Commissioners debate using opioid-settlement funds for school activity buses; decision deferred to next meeting
Summary
Commissioner Mance proposed using opioid settlement funds to cover a county school activity bus deficit and requested $10,000; commissioners discussed an alternative plan to pair funds with a West Virginia First Foundation grant for a building repurposing. The item was continued for further information and a school-board representative.
Hampshire County commissioners debated whether to use opioid-settlement funds to cover a persistent deficit in the school system’s activity bus service and opted to continue the item to the next meeting so the Board of Education can provide metrics.
Commissioner Mance outlined a proposal to transfer $10,000 from the county’s opioid-settlement funds to the Hampshire County Board of Education to support transportation for after-school activities in fiscal years 2025 and 2026. He told the commission the activity-bus program “tallies up to a looks like a little over $30,000 a year” and said a carve-out in the approved uses attached to the opioid MOU permits funding of school- and youth-focused prevention and activity programs. “That’s essentially a, a carve out and an awesome lifeline for us to use,” Mance said while reading the relevant subsection of the MOU.
Clerk Scribe reported the opioid fund balance as $59,619.40 as of Nov. 30. Several commissioners urged more information before acting: one commissioner asked for metrics on how many students would be served and noted the semester was starting, while another favored a larger use of funds paired with an outstanding West Virginia First Foundation grant to repurpose and outfit a Board of Education building so the sheriff’s department and day-report operations could co-locate. That commissioner said the paired plan could save the school district demolition costs and provide sustained space for multiple county services; a $700,000 grant application had been submitted to West Virginia First Foundation and officials expected a possible second-round decision in spring.
Commissioner Mance’s $10,000 transfer proposal was introduced but not voted on. Instead the commission voted 2–1 to continue the item to the next meeting and request that a school-board representative attend with more detailed metrics and cost figures before any transfer is approved.
The commission recorded the continuation by motion, and the clerk noted follow-up steps: invite the school board to present projected student impact and a shortfall schedule, and re-place the item on a future agenda for a recorded vote.
