law. Commissioners said they would confirm the precise statutory requirements with outside counsel as part of the due‑diligence work.

The motion passed; it did not authorize a sale. Commissioners emphasized the work ordered is investigatory: assessing whether accepting a cash offer and investing proceeds would put the county in a stronger fiscal position than keeping the existing lease revenue stream.

Clerk Clark and commissioners said the county has substantial remaining lease time on the nursing home agreement and that there is no external deadline requiring an expedited decision. Commissioners said any further action would include public input and that a future sale would need to be structured to meet the county’s statutory obligations.

Next steps identified by commissioners were: engage a commercial appraiser experienced with health‑care/leasing properties, analyze expected investment returns under West Virginia investment programs, consult outside counsel about auction and sale procedures, and collect stakeholder and public input before any sale decision.

No binding sale or transfer of the nursing home occurred at the meeting.