Monongalia County Commission approves consent agenda, authorizes $82,000 road payment and staff hires
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Summary
At its Dec. 23 meeting, the Monongalia County Commission approved its consent agenda — including an $82,000 payment tied to the Orphan Road project — confirmed several personnel hires and transfers, approved two requisitions and accepted a small tourism mural grant; commissioners also noted a Jan. 13 public workshop on the Harmony Grove interchange and a major recent food-distribution effort by Pantry Plus More.
The Monongalia County Commission on Dec. 23 approved its consent agenda, finalized several personnel promotions and hires, and signed off on two small requisitions and a tourism grant, the board said at a short “holiday edition” meeting.
A county official reading the voucher packet listed totals including payroll of $1,260,777.52 and a voucher total of $1,508,849.74. Speaker 2 highlighted a notable line item: “A payment of 82,000 to the North Hills Homeowners Association is included in the vouchers,” a payment tied to the Orphan Road project that county officials said followed several years of citizen requests.
The commission formally approved the consent agenda after a motion by Speaker 2 and a second; the chair called the voice vote and the motion carried. The consent vote covered the voucher list and routine approvals.
Personnel actions approved included the transfer of Olivia Rapacietta to full-time First Circuit Clerk, effective Jan. 1 with an annual salary listed as $38,000; two Chestnut Ridge Park hires — Robert Lyons (maintenance, $12.50/hour) and Christine Spangler (office staff, $12.87/hour), both to start Jan. 1; and a hire for MECA 911, Gabrielle Fortney, with a Jan. 16, 2026 start and a monthly pay figure reported. Each hire was moved, seconded and approved by voice vote.
Speaker 2 also described an administrative step the county took on employee benefits: the county will pre-fund reimbursable health-premium costs for employees impacted by Medicare eligibility so the amounts appear on the Dec. 31 paycheck and employees will reconcile by Jan. 1. Speaker 2 said about 16 employees are affected and called the pre-funding an administrative, revenue-neutral approach to avoid burdensome reimbursement logistics.
The commission approved two requisitions. Requisition No. 20 for the Series 20/21B Harmony Grove Phase 1 Administrative Expense Fund — $296.25 — was approved to pay for services. The board also approved Requisition No. 113 (the transcript later refers to the number as “1113”) for the University Town Center Excise Tax District Administrative Expense Fund in the amount of $7,110 to Steptoe & Johnson for services. The commission voted in favor of both requisitions by voice vote.
Colleen (surname redacted in the transcript) introduced a West Virginia Department of Tourism grant application for what was described as an “America February” mural project, with a request amount reported as roughly $5,000. Speaker 2 moved to approve the grant application and the commission approved the request.
On correspondence and public-health coordination, Speaker 4 said he had reservations about one United Way request tied to MCR but described a productive work session with Dr. Huggins and HealthRight. Speaker 4 said HealthRight agreed to route collected needles to the health department and to convene interested parties to discuss solutions; Speaker 2 called the intended cooperation between HealthRight and the health department “very, very positive.” Those arrangements were described as commitments from the involved parties rather than formal county actions.
Speaker 3 announced an informational public workshop scheduled for Jan. 13 on the Harmony Grove Interchange with the state Department of Highways; the workshop will be at Skyview Elementary School from 5 to 8 p.m. and is intended to allow public questions rather than present a formal staff presentation.
In commissioner reports Speaker 4 praised community generosity around Pantry Plus More, saying the organization’s recent distribution efforts involved large private donations. “We distributed over a $125,000 worth of food in 5 weeks,” Speaker 4 said, and the commission publicly thanked donors and volunteers.
The meeting closed after a report about new respite cabins near Mon Health — a ribbon-cutting the board said included a quoted per-cabin cost of about $80,000 — and a motion to adjourn. The commission adjourned following a routine second and voice vote.
Votes at a glance - Consent agenda (vouchers, minutes, payroll): moved by Speaker 2, seconded by Speaker 4; outcome: approved (voice vote). - Transfer: Olivia Rapacietta to full time (First Circuit Clerk): moved by Speaker 2; outcome: approved. - Hires: Robert Lyons and Christine Spangler (Chestnut Ridge Park): moved by Speaker 2; outcome: approved. - Hire: Gabrielle Fortney (MECA 911 telecommunicator): moved by Speaker 2; outcome: approved. - Tourism mural grant application (~$5,000): moved by Speaker 2; outcome: approved. - Requisition No. 20 (Harmony Grove Phase 1 admin fund), $296.25: moved by Speaker 2; outcome: approved. - Requisition No. 113 / referred to as 1113 (University Town Center excise tax district), $7,110 to Steptoe & Johnson: moved by Speaker 2; outcome: approved.
What’s next The Harmony Grove interchange informational meeting is set for Jan. 13 at Skyview Elementary School, and staff will implement the new employee-insurance start-date policy in early January. No contested or high-profile policy votes were taken at this meeting.
