The Honorable Jim Justice

Governor of the State of West Virginia

1900 Kanawha Blvd, East
Charleston, WV 25305

July 6, 2020

Dear Governor Justice:

We, the members of the West Virginia Association of Counties (WVACo) Executive Operations
Committee, are writing to express our concern with your recent decision for disbursing the $1.25 billion
as provided by Congress for state and local governments to combat the effects of the Coronavirus in
West Virginia. Our counties and cities were expecting far more than the 16% of the CARES Act
distribution, and some of your allocations only raise more questions and sew more confusion.

The item that really jumps-out at us is the designation of $100 million for “Covid-19 Related Highway
Projects.” A worthy allocation it would appear, but it seems to stretch the definition of items allowed
under the U.S. Treasury guidelines for things directly impacted by the coronavirus. Why doesn’t your
“Roads to Prosperity” program answer this item? That enabled a couple billion dollars for road and
bridge repair across our state. WVACo strongly endorsed that program and worked hard for its passage.
This CARES Act allocation to highway repair seems redundant and wasteful in the time of a health
emergency – which is far from over it appears.

This money instead could be used by counties to upgrade our communications by upgrading broadband
systems for residents and our schools, enabling reliable internet service and distance-learning for our
students and teachers during “stay at home” orders. County health departments could use this money
for proper staffing, equipment or PPE stockpiles, not to mention tele-medicine services for our hospitals.
Or we could better equip our emergency responders. Counties could find many worthy items that fit
the definition under the CARES Act.

Another item we wonder about: Workforce WV/Unemployment allocations. How will this money be
used? It’s our understanding that perhaps the state could be reimbursed, creating a windfall of about
$700 million. Could local governments avail themselves to that money, also?

As you often say “there is no playbook” for how to effectively respond to a crisis of this nature and
magnitude. We certainly understand and sympathize with the myriad issues you and your fellow
Governors have faced from the start with a lack of PPE (personal protective equipment), lack of testing
 equipment, and the overall uncertainty of virus transmission and how best to ensure the public’s safety.
You’ve handled it all well under these trying circumstances.

WVACo and counties have stood with you at every step to ensure we navigate this pandemic and
maintain our services, as you had directed. Our sheriffs and deputies have been on “the front lines,”
worried about Covid with every action we take; our county clerks maintained full staffing of their offices
so that our June 9 elections went off smoothly, safely and efficiently – which included thousands and
thousands of mailings of absentee ballots and their use by people who did not feel safe voting in-person
at the polls; our prosecutors and circuit clerks have sweated over how to provide both justice – in its
most basic, important sense - while maintaining a safe, healthy environment in our courtrooms.

West Virginia counties have worked very hard in maintaining our services during this challenging period
of time, and we would hope you could allocate more of the CARES Act funding as envisioned by
Congress to county and city government. You have stated countless times how hard you are working
with President Trump to ease federal guidelines and allow budget relief. That would be a tremendous,
welcome accomplishment. West Virginia Counties stand with you to get that done.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Pete Dougherty, Jefferson Co. Sheriff – President Paul Flanagan, Raleigh County Circuit Clerk
Phyllis Yokum, Randolph County Assessor Peri DeChristopher, Monongalia County Prosecutor
Nancy Cartmill, Cabell County Commissioner Donnie Evans, Monroe County Clerk
Sonya Porter, Logan County Sheriff Greg Vandall, Summers County Assessor