Monongalia County Commission approves consent agenda, personnel hires, requisitions and updated personnel policies

The Monongalia County Commission on Feb. 5 unanimously approved its consent agenda, new hires, a set of requisitions related to development districts and updated personnel policies governing workplace conduct and hiring/onboarding.

County Administrator Reneta McClure summarized the consent items for the commission, noting “you have 5 exonerations to approve, $1,152.80 minutes for 01/29/2025, and then the border review on 01/31/2025,” along with a list of vouchers and department invoices. Commissioners then moved to approve the consent agenda.

Why it matters: the actions clear routine financial and personnel items and adopt clarified policies intended to reduce last-minute payroll requests and standardize start dates for full-time hires.

The commission approved new personnel, including a full-time court security officer, Jonathan Shrewsbury, with a monthly salary listed at $3,076.38 and an effective date of Feb. 1. The commission also approved part-time seasonal hires for Chestnut Ridge Park, including Adam Howe as a tubing-hill attendant at $12.50 per hour.

The board approved several requisitions tied to local tax-district and development funds: Requisition No. 36 for the Series 2020-21B Harmony Grove Phase 1 Project Fund for $43,009.17 (payments to EnRoute Properties and Adrian Enterprises), Requisition No. 18 for the University Town Center (UTC) Series 2020-23A Property Tax District Administrative Expense Fund for $2,001.33 (Unicast monthly invoice), and Requisition No. 99 for the UTC Excise Tax District Administrative Expense Fund (Unicast monthly invoice; amount recorded in the meeting record). Each requisition was moved, seconded and approved.

The commission also adopted updated policies on a drug- and alcohol-free workplace and an equal employment opportunity/anti-discrimination policy that the administrator said were pulled from the commission handbook and separated so all departments would use the same blanket policies. Commissioners voted to require current employees, not only new hires, to acknowledge the updated policies via ADP once uploaded.

Finally, the board adopted a tightened policy on new hires and payroll onboarding. Under the new policy as described at the meeting, full-time employees are to begin on the 1st or the 16th of a month (with departments required to submit hiring paperwork before the start date), part-time employees may start any time during the month, and the commission indicated there will be no exceptions to those timing rules going forward.

Votes at a glance: - Consent agenda: approved (recorded as “All in favor? Aye.”); commissioners present: 3; outcome: approved. - Personnel approvals (including Jonathan Shrewsbury and seasonal hires): approved; outcome: approved. - Requisition No. 36 (Series 2020-21B Harmony Grove Phase 1) — $43,009.17: approved. - Requisition No. 18 (UTC Series 2020-23A property tax district administrative fund) — $2,001.33: approved. - Requisition No. 99 (UTC excise tax district administrative expense fund) — amount recorded in meeting: approved. - Engagement agreement with Steptoe & Johnson PLLC (see separate article): approved. - Letter of support for City of Morgantown Arts and Cultural Development grant application (approx. $20,000 request): approved. - Updated drug-and-alcohol-free workplace and EEO/anti-discrimination policies: adopted. - Policy on hiring/onboarding start dates and payroll procedures: adopted.

The meeting record shows each motion was moved and seconded and approved by voice vote. No recorded opposition or abstentions were announced.