The Clay County Commission met Wednesday, August 12 for their regular bi-monthly meeting.
The meeting began with the receipt of a beautifully engraved welcome sign for the county courthouse. Cathy Nichols, owner of Axys Projects, donated her time and talent to create this unique piece of woodwork for the entrance of the main courthouse. A fine example of what Axys Projects can create, this sign will be seen by residents and guests alike.
The agenda began with the approval of the minutes from the previous meeting, bills, purchase orders, assessments and budget revisions. Next, the last will and testament of Clarence Hays, Sr. was probated and Clarence Hays, Jr. was appointed executor of the estate. Doris Metheney was appointed administratrix of the estate of Benjamin Hicks. Patti Hirschler was named administratrix of the estate of Victor Herbert. A request of waiver of final settlement for the estate of Roy J. Brown was approved. Lastly, the final settlement report for the estate of Okey Collins was approved and Bonnie Collins was discharged as executrix.
Random agenda items from the meeting followed. Applicants for the part-time positions of custodian, substitute custodians and animal control worker will be interviewed on August 19 at 10:00 am. Next, the commission voted to approve a capital assets policy for the county. The commissioners agreed to a contract with the WV State Auditor’s Office in the amount of $17,700 to conduct an audit for the 2013-2014 fiscal year. A monthly pest control contract with Ehrlich was canceled, effective immediately.
Several items concerning the Clay Ambulance Service were on the agenda, none of which were approved. First, the ambulance service requested that a grant application be submitted to the US Department of Agriculture Rural Development for funding to purchase a new 4-wheel drive ambulance. Commission President Fitzwater commented that the ambulance service was approved to investigate the price of a new unit, not to proceed with purchasing. After some discussion between the three commissioners, the group voted against the submission of the grant paperwork. Next, the group voted against the hiring of Paul Schulte as a part-time EMT for the agency. Perhaps the most interesting agenda item concerning the ambulance service was to write off $263,390.35 in bad debts. This request aroused great concern amongst the commissioners. No details concerning the nature of the debts or the collection process were available, causing the commission to vote against the dismissal of the debts.
Lastly, the county was forced to amend several high dollar tax assessments within the county. The appraised value for one tract for Rouzer Oil Company was adjusted from $3,215,452 to $2,020,841 due to a coding error in the state office. Moses Gas, Inc had several pieces of land adjusted for values including $73,466 amended to $600, $131,592 changed to $600, and $309,982 adjusted to $1,666.
After over an hour, the public meeting concluded. The next County Commission meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, August 26 at 10:00.