The Greenbrier County Commission ran through a list of considerations at the Tuesday meeting. Up first was Greenbrier County Chief Probation Officer Tonya Hoover reporting on the savings to the county for the regional jail expenses for housing inmates. She said because of the court’s efforts at streamlining the inmate processing procedures, a savings of $117,827 was demonstrated when comparing three months from 2015 to the same three months in 2016.
“The jail bill is a real burden on counties,” said Commissioner Lowell Rose. The county is now able to keep current with its jail bills.
Hoover also requested permission to transfer Day Report Center employee Amy Nanny to the supervision grant program, and hire Virginia Wooling to replace Nanny at the Day Report Center.
Day Report Center Executive Director Laura Legg was on hand as well to ask for approval to establish a revolving checking account for the Day Report Center in order to create a direct deposit account. She said grant funding for the center is being phased out, and as a result, the department will need to begin billing Medicaid for services by January 1, 2017.
In other business:
• A refund request was approved from a contractor who was hired to put up tents in preparation for the Greenbrier Classic golf event, which was canceled because of the June flood event. The cost to the contractor was $6,600 for building permits. The commission agreed to refund the money since no inspections were made.
• Pam West of Greenbrier Valley Farmers Market asked for a one-year lease renewal of the green space next to the courthouse to hold the farmers market on Saturday mornings and Wednesday afternoons. Commission President Mike McClung said, “We have big ideas [for that lot], but no plans in the making so far.” McClung was referring to the commission’s plans to enlarge and repave the county parking lot facing Jefferson Street North, where the farmers market is held. West’s request was approved.
• Mary Surbaugh was approved to retain her position on the Mountain Transit Authority (MTA) board.
• The November 8 general election results were certified accompanied with thanks and appreciation going to County Clerk Robin Loudermilk and her staff. The final disposition of the 2015 real property tax report was also certified.
• A letter of support for the Green Bank Observatory was approved to go to the National Science Foundation. It was noted that a side effect of the observatory in Pocahontas County is that it has become a tourist destination. Fifty thousand visitors take the tour every year, and many arrive via airport travel from the Greenbrier Valley Airport.
