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Council delays decision on Jefferson County social‑service coordinator funding, asks county rep to present details
Summary
Faced with a county request for shared funding of a social‑service coordinator position, Harpers Ferry's council voted to postpone action and invite a Jefferson County representative to explain scope, job description and how the $28,000 request would be allocated among municipalities.
Harpers Ferry's Town Council voted April 14 to postpone action on a Jefferson County request to share the cost of a social‑service coordinator position and to ask a county representative to appear at the next council meeting with a full presentation.
Council members said the county had requested a contribution to support a coordinator whose duties had not been clearly defined in the town packet. Roberta, a council member, said she understood the request asked municipalities to split $28,000 but asked whether shares would be allocated by population rather than an equal split.
“If we do contribute, I would hope that our share is based on our population or some kind of...calculator,” Roberta said, noting the town’s population is far smaller than other nearby municipalities.
Council members also asked for a job description, an organizational chart showing where the coordinator would sit, and details on what agencies the coordinator would work with. One councilor noted the county commission had allocated $29,000 while some municipalities had proposed different amounts, which raised questions about why municipalities were being asked to fund a county initiative.
The council moved to postpone and request that a county representative attend the next meeting to outline scope of services, job description and a proposed municipality split. That motion, seconded and debated, passed 3‑2.
Why it matters: councilors said they want to perform due diligence on the request before committing municipal funds, and they noted that shared‑service arrangements typically use population or another formula to determine cost shares.
Next steps: the council asked the county to appear at the next meeting with a presentation; council members also suggested Budget & Finance could review a funding request if the council determines the policy question is resolved.
