Hancock County Commissioner Jeff Davis, left, and Commission President Paul Cowey participate in Thursday’s meeting, held in the main courtroom of the Hancock County Courthouse. (Photo by Craig Howell)

NEW CUMBERLAND — The Hancock County Commission will provide some assistance to the county Solid Waste Authority, and has agreed to consider various other funding requests, following its meeting Thursday.

The county Solid Waste Authority, in a letter from Chairman Mark Vignovic, had requested $15,000 from the commission.

“This is for their operations,” Commission President Paul Cowey noted.

The Hancock County Solid Waste Authority was created in 1989 by the state Legislature, with the mission of developing a comprehensive program for solid waste collection, processing, recycling and disposal for county residents.

A recycling center, located on Gas Valley Road in the county, was opened in 2010, providing residents with a single location for the collection of recycling and the disposal of household materials. It is open five days a week, serving nearly 7,000 people each year, according to Vignovic’s letter.

Commissioner Jeff Davis made specific note of the 2,937 tires collected by the authority last year, with 14,772 tires collected between 2011 and 2020.

“In years past, those tires would have been thrown over the hill,” Davis said, calling the funding a “small token” of the commission’s appreciation.

In addition, in the last year, the authority collected 12.6 tons of comingled plastic, aluminum, steel and glass; 38.9 tons comingled newspaper, mixed paper and cardboard; 3.8 tons of electronics; 7.6 tons of used oil and paints; 39 tons of scrap metal and appliances and 96.8 tons of household junk.

The commission also agreed to allocate a total of $12,876 to the Solid Waste Authority for the purchase of a backhoe. The approval included $5,000 which already had been set aside, and $7,876 in additional funds.

Funding requests from the Northern Panhandle Resource Conservation and Development, the West Virginia Route 2/I68 Authority and the Northern Panhandle Community Justice Board, were tabled with plans to request more information from the organizations.

In other business, the Hancock County Commission:

¯ Made a matter of record, recognitions for the commission’s efforts during the 2020 U.S. Census, and the County Assessor’s Office for being in compliance with standards from the Property Valuation Training and Procedures Commission;

¯ Approved the hiring of William Kurtis White as an assistant maintenance technician, effective March 1;

¯ Approved the hiring of William T. Ross III as janitor, effective March 1;

¯ Appointed Stacy Adkins to the county Parks and Recreation Board;

¯ Approved a bid from Lauttamus Communications for Phase 1 of the Microwave Backhaul Network, and tabled a request to advertise for bids for Phase 2;

¯ Had a discussion on longevity pay for county employees, with a formal proposal to be made at the next meeting;

¯ Agreed to pay Rick Anderson, who is resigning from the county Assessor’s Office, for 12 unused vacation days;

¯ Approved the proposed end of employment for Jack Wood from the county Prosecutor’s Office, effective Feb. 15, and payment for 19.5 vacation/personal days

¯ Agreed to readjust pay for Michael Lucas and April Mannypenny Raines to previous levels, following staffing adjustments in the Prosecutor’s Office.

The commission also observed a moment of silence in honor of Weirton Fire Lt. Brian Ritchie, who died Feb. 2, and retired Weirton Police Capt. Vince Gala, who died Monday.