The Clay County Commission held a regular session on Monday, April 13, 2026, at the Clay County Courthouse. Commission President Johnson and Commissioner Legg were present in person, while Commissioner Schoolcraft joined by phone.
Karen Nicholas, of the Clay County Library, spoke about ongoing financial strain tied to state-level changes following recent federal funding cuts and the reorganization of the Library Section of the West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture & History (formerly known as the West Virginia Library Commission). The Library Section of the West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture, and History—a branch of the Department of Tourism—supports 170 West Virginia public libraries, including academic and school libraries across the state, through a variety of services and programs. However, according to Nicholas, the agency is now experiencing a significant staffing shortage, leaving it with a single employee.
Nicholas asked the commission, in what Johnson described as an annual plea, for assistance covering the library’s insurance costs—an expense the commission has typically covered in recent years—in addition to “any extra money.” Nicholas acknowledged that funding is difficult to secure. Additional funding would help fill gaps created by the changing library funding landscape faced by local libraries, particularly as support once provided by state agencies—such as internet service and software upkeep—has diminished.
Technology maintenance is among the services that are no longer guaranteed, but Nicholas noted that this is not a new issue. The library has devices that have been out of service for five years and, due to staffing cuts at the state level, have gone without updates and repairs, leaving smaller libraries waiting years for basic maintenance.
With growing uncertainty, the library’s plea for additional funding was met with Johnson offering to keep the library in mind should any funding become available for such a request. This comes after the library levy passed with 1,128 votes (874 votes against) in November 2024 during the general election.
Sheriff Allen King, of the Clay County Sheriff’s Department, raised the most significant concern of the meeting, reporting an ongoing shortage of funds for required publishing and printing expenses, a compliance element to reporting delinquent property taxpayers. According to King, these publishing and printing expenses will cost the department an estimated $20,000.
Commissioner Johnson responded to King’s concerns, “I think it’s going to have to wait to come out of your July budget…same thing has happened the last two or three years. It always comes up. We’ll just have to pay it in July.”
King acknowledged Johnson’s statement, but explained “That’s why we are in the bind we are in…because we are taking next year’s budget out of last year’s budget and it’s just…snowballing…is that the way it should be?”
King claimed that the Commission’s regularly approved budget has, for at least a few years, not considered or included funds to address these necessary requirements, and as such, each year, the costs are deferred to the following budget, leaving the Sheriff’s Department underfunded.
However, Commissioner Legg made the point, “whenever we done our budget, two months ago, that should of been mentioned then, and not after we approved the budgets and submitted them to the state, and now we can’t go back,” citing a potential failure in budget planning.
The Commission indicated that no immediate action could be taken to address King’s funding request, aside from deferring the expense to the next budget cycle. Nevertheless, the issue remains unresolved and will require a clearer decision from the Commission moving forward.
The commission also discussed ongoing infrastructure projects in the county, including plans for a new 911 center, as well as related matters such as the potential relocation of the county’s criminal evidence room.
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