FAYETTEVILLE, WV (LOOTPRESS) – If you build it, they will come. This is the job of a County Commissioner: build their respective counties so businesses and people will move into the area and generate economic success. But what does this building of a county mean?
The responsibilities of a County Commissioner are defined by many state codes. These duties vary and include maintaining county records and properties, supervising election processes, and handling personal property matters of citizens.
At the most basic level, however, County Commissioners are money managers for the taxes paid by those living in the county. This responsibility represents the bulk of the work and decisions commissioners must make.
Various state codes give commissioners the responsibility for collecting levies and then using those funds to support the development of the county.
Commissioners must develop a budget for most county offices and then manage county financial business, including the approval of purchases and renting out of county property.
This role of money manager includes using taxes collected through levies to support building water and sewer system infrastructure. Regulating dilapidated buildings along with being responsible for zoning and planning are also tasks managed by commissioners.
Throughout my time as County Commissioner, I have worked to abide by these state codes to move Fayette County forward. Specifically, I have
• changed the spending practices related to the excise tax and Coal Reallocated Fund, resulting in the healthiest county budget to date;
• instituted a reimbursement plan for county entities and special interest groups to better understand how taxpayer dollars are being utilized to ensure these funds are being used to support all areas of the county;
• ended the Route 19 plan so neglected areas in Fayette County can construct sewer infrastructure needed for economic and recreational development; and
• instituted the first land reuse agency so dilapidated buildings can be redeveloped and repurposed.
The goal of each of these projects is a good quality of life and success that is realized by all citizens in all areas of Fayette County.
Many suggest what the job of County Commissioner will look like if they are elected to serve in this role.
However, these promises are outside of the scope of what state code allows commissioners to do. There are those who make a number of promises about what they will do as a commissioner, from creating jobs to taking over abandoned school buildings to paving roads to allocating funds to one group over the needs of all others. The reality of the job of a County Commissioner is not this field of dreams.
In a few weeks, as we all go to the polls to cast our vote for a variety of political offices, including that of County Commissioner, vote based on what you now know are the responsibilities of this important position: good money management that includes an effective tax structure, infrastructure development, and spending practices that support every citizen of the county. If we all vote to build this field of dreams, our success will come.