Tenney selected to serve a third term as commission president

Katie Kuba
January 10, 2023

BUCKHANNON – By the end of 2023, Upshur County Commissioner Kristie Tenney will have three terms as commission president under her belt.

Tenney, who was first elected president in 2021 and also served in 2022, was tapped for a third term as president of the commission at its first meeting of 2023 on Jan. 5.

Commissioner Sam Nolte suggested that recently appointed commissioner Doug Bush should probably get some more experience in his post before serving as president.

“Would you be interested in serving another year?” Nolte said. “I think Doug should probably get another year in his position.”

Tenney agreed, and Nolte made a motion to nominate her as president which was seconded by Bush prior to passing unanimously.

Tenney takes the oath of office, which was administered by Upshur County Clerk Carol Smith at the commission’s Jan. 5, 2023 meeting.

The commission voted to meet weekly at 9 a.m. Thursdays in Room 301 on the third floor of the Upshur County Courthouse Annex unless otherwise noted.

“I would probably make a recommendation that we just stick with the same schedule we had last year and schedule weekly meetings and then if we need to cancel, we can cancel as needed,” Nolte said.

In addition, the commissioners approved local rules for commission meetings, one of which stipulates that agenda items, meetings, presentations and appointments must be received no later than noon three business days prior to the meeting date. Anyone who wishes to address the commission who is not already listed on the agenda is required to register within 15 minutes of the start of the meeting.

The commission approved a variety of board appointments and made the following changes to those listed in the commission packet:

Doug Bush will serve on the Upshur County Farmland Protection Board in place of Tenney, and in exchange, Tenney will serve on the Region VII Planning & Development Council board.

Nolte will serve on the Court Security Advisory Board and as one of the directors of the Upshur County Development Association, Inc. Board in place of the late commissioner Terry Cutright.

Prior to adjourning, the commission also took the following actions:

Set the Upshur County Courthouse, Courthouse Annex and Administrative Annex hours for 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday with the exception of designated holidays and administrative closures.

Approved the holiday schedule and administrative closures for the 2023 calendar year

Approved the appointment of Cheryl Lewis to the Upshur County Convention and Visitors Bureau Board of Directors as a tourism industry representative. Her term is effective immediately.

Approved the appointment of Mark Best as a volunteer for the Upshur County Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.

Approved the appointment of Amy Snyder and Stacie Williams as Lewis-Upshur Animal Control Facility volunteers.

Approved authorizing Upshur County Administrator Tabatha Perry to sign the grant contract, resolution, certifications, standard conditions and assurances for a grant award in the amount of $15,000 to fund the Prevention Resource Officer position at Buckhannon-Upshur High School.

Approved participating in the West Virginia Division of Highways Non-State-Owned Bridge Program funded through the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and signing a resolution to enter into a contractual agreement with the W.Va. Department of Transportation’s Division of Highways.