County Commission

Morgan County Commission
77 Fairfax Street, Room 101
Berkeley Springs, WV 25411
Phone: (304)258-8540 Fax: (304)258-7305
Hours: Mon.-Fri. 9:00am – 5:00pm

2023 County Commission Meeting Schedule
2023 Commission Holiday Schedule
2023 Board Appointments

Sean Forney – President
Commissioner Forney – sforney@morgancountywv.gov

Joel Tuttle -Commissioner
Commissioner Tuttle – jtuttle@morgancountywv.gov

Bill Clark – Commissioner
Commissioner Clark- bclark@morgancountywv.gov

Counties of West Virginia are under State control and are considered subdivisions of State government. Authority to perform functions is spelled out in the West Virginia Constitution and Legislative enactments.

“County courts” (County Commission) “are the central governing body of the county.” (Code, 7-1-1, 7-1-3, 7-1-5, 7-7-7)

West Virginia Code 7-1-1 “The county court or tribunal in lieu thereof” (County Commission) “of every county within the State of West Virginia shall be a corporation by the name of ‘The county court of (Morgan) county,’ Every county court shall consist of three commissioners as provided in section 22, article VIII of the Constitution of the State of West Virginia,.”the term ‘county court’ or any reference to a county court shall include all tribunals created in lieu of the county court ‘” (County Commission).
“West Virginia Constitution, article IX, chapter 9, re-designated the office of the county court as county commission.”

The County Commission is a three member elective body. The term of office for each Commission member is six years, with one term expiring every two years.

The primary function of the County Commission is the general supervision of the county’s financial affairs. The Commission prepares the county’s annual budget and sets the property tax rate. Spending of budget monies depends a great deal on the County Commission’s approval and payment of bills presented for payment by the county. The laws specify that no money shall be spent in excess of the amount allowed in the budget.

Each year in February, the County Commission sits as a Board of Equalization and Review, at which time the Commissioners review the work of the County Assessor and hear taxpayer complaints about county taxes.

The County Commission watches over and judges county election procedures and returns. Their involvement in elections includes dividing magisterial districts into precincts, providing ballot boxes, designating election officials and canvassing and certifying the vote count.

The County Commission’s judicial functions are limited to settlement of accounts (probate). The Commission is responsible for the construction, maintenance and security of county buildings including the security of the County Courthouse.

The County Commission also establishes and/or makes appointments to various county boards, authorities and commissions (some of which are multi-county in jurisdiction and in joint effort). View a list of county Boards.