The Calhoun County Commission met Monday, March 23rd for the purpose of the final review the 4+ million dollar budget for Calhoun County. In attendance, Commissioners Eric Lupardus, Craig Arthur, Lee Rush, 911 and OES DirectorKelli Barr, Assessor Jason Nettles, Larry Whited and Ridgeview News Publisher Shari Johnson. A motion to approve the budget and levy rates as presented was made by Commission President Eric Lupardus, seconded by Commissioner Lee Rush and passed unanimously.
| Account # | Expenses | Budget | Requested | Approved |
| 2025-26 | 2026-27 | 2026-27 | ||
| 401 | Calhoun County Commission | 203,615 | 211,445 | 171,295 |
| 402 | Calhoun County Clerk | 204,328 | 227,119 | 199,634 |
| 403 | Calhoun Circut Clerk | 149,149 | 148,649 | 128,940 |
| 404 | Calhoun Sheriff Tax | 297,140 | 270,985 | 228,513 |
| 405 | Calhoun Prosecuting Attorney | 193,521 | 214,568 | 175,290 |
| 406 | Calhoun County Assessor | 218,698 | 222,758 | 178,408 |
| 407 | Assessor Valuation | 103,060 | 138,385 | 138,385 |
| 408 | Computer Network | 35,000 | 35,000 | 35,000 |
| 413 | Elections | 25,000 | 18,900 | 42,200 |
| 415 | Magistrate | 5,000 | – | – |
| 416 | Circuit Court | 2,500 | – | – |
| 417 | County Administrator | 88,150 | 100,850 | 82,200 |
| 424 | Calhoun County Courthouse | 882,040 | 891,045 | 1,165,700 |
| 429 | MOVRC | 3,000 | 3,000 | 3,000 |
| 430 | EDA | 64,225 | 96,850 | 96,700 |
| 699 | Contingency | – | – | $33,063 |
| 700 | Sheriff Law | 285,297 | 313,100 | 302,050 |
| 701 | Sheriff Process | 2,974 | – | – |
| 704 | Jail | 362,000 | 350,000 | 225,000 |
| 705 | Home Confinement | 45,490 | 68,790 | 53,790 |
| 711 | 911 Center | 500,000 | 479,950 | 454,400 |
| 712 | OES | 1,420 | – | – |
| 716 | Animal Shelter/Humane | 75,000 | 75,000 | 75,000 |
| 718 | Flood Plane Mgmt | 1,420 | – | – |
| 730 | Court Security | 75,000 | 76,131 | 48,370 |
| 800 | Health Department | 20,200 | 30,101 | 19,200 |
| 801 | Mental Health | 1,000 | 1,000 | 1,000 |
| 813 | Litter Control | 8,500 | 12,315 | – |
| 900 | Parks and Recreation | 250,000 | 250,000 | 250,000 |
| 957 | Family Court | 23,200 | 24,000 | 24,000 |
| Total Expenses | 4,125,927 | 4,259,941 | 4,131,138 |
A second meeting began at 5 p.m. with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance and a moment of silence for the many families in the community who have recently suffered the loss of a loved one.
Previous Commission Meeting minutes were reviewed and approved. Motion by Commissioner Lupardus, second by Commissioner Rush, all in favor.
A motion was made by Commissioner Craig Arthur to bid out the renovations of the O&M Building located in the Calhoun Industrial Park. The motion was seconded by Lee Rush and all were in favor. Bidding information will be ran on local news.
Two Polling places for the upcoming Primary election have been officially moved. The 19th Precinct will be located in the Sycamore Room of the Upper West Fork Park and the 15th Precinct will be located at the Minnora Senior Center. The two precincts will remain separate in future elections.
Following the fire that completely destroyed the Upper West Fork Park Community building the Park has now accepted a contractor and the County Commission will revisit the precinct location closer to the time of the election to determine when the new building will be available for use.
Commission President Eric Lupardus made a motion to for the Calhoun County park to used the stumps of RMA for the provision of Artists and Fireworks show the Summer Concert series. The Calhoun County Park has $194,000 remaining in their budget for the current fiscal year that will end on June 30th. The Commission believes that those funds can be used for the purpose of promoting and encouraging Community involvement through events. The 250 birthday of America has created a sell out of shows and there is a need to book entertainment and fireworks quickly. The Commission hopes to have an amazing 250th American Celebration on July 4th at the County Park. Upcoming event dates are: July 4th, August 22, and September 5, Local performers will also be included in the events.
Due to an added expense of materials necessary for creating the America 250 Mural, the Commission approved $1,000 to be added to the $5,000 budget that was paid for through grant funding.
Approved through parks and recreation funding was the purchase of a new stove and and range-hood for the Calhoun County Park kitchen. County Administrator Jennifer Randolph informed the Commissioners that she had been searching for a 6 burner commercial stove with a griddle and range hood with a fire suppression system. The equipment found came to a total of $8817.00 total which was approved by the Commissioners for purchase.
Commissioner Lupardus noted that Minnie Hamilton will be donating the kitchen equipment removed during their renovation to the Upper West Fork Park and a generator to the County Park.
