Pendleton County accepts $250,000 grant, approves $221,353 payout and new salary schedule

The Pendleton County Commission unanimously accepted a $250,000 grant from the Sustain Our Future Foundation on July 7 to support work at the Pendleton County General Services Center (PCGSC) and approved a $221,353.87 payout related to the Courthouse Annex project.

County Clerk Elise White said the county’s FY2027 estimated carryover for the General County Fund is expected to increase by about $56,000 and that roughly $45,000 of that increase will be used to fund elected-official salary increases and the state-mandated raise to the sheriff’s commission. White said a complete budget revision will be presented for approval at the commission’s next meeting.

Commissioner Jimmie Bennett moved to approve the $221,353.87 payout and later moved to adopt a new FY2027 salary schedule for elected officials; both motions carried unanimously. Commissioner Roger Dahmer moved to accept the Sustain Our Future Foundation grant; that motion also passed unanimously.

The commission also approved a modest FY2027 Coal Severance Fund budget revision to apply a $535 carryover balance increase. The court clerk’s office renovations tied to the Courthouse Annex project are expected to finish within two weeks, commissioners said, and the overall annex work remains on schedule.

In other fiscal business the commission acknowledged a $25,000 Local Economic Development Assistance grant from the West Virginia House of Delegates to be used toward PCGSC offices and ordered routine allowances and payments from several county funds.