Parking lot for county employees behind the Washington Street buildings. Almost 25 years ago, the County Commission hired an architect to study its future space needs. From a baseline of 89 employees in 2001, the architect projected the county would have 170 employees by 2011 and would need to expand its office space from 42,000 Read the Full Story >>
Government
County Planning Commission To Look At Zoning, Solar & Data Centers
The Jefferson County Planning Commission will be updating the county zoning ordinance and subdivision regulations. Read the Full Story >>
County Budget Shifts From Surplus To Deficit
The Jefferson County Commission budget shows expenses higher than revenues for the next several years. Read the Full Story >>
County Commission Explains Funding Plan For New Buildings
The Jefferson County Commission authorized $16 million in debt to finance the purchase of two new buildings. Read the Full Story >>
County Commission Makes Early Revision to FY26 Budget
On May 15, the Jefferson Coounty Commission voted unanimously to add another $900,000 of expenses to the county budget. Read the Full Story >>
County Commission Plans To Change Impact Fees Again
The Jefferson County Commission is pretty clear it wants impact fees to cover a significant portion of the costs of the two buildings it plans to purchase in July. Read the Full Story >>
City & County Struggle To Align On Downtown Charles Town Plans
The City Council and the Jefferson County Commission differ on how and when to plan the next steps for downtown Charles Town. Read the Full Story >>
County Commission Plans To Finance New HQ With $16 Million Bond
The Jefferson County Commission voted to move forward with a $16 million financing plan for the two former APUS buildings it intends to purchase in July. Read the Full Story >>
County Commission Seeks Impact Fees To Help Cover Costs of New Offices
The Observer calculates that the county could recover between $6 million to $7 million of the new building project costs with impact fees. Read the Full Story >>
West Virginia Humanities Council Suspends All Grants
The West Virginia Humanities Council announced that it has paused all its grants, effective immediately. Read the Full Story >>
Data Center Microgrid Bill Passes WV House & Senate, To Governor For Signature
The West Virginia House of Delegates made a final amendment to HB 2014 ("Certified Microgrid Program") late in the afternoon on April 12 before passing the bill. Read the Full Story >>
Senate Passes Data Center Bill After Changing Tax Distribution Formula
The West Virginia Senate passed HB 2014 (Microgrids & Data Centers) by a vote of 32 for, 1 against, 1 not voting. Read the Full Story >>
Data Center Tax: Local Share Set By Senate Committee
A bill to create special tax districts for data centers cleared the Senate Economic Development Committee earlier today. Read the Full Story >>
Jefferson County Commissioners Reduce Transparency
Jefferson County residents are questioning a recent decision by the County Commission to reduce government transparency. Read the Full Story >>
Local Governments Need Volunteers For Boards & Commissions
Jefferson County residents can serve on many local government boards, committees and commissions. Read the Full Story >>