Calhoun County Park President Donnie Pitts found a set of used ball field bleachers for sale for $3,000 for which the Commission approved the purchase of.
Whitney Butler, County Clerk requested that the Commissioners consider a request to use a night deposit for County offices to make nightly deposits. The matter was approved.
April is recognized nationally as National County Government Month, and in celebration, the County Commissioners’ Association of West Virginia (CCAWV) is pleased to announce the launch of our annual student contests. These initiatives are designed to increase public awareness and understanding of county government, particularly the vital role of the County Commission—while encouraging civic engagement among West Virginia’s youth.
This year, CCAWV is hosting two opportunities for middle school students:
Essay Contest – 8th Grade Students
Participants are invited to submit a 500‑word typed essay on the topic: “A Day in the Life of a County Commissioner.” Students should explore the responsibilities, challenges, and community impact of this important elected office. The essay must analyze the structural and administrative functions of the County Commission as a legislative body, rather than focusing on the biography or actions of an individual commissioner.
Art Contest – Middle School Students (Grades 6–8)
We are excited to introduce a new contest titled: “Civics in Color: A Local Government Challenge.” Students are asked to illustrate one activity, event, or place funded by their county commission and include a brief 3–5 sentence description explaining their artwork and its significance.
Submission Information
All entries, both essay and art, must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, April 22, 2026. Entries and applications should be uploaded through the CCAWV website at www.ccawv.org, located under the Education section of the Events tab.
Awards & Recognition
- Essay Contest: Monetary prizes will be awarded to the winning students and the winning teacher.
- Art Contest: Winning artwork will be featured in the CCAWV Art Gallery and the official CCAWV Calendar.
These contests provide meaningful opportunities for students to learn about their local government and the essential work of the County Commission.
If you have any questions or need additional information, please do not hesitate to contact Meagan James at meagan@ccawv.org.
Commissioner Lee Rush will be attending a Mid Ohio Valley Health Department meeting on March 26th, 2026.
Commissioner Lupardus mentioned that about a month and a 1/2 ago had a fellow had requested the Commission look into the Mt. Zion Customer’s being billed in error. The WV Public Service Commission have advised that they are doing a deep dive into that investigation and will return information when results are done.
County commission has been steady stream of customers and that’s exactly what they wanted to see happen when the set up the office. Encourage people to come to the commissioners office and speak to us and see the work that’s being done. encouraged people to read the article on Ridgeview that describes what each office in the courthouse does.
Larry Whited requested an update on the Water Projects and was responded to with the following updates: There was a call on March 19th regarding the Norman Ridge Project. The refusal of one easement continues to be a problem but lawyers are looking at options and hope to get it out for bid working 30-90 days.
The Upper West Fork Extension continues to be addressed by Protest Engineering. Meadow Run was requested to be added into the project and will likely be partly included, but pressure issues will prevent it from being entirely included.
The Commission continues looking at how important it is to tie into other systems at our County edge. Commissioner Lupardus stated that “We are not confident with our local company provider and will look for other options.”
Commissioner Arthur reported that the Annamoriah project has been worked on and has set aside for that project. Their have spoken with several citizens out on Monday Road who want water as well and the project will likely stop just short of Coopers Park.
As for the possibility of connecting to the Roane County water system, the water currently stops approximately at the Arnoldsubrg park with an additional 5 miles or so to reach Roane County. Commissioner Lupardus has spoken with Roane County regarding the possibility of connecting to their system.
Under Appointments to boards, Commissioner Lee Rush volunteered to be appointed to the Roane County EMS Board, now that Calhoun is in a collaborative effort for EMS Services through their agency.
Jennifer Randolph, County Administrator continues to serve diligently for our community seeking grants. She has recently applied and received a $5,000 grant for AEDs for the local fire departments from the Parkesburg Area Foundation. She has also applied for an $80,000 grant for generators for the Arnoldsburg and the Upper West Fork Park through the WV Department of Homeland Security to assist the County in emergency preparendes. The generator donated by Minnie Hamilton to the Calhoun County Park spared the County $100,000 for that expense and a thank you was extended to Minnie Hamilton for their County Support.
A motion was made by Commissioner Eric Lupardus to send a letter to the Commissioners Legal counsel, Harrison Holmes for their assistance in addressing budget shortfalls, improper journal entries without Commission approval and payments made for the office of Prosecuting Attorney Michael Hicks by former County Clerk Jean Simers. The matter was seconded by Commissioner Craig Arthur and voted unanimously to proceed.
Commissioner Lupardus also requested Legal Assistance in a matter unbinding the Upper West Fork Park who is being sued by a contractor for $80,000. The money the contractor believes he is owed was for his work with the non profit park to replace the building that has now been contracted to another firm. The Contractor suing placed a bid of $701,000 to build a 40’x80’ bridging which was bid by another firm for the amount of $275,000.
Both Commissioners Lupardus and Arthur expressed their disappointment in the contractor suing stating that they have had work sessions and emails with Mrs. Deidre Purdy who is serving on the park board, a brilliant legal mind, but no longer with the WV bar association. All three Commissioners believe its a good idea to move forward and the contractor should be ashamed for suing a non profit who is working with the ashes of such a great loss.
