By Gary Lee Stuber
The Clay County Commission met on November 24 for the second regular meeting for the month of November. All three commissioners were present: David Schoolcraft, Duane Legg and Commission President Joyce Johnson. Country Clerk Shelia Stone was there to record.
The meeting was largely routine county business: reports from Clay County PSD, minutes from the previous commission meeting, bills, purchase orders, budget revisions, erroneous assessments as presented by the Assessor, fiduciary appointments, probating wills and testaments and final settlements of estates.
The commission approved the Notice of Board of Review and Equalization on the second day of February 2026.
The Circuit Clerk requested the hire of Zoey Rounsville as temporary part-time clerk for scanning of records. The commission approved the hire partially funded by a grant.
Terry Martin was absent this commission meeting as well, but indicated he was reapplying for the Ossia Road Water Extension from Hud funding. The WVDEP has not yet opened the application process and as a result no ad has been run for the public hearing yet. There is no update on the status of congressional directed spending for Clay County 911 relocation since the federal government just reopened. The commission did approve Terry’s amendment to RIC administrative contract to the Judicial Annex which allows for an additional $10,000 to be paid by the contingency. The transfer of Old Courthouse Grant Funding of $1,000,000 to the WV Treasury Board of Investment was tabled.
No additional action or news on the PEIA front. Decisions and options are still being considered.
It was noted that the magistrate’s offices were moved from the Old Courthouse last Wednesday and that as of this date magistrate business was being conducted at the new Judicial Annex which is fully opened to the public.
I was given an extended tour of the new facility next door to the courthouse. Sheriff Alan King has yet to move his patrol office into the new facility, but his booking office has a 10×10 new cinderblock cell with a new aluminum sink and toilet, and a wide, six-foot-tall steel door. Inside are two metal benches and metal loops where prisoners can be handcuffed if necessary.
On the other side of the front of this building is the new Magistrate Courtroom. There is plenty of space for witnesses and family in the gallery. There is a twelve man jury box and a room beyond it for jury deliberation. The judge’s bulletproof bench is in the opposite corner from the jury box. Behind the bench is a door to a safe room with an outside exit inside it if necessary. Magistrates have individual offices, as well as a glass protected area for on-site arraignment, as well as video conferencing with Flatwoods for video arraignment from jail. Clerks have offices and windows for payments all safely protected. There are restrooms in the facility. The Annex is fully ready for business. A magistrate was already in a video arraignment Monday morning even as the tour proceeded.
