Jefferson County commissioners elect new chair, approve routine contracts and payments

Jefferson County commissioners reorganized their leadership at the start of 2026 and approved a series of routine administrative and contract items at the board’s first meeting of the year. Commissioners elected Commissioner Jeff Besarcik as chairman, named Commissioner Scott Miller vice chairman and nominated Commissioner Gunes as secretary. The board then approved minutes, authorized invoices and confirmed several staff appointments.

The reorganization was introduced during the meeting’s opening business when a motion to nominate Besarcik was made and seconded; a roll-call was held and the board approved the nomination. Speaking in support of the nomination, one commissioner noted Besarcik’s multiple reelections and roles on county-level associations, saying those experiences would serve Jefferson County well.

Why this matters: leadership choices determine who sets meeting agendas, represents the county publicly and shepherds administrative priorities. The board’s other routine approvals also set short-term fiscal and operational directions for county departments.

After reorganizing, commissioners approved the minutes of the Dec. 23, 2025 meeting and voted to authorize invoices cited in the meeting packet totaling $755,490.46 for the billing period provided by staff. The board also read and approved a slate of staff appointments listed during the meeting, including Karen Lafung as clerk, Jonathan Weibel (assistant chief clerk), Joe Shields (veterans’ affairs), Jessica Park (EMA coordinator), and others named from county departments and offices. The full list of appointments was read into the record and approved by voice vote.

The board reappointed Kara Jericho of Corsica to a five-year term on the Jefferson County Solid Waste Authority, with the term read in the meeting as expiring Dec. 31, 2030. Commissioners also approved a contract with Patricia Johnston of Reynoldsville to provide office cleaning services for district judge and associated offices at $185 per month; the contract term was read in the meeting as covering the calendar year (the transcript lists the year as “1926,” which appears to be a transcription error for 2026).

Votes and motions recorded in the meeting transcript were procedural and carried by either roll call or unanimous voice vote; where roll-call names were read in the record, commissioners answered affirmatively. The board announced the next meeting date and adjourned after the routine business.

Actions at a glance

- Nomination and election of Commissioner Jeff Besarcik as chair — Motion moved and seconded; roll call recorded affirmative responses and the chair was transferred to Commissioner Desarches. Outcome: approved.

- Nomination of Commissioner Scott Miller as vice chair — Motion moved and seconded; outcome: approved.

- Nomination of Commissioner Gunes as secretary — Motion moved and seconded; outcome: approved.

- Approval of minutes (Dec. 23, 2025) — Motion moved and seconded; outcome: approved.

- Approval of invoices totaling $755,490.46 for the period listed in the meeting packet — Motion moved and seconded; outcome: approved.

- Appointments to county positions (clerk, assistant chief clerk, veterans’ affairs, EMA coordinator, CFO, HR, economic development and planning, community development, maintenance director, director of tourism, CIS administrator, public defender, information systems director, county solicitor) — Names read and motion carried.

- Reappointment of Kara Jericho to Jefferson County Solid Waste Authority (term read as expiring 12/31/2030) — Motion carried.

- Agreement with Patricia Johnston (Reynoldsville) for janitorial services at $185 per month for the calendar year (transcript year appears to be a typographical error) — Motion carried.

What the record shows and what it does not: The transcript records motions, seconding, and approvals for each item listed; it does not include detailed roll-call tallies with every commissioner name attached to each motion beyond the roll calls as read in the record. Where the transcript lists affirmative roll-call responses, the record shows the named commissioners answered "Yes". No ordinances, resolutions or contested policy items requiring additional public hearings were on the record for this meeting.

Provenance: topic introduced at SEG 019; topic last discussed at SEG 227.