The pavillion project at the Gas Valley Complex encountered a stumbling block at the Hancock County Commision meeting Thursday.
A motion to accept the low bid from Juszczak Construction from to redo the Pavillion at the Gas Valley Complex by Commissioner Jeff Davis did not pass when Commissioner Eron Chek cast a nay vote. The Commission received two bids on the project: Juszczak’s bid was for $199,420.00 while the bid submitted by JD&E, Inc. was for $249.800.00. Chek said that the bid specs required a time line for project completion due to a $25,000.00 Grant the Commission had received for the project and the Juszczak bid did not include the completion time for the project while the JD&E, Inc. bid did. A completion date of October is included in the grant guidelines. Davis noted that it would take 10 weeks for the material to arrive making it impossible to meet grant guidelines.
The Commission approved the Order and Notice for a Special Excess Levy on November 8, 2022 for the purpose of funding the Hancock County Board of Education. The Levy will generate $8,644,774.00 and is a renewal levy.
A discussion on the Stat Constitutional Amendment 2 which is on the ballot in November was held. The amendment would permit the Legislature to remove the Personal Property Tax for individuals and businesses. The result of the removal of the taxes, however, would have a negative impact on the revenue realized by the 55 Counties in West Virginia.
In other business, the Commission:
**Approved a letter of support for the City of Weirton’s Industrial Access Road funding. The city is seeking $400,000 from the West Virginia Development Office to fund an access road on the site of the former Weirton Steel Mill, now known as Frontier Crossin. An additional $150,000.00 in matched funds from the Industrial Access Road funding is also being sought with Frontier Group matching those funds.
**Accepted the resignation of Jace Cunningham as a full-time dispatcher and approved Cunningham as a part-time dispatcher;
**Agreed to pay Cunningham’s accrued vacation and personal time;
**Approved the Distribution of the Opioid Settlement Agreement from the Fitzsimmon’s Law Firm;
**Agreed to advertise for the County Administrator/IT position’
**Approved the hiring of part-time animal shelter employees;
**Approved the Emergency Absentee Voting Policy;
**Approved the hiring of Deputy County Clerk;
**Tabled the base salary adjustment for the Deputy County Clerk position until it could be determined if the Clerk’s budget could accommodate the raise;
**Approved a salary adjustment for Linda Stear;
**Approved the advertisement for an open position in the Circuit Clerk’s office;
**Set the next meeting for Sept. 8, 2:30 p.m.
