County Commissioners To Meet Virtually Next Week To Discuss Issues Facing Largest Counties

County commissioners from the state’s largest counties, by population, are set to meet virtually next week to discuss their unique issues.  

“I think we identified the 12 largest counties through population and who also have the major metro areas. So you’ve got (Monongalia), Harrison, Marion, Ohio County, Mercer County down south, Cabell County, Wood County,” Jonathan Adler, executive director of the West Virginia Association of County Officials, said. “We wanted to make sure we included the areas with their largest cities too, just because that really, I think, lends some of the unique nature of the issues that larger counties face compared to small counties.” 

Adler said his organization and the County Commissioners Association of West Virginia were approached by some commissioners to discuss how to better advocate for them.  

“I think the top issue on counties’ minds, commissioners’ minds, are the jail bills, which have been exploding the last few years,” he said. 

Counties like Kanawha and Monongalia have reported overspending their jail bill budgets by as much as $1 million in recent years. Counties of all sizes have struggled to pay what they owe to regional jails as per diem costs for housing inmates have seen a 25% annual increase. 

Adler also identified healthcare and specifically emergency medical services (EMS) as other potential topics of discussion. 

” (EMS) it’s more of a rural county problem. But I think healthcare again affects everybody across the state,” he said. “But I want to hear them out. That’s why they wanted to talk to us, to hear what other issues they feel are more pressing for large counties versus the small counties.” 

Adler says the Aug. 26 call with 12 counties will not decide or vote on policy that the associations will pursue and therefore will not be streamed publicly. 

The West Virginia Association of County Officials will hold its annual meeting Oct. 4 to Oct. 6 in Parkersburg.