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Commissioners approve communications equipment grant and move to dissolve contentious contingency reserve
Summary
The commission approved a $16,218.95 disbursement from the County Fire Protection Contingency Fund to the Monongalia County Volunteer Fire Companies Association and voted to rescind the contingency-reserve policy adopted Oct. 9, 2024, directing staff to distribute remaining funds to 13 entities and the City of Morgantown.
The Monongalia County Commission approved a $16,218.95 disbursement from the County Fire Protection Contingency Fund to the Monongalia County Volunteer Fire Companies Association for communications equipment, then moved to rescind a contingency-reserve policy the commission described as contentious and time-consuming to administer.
Commissioner Sean moved to approve the communications equipment purchase and to rescind the policy adopted 10/09/2024, instructing staff to disperse the remainder of the contingency account to 13 entities (12 electronic funds transfers plus the City of Morgantown) and to distribute future state funding according to the prior regular distribution unless the commission directs otherwise. The motion was seconded and approved by voice vote.
"This contingency fund has taken up a lot of bandwidth of the commission and our staff," Sean said, calling it a contentious issue. He said dispersing the funds directly to the volunteer fire departments and the city would reduce administrative burden and friction around the account.
The commission did not provide a detailed line-by-line accounting of the remaining contingency balance on the record during the meeting, nor did staff present a timetable for executing the multiple EFTs. Commissioners instructed staff to implement the distribution as moved; follow-up details such as final accounting and transfer schedule were not specified in the meeting minutes.
