During the Nov. 7 session of Wetzel County Commission, a lengthy discussion took place regarding the implementation of purchasing cards for Wetzel County government entities, specifically, Wetzel County Sheriff’s Department employees.

Sheriff Mike Koontz was on hand for the discussion, as well as representatives from County Clerk Carol Haught’s office.

It appears as if the implementation of a purchasing card would offer more of a “checks and balances” system for the sheriff’s department. Both VISA Fleet Driver Cards, as well as VISA Fleet Vehicle Cards, could be attached to either a specific deputy or a specific Sheriff’s Department Vehicle. Driver cards are described as being “tied to the vehicle that the driver is authorized to drive. Multiple drivers may drive the same car.” The fleet vehicle card is described as “tied to the driver permitted to drive each card. A driver may be assigned to multiple cars. Vehicle cards stay with the vehicle to which it is assigned.” These purchasing cards could be specified for gas only, or gas and maintenance on the vehicle. Cards can have purchase limits, card limits, single transaction limits, or station limits. The driver car can also turn into a travel card in the event a deputy has to travel out of state. Once in-state, the travel card could then be used again for only fuel expenses.

Statements also offer a way to ensure that cards are being used only for their specified uses. There is an overall master statement that shows an overview of the card’s transaction, as well as a statement for each officer, depending on the card that is being used.

A vehicle card can show how many gallons are bought at each station and when each driver swipes the card they must type in the mileage from the odometer. Each driver also uses a different pin number for a vehicle card.

No action was taken on the possible implementation of purchase cards.

The Wetzel County Commission also accepted a grant that will allow rehabilitation to the barns, barn arena, and ring area at the county’s 4-H grounds.

These funds come from The Governor’s Community Partnership Program. This program provides state grant funds for community and economic development projects throughout West Virginia. This allows communities to expand, build, and improve public facilities and services.

Funds are provided to units of local government for projects approved by the governor.