BUCKHANNON – Upshur County residents now have a more convenient option to pay their fire fee.

During Thursday morning’s Upshur County Commission meeting, fire fee clerk Toni Newman advised commissioners that citizens can now easily pay their fire fee online with just a few simple clicks.

To pay your fee online, simply CLICK HERE or visit the county’s website, upshurcounty.org. Then, click on the Sheriff/Tax Office under the ‘Government’ tab. From there, you will find the ‘Fire Fee’ tab listed.

Then click the bold red a link that reads ‘Make a Payment.’ Residents will need to provide the necessary information and a receipt will be emailed to both the resident and Newman.

“A receipt is emailed to Toni, and the following morning she can come in to her office and manually enter the payment into the system,” Carrie Wallace, county administrator, told the commission

Newman said that for the county, the online payment is the exact same process as if a resident would send in a check or otherwise.

So far, Upshur County has received eight online payments, and that’s without any kind of advertisement.

“It’ll make it more convenient for sure,” commented commissioner Sam Nolte.

Currently, the county is accepting fees online for parks and rec, the accessors’ office, the Lewis-Upshur Animal Control Facility and the fire fee.

“The next step would be adding the James Curry Library and park, the 911 center … and miscellaneous donations,” Wallace said.

In other news, commissioners:

• Adopted the suggested revisions to the Upshur County Safe Structures and Sites Ordinance, excluding the municipality of Buckhannon, previously adopted on April 13, 2000.
• Acknowledged Lance Miller, Unit General Manager for Weyerhaeuser, for the presentation of Weyerhaeuser Giving Fund Grant award to the Upshur County Youth Camp in the amount of $5,000.
• Accepted the resignation of Jim Farry from the Upshur County Enhanced Emergency telephone Advisory Board, effective Dec. 5, 2018. Farry served as a community member with a term expiration of June 30, 2020.

The next county commission meeting will be held at 9 a.m. Dec. 20. The Dec. 27 commission meeting is cancelled.