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Monongalia County approves FY2027 budget; commissioners keep levy rate assumption unchanged
Summary
The Monongalia County Commission voted March 25 to adopt the fiscal year 2027 budget after a discussion of revenue, valuation changes and grant spending priorities; commissioners said the budget was built assuming the current levy rate will remain unchanged and emphasized competitive grant review.
Monongalia County commissioners voted March 25 to adopt the fiscal year 2027 county budget after a presentation and discussion of revenues, valuations and grant allocations.
A commissioner moved to approve the FY2027 budget as presented. Speakers said the budget process was complicated this year by a transition to a new accounting system in the clerk's office that reduced reporting cadence during portions of the review. Commissioners described the budget as lower overall than last year because of adjusted carryover and revenue assumptions, and they said it was predicated on keeping the levy rate at the current level pending final levy-setting in April.
Presenters described valuation changes that contributed to revenue: overall assessed values were said to have increased by about 5.29% with variation by class. Commissioners provided category-level notes: general government allocations declined from the prior year, public safety spending increased, and capital projects had a modest reduction. Speakers also reviewed salary adjustments across constitutional offices and said offices received varying portions of their requested increases.
Commissioners spent substantial time describing grant-review changes and allocations. They said 56–59 applications were considered and described a tightened process in which all three commissioners individually review every application. The commission proposed allocating coal severance dollars and discretionary funds to community nonprofits and public services, citing proposed amounts including $718,750 from coal severance and a $500,000 allocation to the Mon County Health Department; opioid-related local funding and other discretionary amounts were also discussed.
Commissioners noted point-in-time counts for unsheltered individuals fell from over 160 to 107 in the most recent count and emphasized continued funding for local shelters and recovery services. After discussion the commission called the vote; commissioners present voted in favor and adopted the FY2027 budget.
Ending: County staff will complete levy-setting work in April and proceed with the implementation steps described during the meeting; commissioners thanked staff and signaled continued attention to grant processes and homelessness services.
