Monongalia County approves $180,000 LPR program paid from opioid‑settlement funds
Summary
The Monongalia County Commission approved $60,000 per year for three years from opioid‑settlement funds to support a sheriff’s license‑plate‑reader (LPR) program, including roughly 20 cameras at about 10 county locations; commissioners said the sheriff supplied requested information and the measure passed by voice vote.
The Monongalia County Commission voted Nov. 12 to fund a license‑plate‑reader program for the sheriff’s office using opioid‑settlement funds, approving $60,000 per year for three years for a total of $180,000.
Speaker 2 moved the measure and Speaker 4 seconded it; the motion passed on a voice vote with all commissioners answering “aye.” The board record shows the program would be paid from county opioid‑settlement funds and would cover service fees; commissioners were told that if the county approved the contract before Nov. 14, installation fees would be waived.
According to the presentation to the commission, the LPR effort would deploy about 20 cameras across approximately 10 locations in the county. A representative of the sheriff’s office provided information requested by commissioners in advance of the vote, and at least one commissioner said they were “very comfortable with moving forward.”
The funding decision was made during the new‑business portion of the meeting; the transcript records that the sheriff’s office supplied the requested documentation but does not include the vendor name, contract text, or any formal privacy or data‑retention policy for the LPR system. The motion as recorded did not attach implementation obligations, reporting requirements, or a timeline beyond the three‑year funding commitment.
Next steps, as recorded: the program will proceed under the approved funding authorization; the transcript does not show a subsequent public hearing or a specified vendor selection process. The commission took no further formal action during the meeting on LPR program policy or oversight.
