CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (WV News) — Harrison County commissioners will meet for election canvassing Tuesday before holding their regular weekly meeting.
A regularly scheduled meeting will be held at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, and commissioners will meet in their chamber with staff from the Harrison County Clerk’s office at 9 a.m. on Tuesday to conduct election canvassing and certify the results.
“I don’t anticipate any issues, but you never know,” said Commission President Susan Thomas, who served as County Clerk prior to her time as a commissioner.
Current Harrison County Clerk John Spires shared the same sentiment and added this year was a typical election, albeit busy due to more votes than normal being cast.
During canvassing, commissioners will randomly draw two precincts of the 65 in the county, and staff from the clerk’s office will complete a hand count of all votes including ballots that were cast early.
During the hand count, commissioners will also work to certify or disqualify any provisional votes.
While the process is expected to take only a few hours, in years past canvassing and certification has taken days and even weeks, Thomas said.
During their regular meeting on Wednesday, Harrison County commissioners will consider entering into an agreement with the 11 recipients of the county’s first tranche of opioid settlement money which was awarded Oct. 24.
The agreement will hold the recipients to the standards set by the West Virginia First Foundation’s memorandum of understanding to ensure the funds are spent on qualifying, evidence-based programs and services.
As the Harrison County Commission is required to submit annual reports to both the First Foundation and the state detailing the distribution of opioid funds it received, the agreement stipulates that fund recipients must submit information to the commission detailing their usage of the funds.
This information must include the amount received from the commission, what amount the entity disbursed (if applicable), explain how their usage of funds fits the MOU’s standard and show the impact of the funding.
However, “as of the date of this agreement, the West Virginia First Foundation has not released specific guidance on what format will be used for reporting or where to send/enter the information,” according to the agreement.
The commission has not yet received word on when this information will be announced, Thomas said.
She could also not say whether or not the organizations approved for funding before Oct. 24 would sign the same agreement, but that she believes they will sign an agreement of some type.
Commissioners will also consider transferring approximately $315,000 of American Rescue Plan Act funds awarded to Lake Floyd Public Service District and Sun Valley Public Service District to Enlarged Hepzibah Public Service District.
Representatives of Enlarged Hepzibah PSD requested the funds be transferred in order to pay for construction costs of treatment plant upgrades as projects at Lake Floyd and Sun Valley PSDs have been completed.
“Remaining funds would best be utilized by EHPSD as they continue to move closer toward the merger with Sun Valley,” according to the commission agenda.