The Upshur County Commission on Thursday rejected a state proposal to shift responsibility of the oversight of county fire departments on to county commissions.
At its regular weekly meeting, county administrator Carrie Wallace explained that as part of a Senate bill passed in the legislature in 2018, the W.Va. State Fire Marshal had been tasked with surveying West Virginia county governments. The report is requested as part of Senate Bill 625, which was passed in early March and went into effect June 8, 2018.
“As you may know, Senate Bill 625 is relative to transferring the responsibility in oversight of the accountability of operations, fiscal planning, financial accountability and risk management planning of local fire departments to the county commissions,” Wallace explained, “so they’re asking for your feedback relative to that transition.”