By Dakota Baker
The Greenbrier County Commission met this week on Tuesday, Mar. 25. For new business, the Commission held a public hearing at 9 a.m. before their regularly scheduled 10 a.m. meeting. They had proposed an updated E911 ordinance, which, if passed, would replace the existing 911 ordinance from 1995.
The existing 911 ordinance established standards for the county’s 911 emergency system and imposed $2 per month fees on telephone wireline customers in the county. To preserve the integrity of this service, the county has decided to upgrade the E911 system with the latest technology available.
Due to the fees not being updated since 1995, they are no longer adequate to fund the necessary technology upgrades. Therefore, it was proposed the fees be increased for residential wire customers from $2 to $4.50, business customers from $2 to $8, PBX lines from $2 to $8, and Centrix lines from $2 to $8. The proposed updated ordinance would also revise language to reflect operational differences from the original ordinance.
The proposal was published as a legal advertisement, as well as uploaded onto the county website. A public meeting notice was also posted on social media, fulfilling open meeting notification requirements. The commission received no verbal or written comments for the public meeting. The commission moved to adopt the new E911 ordinance and emphasized that these upgrades were essential.
Representatives from the Civil Air Patrol attended the meeting to provide details about their programs, including a six-month drone piloting class for cadets, after which a test can be taken to obtain a drone piloting license.
They also explained how the Civil Air Patrol teaches essential aspects of leadership to individuals aged 12 to 18 while providing unique experiences and opportunities such as rocketry, aerospace activities, and emergency service training exercises.
The county commission presented funds as a pass-through from the West Virginia Governor’s office to the Greenbrier County Civil Air Patrol for capital improvements to the composite squadron building.
The following items from the agenda were considered, and all were approved: payment of Draw Request #8 for the Greenbrier County GigReady Broadband project under the WSS TIF project; the employment application for Josh Edwards to be hired as a new Assistant Prosecutor to fill a vacancy in the Greenbrier County Prosecutor’s Office; new hire applications to fill two vacancies for Dispatchers in the Greenbrier County 911 Center (Ashley Capalo and Kyle Brisend); the confirmation of Luke Borosak’s separation from employment at the Greenbrier County 911 Center; for Cameron Pack to be hired to fill a vacancy for Deputy Sheriff in the Greenbrier County Sheriff’s Department; the appointment of Mike Gore as a new member to the Farmland Protection Board; and approval of the 2025/2026 Greenbrier County Fiscal Year Budget.
