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Commission declines special review of county grant writer after heated public exchange
Summary
A public request to review the county grant-writer's role, timekeeping and alleged misrepresentations prompted a lengthy exchange; the grant writer defended his record of securing $1.2M+ in awards, colleagues testified to the position's administrative value, and the commission voted to take no special review action.
Commissioner Logan Mance asked the commission to review the county grant-writer position after alleging the grant writer had misrepresented an Attorney General opinion to the planning commission and may have performed planning-commission duties while being paid by the county. The item prompted a sustained public exchange: Commissioner Mance outlined concerns about timekeeping, the scope of authority and whether a part-time appointment had effectively functioned full-time without standard supervisory oversight.
The grant writer, identified in the meeting as Ralph, responded with a statement listing major awards he said he had secured or assisted with since October 2023, totaling more than $1.2 million in grants (and additional pending applications). Ralph said his gross pay since starting was $128,668.95 and described the position as part-time by WV designation, with significant unpaid overtime and no benefit package; he and Darren Taylor (director of the Day Report Center) described a collaborative grant-writing process and argued the position expanded county capacity to pursue competitive funding.
Commissioners and audience members pressed for records; President Burril and others said the proper approach would be to gather documents and, if warranted, launch a formal personnel review. Commissioner Englander moved that the commission not conduct a special review of the employee absent documented unlawful conduct or formal complaints; the motion was seconded and approved in a roll-call of commissioners present. The commission recorded support for the grant writer and thanked him and his colleagues for revenue brought to the county.
No formal disciplinary action or structural change to the grant-writer role occurred at this meeting; commissioners agreed to collect records if specific evidence is provided and to handle any formal personnel review through established processes.
