LEWISBURG, W.Va. (WVDN) – The first meeting of the Greenbrier County Commission in April was highlighted by the information about new county hires.
The circuit clerk’s office has chosen a new employee from 70 applicants for an open position; the choice they made from this huge number of applications was Melissa Meadows.
Also, in the sheriff’s department, two new deputies were chosen from 11 who qualified to be tested; the civil service exam is required for hires and of the 11, only two passed, and they filled the positions. Preparation for taking the civil service exam is recommended, and many positions for government agencies require that this test be taken and passed.
In courthouse construction news, columns are being installed on the addition to the courthouse facing Court Street in Lewisburg. They will tie the two structures together by their design.
Large construction electrical equipment/components are back-ordered nationwide, according to Commissioner Lowell Rose, and this is also holding up the completion of the new courthouse addition.
Line-item transfers to cover unexpected costs in departments of county governance included one for the 911 Center to cover overtime while the newly hired dispatchers are still being trained for the positions.
Additionally, the transfer of funds was required for training expenses for the Greenbrier County Planning Commission; most of their members are relatively new commissioners having served for fewer than 3 months.
The proposed broadband engineering contract with Thompson & Litton was tabled due to waiting on some paperwork. After a recent meeting of the multiple communities involved, the consensus is the start of the broadband services will likely be next year.
Commissioner Blaine Philips stated that this Greenbrier County GIG-ready broadband project is going forward a bit awkwardly.
“We are kind of guinea pigs, since we are the first in the state to move through the process,” he said.
Rose said the area is the first to go active, because Greenbrier County was able to put the funding together quickly.
In other business, Commissioner Tammy Tincher read the proclamation declaring April as National County Government month. In the details of the proclamation, Greenbrier was noted as one of 3,069 counties in the country — there are also a number of parishes and county equivalents. Greenbrier County is the second largest in West Virginia, having 1,021 square miles within its borders.
She stated that all county and municipal governments take pride to protect and enhance the lives of all the citizens they serve.