BRIDGEPORT, W.Va. – Newly elected Upshur County Commissioner Kristie Tenney  recently completed a three day “basic training” course designed for newly elected and veteran county commissioners and staff in West Virginia.

The intense training offered by the County Commissioners’ Association of West Virginia (CCAWV), was held Nov. 28 – 30 and was well attended by both newly elected and veteran commissioners.

“The process for creating the county budget for the coming year begins in January and the county commissioners’ responsibility for reviewing and equalizing property assessments takes place in February.  These folks have a lot on their plate when they take office,” said Vivian Parsons, Executive Director of the Commissioners’ Association.  “It is our goal to provide them with the tools and resources they need to effectively deal with all of the issues that will hit them as they walk through the courthouse doors!”

CCAWV President Tim McCormick of the Ohio County Commission, welcomed the participants and opened the thought-provoking program.

“To those who are newly elected, you might have thought the hard part was over, but it has only just begun,” McCormick said. “CCAWV is here to help in every way possible as you begin your journey as a County Commissioner. During this training we will provide you with the tools that will make your job a little easier as you learn from the experts.”

The jam-packed agenda included sessions on media relations, the budgeting process, parliamentary procedure, county finances, employment practices, county risk management, board of review, and ethics and open meeting laws.

All attendees took home the 2018 edition of the County Commissioners’ Handbook compiled by the County Commissioners’ Association of West Virginia, an organization dedicated to the needs of county commissioners across the state and the taxpayers they represent.