Commissioners face PRO funding issue

WELLSBURG -- Brooke County officials have made plans to meet with local school officials to discuss funding for sheriff's deputies serving as prevention resource officers in Brooke County schools.

Brooke County Sheriff Larry Palmer, on Tuesday, told the commission he's concerned about the county receiving quarterly payments from the county board of education, in the amount of $112,500, for the officers.

"That's a big issue. At least for my budget, it is," said Palmer.

He explained salaries and expenses for three officers currently serving in schools and two others undergoing training, at a cost of $6,000 to $8,000, were allocated in the school district's five-year levy.

The allocation also includes a Wellsburg police officer at Brooke Middle School.

Since the levy was approved by voters last year, school officials have found it was miscalculated, resulting in a $3.2 million per year shortfall.

The Brooke County school board, during its meeting Monday, agreed not to pay stipends for staff that were included in the levy because it would result in the school district operating at a deficit.

Attorney Roger Hunter of Bowles Rice told the board doing so would violate a state law prohibiting any government entity from incurring more than a "casual deficit" defined as 3 percent of its budget.

Following the commission meeting, County Commissioner A.J. Thomas said the board has paid for the most recent quarter, though it was later than usual, spurring Palmer's concerns.

The sheriff also questioned whether the board will be able to fund the officers next year.

While the department's school resource officers were once funded with state grants, those grants have run their course.

Over time the school board, sheriff's department and city of Wellsburg entered into agreements splitting the costs until the officers were added to the levy last year.

Superintendent Jeffrey Crook, who was called for comment, said as the board navigates its funding crisis, it will attempt to preserve the PRO positions.

"We want to honor our commitments," he said.

Commission President Tim Ennis said, "Whatever they (school officials) do could have a trickle-down to the county government."

In other business, the commissioners dispelled a rumor spread on social media that they intend to demolish the 232-year-old log house at the corner of Sixth and Charles streets.

The log house was moved from elsewhere in the city when the removal of its clapboard exterior revealed it to be a two-story log structure built by Alexander Wells, an early resident of the city.

The commission has razed other buildings to accommodate the planned expansion of the county courthouse but there are no plans to remove the log house, they said.

"As far as we're concerned, it's staying where it's at," said Thomas.

Ruby Greathouse, curator of the Brooke County Museum and Cultural Center, said while her name and the name of the museum board president were mentioned in the social media posts, they had nothing to do with circulating them.

She said if the commission considered relocating the house in the future, the museum board would help it to find a suitable place.

Greathouse also showed the commissioners about a dozen glass gearshift knobs found in the ground during the demolition of part of the former Brooke Glass factory.

She said the knobs were among many produced by Crescent Glass, which operated at the site for many years, and there are plans to sell them as a fundraiser for the museum.

Also on Tuesday:

• The commissioners tabled, for further review, an apparent bid of $252,338 from Alex Paris Contracting of Atlasburg, Pa. for the pavement of Mac Barnes Drive, the access road to the county's animal shelter and recycling center used by the county solid waste authority and adjacent lots.

• Christina White, chief dispatcher for the county's emergency 911 center, expressed thanks to state Sen. Ryan Weld, R-Wellsburg; and state Sen. Bill Ihlenfeld, D-Wheeling; for legislation declaring 911 dispatchers first responders.

White said the legislation enables the dispatchers to receive coverage for treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder.

She said she knows the stress that all dispatchers experience, having heard the last gasp of a dying woman and instructed a mother in administering cardiopulmonary resuscitation to her child, among other tasks while on the job.

(Scott can be contacted at wscott@heraldstaronline.com.)