Wirt County Commission
Niki Lowe Garrett, President
Robert L. Gunnoe Jr.
The Wirt County Commission meetings are held bi-weekly on the First and Third Tuesday afternoons at 1:00 p.m. at the Courthouse, Suite 103. Citizens are welcome to attend the meetings. If you have a concern which you would like to have addressed by the Commission, you may call (304) 275-4271 or email Marolyn Baldrige to schedule an appointment. Agenda items and/or meeting presentations/appointments must be received no later than 12:00 pm three business days prior to the meeting date.
County Commissioners are elected officials. There are three (3) Commissioners in each county in West Virginia. Jefferson County and Berkeley County are the only exceptions with five (5) Commissioners. Each Commissioner serves a term of six (6) years, with a rotation of one Commissioner being elected every two (2) years. This rotation schedule assures that there will always be experienced people on the panel. At the first meeting in January each year the Commission elects its President for the upcoming year.
The County Commission is the governing body of a county. The Constitution provides certain powers to the county commission, but these powers are limited to “the manner prescribed by law.” This means that the county commissions’ powers must be expressly conferred by the Constitution or by acts of the Legislature. With respect to the powers of a county commission, the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals has stated that “a county court (now county commission) possesses only such powers as are expressly conferred upon it by constitutional or statutory provisions, together with such powers as are reasonably and necessarily implied in the full and proper exercise of powers expressly conferred upon it.”
The salary of the Commissioners is set by the State Legislature in the West Virginia Code according to the total assessment values for the County each year.
The primary function of the County Commission is budget development and management, overseeing purchasing for the county, management of county assets, overseeing the governing, management and protection of Wirt County and its citizens.
Mission
The mission of the Wirt County Commission is to provide superior public service and support which enables all county residents the opportunity to improve their quality of life, and enjoy the benefits of a safe, sustainable and progressive small community in West Virginia.