Monongalia County Commission adopts $44.0 million FY2027 budget, holds levy rate steady

The Monongalia County Commission voted March 25 to adopt a $44,011,156 fiscal year 2027 budget that holds the county’s levy rate steady while reducing overall spending about 2.23% from the prior year.

Commissioner (S5), who presented the plan, said the budget was developed amid reporting challenges from a new county accounting system but was balanced on a levy assumption that will be finalized in April. "This budget is predicated on the levy rate remaining the same," the presenter said. The commission took public comment, reviewed department requests and then approved the measure by voice vote.

Why it matters: the budget funds core county services, maintains a large public-safety share of spending and continues grant support for local nonprofits. The commission reported the total budget breaks down roughly as follows: general government about 50% of the total, public safety about 38%, capital projects about 3.9%, culture/recreation about 4.8% and health/sanitation about 1.8%.

Key details: the county reported overall valuation increases that helped revenue projections; the presenter said values rose about 5.29% overall with class-specific changes (class 2 +3.6%, class 3 +7.68%, class 4 +4.54%). The FY2027 package included salary adjustments across constitutional offices (assessor, circuit clerk, county clerk, prosecuting attorney and sheriff) with the assessor’s office receiving full requested increases and other offices receiving partial or full requests as noted during discussion.

Grant and special funding allocations were highlighted: the commission set aside $718,750 from coal-severance grant funding, $219,000 (purpose not specified on the record), $157,024 in local opioid funding and a $500,000 allocation to the Mon County Health Department — numbers the administrator said total about $1,594,774 in discretionary grant-related funding.

Commissioners stressed conservative stewardship of the general fund following declines in coal-severance revenue and said the tighter application process for general-fund grants aims to direct money to proven community needs, including homelessness services and recovery programs.

During deliberations, Chair (S1) highlighted recent point-in-time counts showing a reduction in documented unsheltered individuals in Monongalia County (from about 160 last year to about 107 this year), noting many of those served are from outside the county. The commission emphasized continued support for local shelters and recovery programs while balancing budget constraints.

The motion to adopt the budget passed by voice vote. The county will publish the adopted budget and finalize levy certification in April when state levy figures are confirmed.

Next steps: with budget adoption complete, departments move into implementation and the clerk’s office will issue final levy and appropriation paperwork once state certification is available.