The purpose of the three-year grant, as explained by Hayes, Gilbert, and Hoskins, would be to obtain funding sufficient to cover 100 percent of the cost of hiring and training a special deputy to work with the domestic violence prevention program in New Martinsville, of which Carla Wade is director. The deputy would be supervised by the sheriff’s department and would have to meet all the Civil Service requirements, in addition to receiving course training to qualify him or her to work with victims of domestic violence and the perpetrators of that violence in Wetzel County.
Gilbert explained he had worked with the YWCA in the past to obtain funding for transitional housing for victims of domestic violence. Any community with a population of less than 500,000 is eligible for federal funding as part of the U.S. Department of Justice program to assist towns in increasing the number of domestic violence arrests, and thus improve the safety and quality of life for its citizens.
Gilbert also said typically the deputy would work 40 hours per week in the domestic violence prevention program, but that if any time he or she was not occupied in those activities, the deputy could be utilized in any law enforcement work the sheriff would deem necessary. Funding could also be requested in the grant to obtain a vehicle for the deputy’s use. Gilbert said the deputy works as a kind of liaison between the domestic violence workers and the sheriff’s department.
Commissioner Don Mason asked if this grant had been obtained in other counties and Hayes replied that the Arrest Grant had never been awarded in West Virginia at all, but that Wetzel was a good candidate because of the town size and the fact that there is local need for a deputy with domestic violence training credentials.
Commission President Barbara King said the grant seemed to be a good idea and she inquired as to what time frame they would be considering. Hayes responded that in order to meet the Jan. 23 deadline for the grant application, an immediate memo of understanding must be drafted and received by Gilbert so that he could begin writing the grant proposal.
King requested that Gilbert fax the necessary documents to begin the grant application process.
Sheriff Hoskins also requested the commission approve the use of vacant sheriff’s department office space to assist Carla Wade and Barbara Tanley of the domestic violence prevention center. Hoskins said in two recent incidents partners of clients seeking assistance at the center caused Wade and Tanley to be concerned over the lack of law enforcement security at the current center space over the Chamber of Commerce offices on Main Street.
Hoskins said the Main Street space would still be utilized for group meetings or classes, but the Wetzel County Sheriff’s Department space would provide greater safety for the workers and clients when more privacy was needed. The commission approved the sheriff’s suggestion.
During the commission meeting on Jan. 8 Hoskins told Wetzel County Commissioners that like the rest of the area, the sheriff’s department is “feeling the crunch” of increased fuel costs. In an effort to keep fuel expenses down, he will transfer funds from other areas in his budget.
Thus far this fiscal year, Hoskins told the Jan. 8 regular session of the commission, the sheriff’s department has spent $28,000 in fuel costs, which includes tire replacements. At the time the department budget was drawn up last year, fuel was well under $3 per gallon. Now the cost is closer to $3.25 per gallon and commissioners agreed there is no sign the cost will go down.
Sheriff Hoskins said he can move funds from areas such as training and equipment to cover some of the fuel increase. Altogether the sheriff will transfer $4,050 from other sources to bolster the fuel budget.
In other matters, the sheriff reported leaks have occurred in his departmental conference rooms, saturating the carpeting. Also leaks have to be repaired in the large circuit court room ceiling. Commissioner Bob Gorby said they would have to wait until there are several consecutive days with no court in session to erect scaffolding to make the repairs to the ceiling.
Also on the agenda was Glen Mullett who came to inform the commission of his intention to travel to Charleston to address the state legislature. Mullett said he plans to request the legislature write several bills to amend current Department of Highways policy concerning abandonment of county roads and how they are designated, so called orphan roads. Mullett said he was “thinking outside the box” and trying to come up with atypical solutions to problems citizens face concerning access to their rural properties.
Debra King of the Wetzel County Animal Shelter also came before the commission to present the monthly report for November 2007.
The commission meets each Tuesday at 9:30 a.m. Call County Clerk Carol Haught at 455-8224 to reserve a 30-minute time slot on the agenda. All meetings are open to the public.